3 Colorado River coves land on Nevada HAB warning list

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Three coves near Nelson’s Landing on the Colorado River have been placed on Nevada’s list of sites where Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) have been detected.

Eagle Wash Cove, Morning Star Cove and Placer Cove at Lake Mohave are all under HAB warning advisories, indicating the water is unsafe.

Reports since late August on Lake Mead’s Facebook page have shown conditions near Nelson’s Landing along with warnings to swimmers and people with pets.

“Toxic algae blooms have been detected at Nelson’s Landing, primarily at the beaches of Eagle Wash and Placer Cove. The algae are producing dangerous toxins exceeding safe levels for public contact, as advised by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection,” according to a post from Aug. 27.

Early this week, a photo of similar blooms near Cottonwood Cove was posted in a Facebook group, but no advisories have been posted for that area.

The three coves were added to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services dashboard on Wednesday afternoon.

“Although most algal blooms are not toxic, some types of cyanobacteria produce nerve or liver toxins,” according to the DHHS dashboard. There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with HABs in Nevada this year, according to officials.

A total of 13 sites have been identified so far this year, and 11 of those are still active. The Lake Mohave HAB warnings are the closest to metro Las Vegas, about 50 miles southeast of the city.

Earlier this year, California officials investigated a report of a dog dying at Lake Tahoe after is was exposed to an outbreak there.

A dog died at Zion National Park in July, 2020, in another case that involved cyanobacteria produced by an algal bloom.

In 2023, a 2-year-old boy’s death was not related to cyanobacteria. Woodrow Bundy contracted a Naegleria fowleri infection after swimming at Ash Springs in Lincoln County. Naegleria fowleri is often referred to as a “ brain-eating amoeba .”

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