Toxic algae reports unconfirmed at Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Emotional pleas on social media about dogs dying because of toxic algae blooms are heart-wrenching. But are they true?

A private Facebook group devoted to Lake Mead went through the topic a couple of weeks ago — and the original post is no longer visible, having devolved into a nasty argument over who is right and who is wrong. Now a new video originally posted on TikTok is making the rounds, and immediately misinforming the Facebook audience with an overline, “Blue green algae at Lake Tahoe and Lake Mead causing dog deaths.” The video doesn’t say a word about Lake Mead.

The video telling the story of a family dog’s death at Lake Tahoe also doesn’t say specifically where the incident occurred. A CBS report on Tuesday focused on El Dorado Beach on the California side of the border, but the dog might have been exposed at Nevada Beach. The video’s claims were not confirmed, but the CBS report revealed that officials are testing the water at both beaches. Test results will not be available for five to seven days.

Now a Nevada Department of Health and Human Services dashboard is adding some hard data on the topic, and it’s clear that if dogs are dying the state has not been notified — or at least there has been no confirmation.

A map of Nevada lakes and reservoirs shows four of 24 sites monitored for algae blooms are currently on watch status, indicating hazardous conditions are likely present. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are among the 20 sites with no bloom advisories in place.

The four sites under watch in Nevada:

• Eagle Valley Reservoir (Lincoln County)
• Lahontan Reservoir (Lyon County)
• Virginia Lake (Washoe County)
• Washoe Lakes (Washoe County)

By Wednesday morning (July 10), three additional reservoirs had been added: Chimney Reservoir (Humboldt County), South Fork Reservoir (Lyon County) and Wild Horse Reservoir (Elko County). The dashboard still indicated no illnesses have been confirmed.

The dashboard includes information on each site’s status and the number of human and/or animal illnesses reported. A description on the “Overview” tab summarizes of the possible dangers and what to look for.

As of July 9, there have been no illnesses, human or otherwise, that the state has confirmed.

Make no mistake, it’s a serious problem. But social media posts deserve skepticism, particularly when there are scant facts to check for accuracy. It’s easy to spread fear when there’s a willing audience.

While hot days have settled in for the summer, it’s best to rely on official sources of information when making decisions about spending your time and money — and recreation is no exception.

At Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which includes Lake Mohave, report suspected cases to the park’s dispatch staff at 702-293-8998. Park personnel will investigate and verify the findings.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife promoted the dashboard on Tuesday, linking to more tips and phone numbers to report blooms .

• Report harmful algal blooms to Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP): 888-331-6337
• Report sick or dead wildlife to Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW): 775-688-1500
• If you have any questions about cyanobacterial toxin poisoning, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222
• Report human and domestic animal illnesses, email stateepi@health.nv.gov .

NDOW’s news release on blooms also offered this email address to report suspicious blooms to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Biological Assessment and Monitoring Branch: wfettgather@ndep.nv.gov . Please provide a photo of the suspected HAB, to help with monitoring and response efforts.

Blooms in Nevada occur in freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. They can occur throughout the year but are most common in late summer and early fall.

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