City of Austin testing for toxic algae at Barking Springs spillway after dog dies
Austin city staffers are awaiting test results from algae samples taken at Barking Springs, a wading area downstream from Barton Springs Pool, after the city last week reported that a dog had died July 10 within an hour of swimming there.
The cause of the dog's death remains unconfirmed, but exposure to harmful algae is possible, according to a statement from the city. Scientists with Austin's Watershed Protection Department took samples from a few isolated mats of algae near rocks in the Barking Springs area to be tested.
Barking Springs, a popular spot for people to bring their dogs to play and swim, sits on the other side of a dam at the downstream end of Barton Springs Pool, which requires a fee to enter and does not allow non-service dogs.
More:Austin expands battle with harmful, pet-threatening algae to north shore of Lady Bird Lake
Ingesting harmful toxins within the algae can be fatal to dogs. They can be exposed by eating toxic algae or drinking water that contains toxic algae. So far this summer, the city has found toxins in algae samples and not water samples at its monitoring locations, which include Lady Bird Lake and Emma Long Metropolitan Park on Lake Austin.
Harmful algae is more likely to be found along shorelines and in warm, still water. Such algae was first found in Lady Bird Lake in 2019 when several dogs died after swimming in the water.
The Watershed Protection Department monitors three sites on Lake Austin, including at Emma Long Metropolitan Park, and three sites on Lady Bird Lake, visiting them every other week throughout the summer. Algae samples collected from Lady Bird Lake on June 27 and from Emma Long on June 29 contained homoanatoxin, a neurotoxin.
Last summer, the city began treating 22 acres near Red Bud Isle, upstream on Lady Bird Lake, with a claylike substance called Phoslock to slow or stop the growth of toxin-producing blue-green algae. This year, the Watershed Protection Department expanded its use of Phoslock to the north shore of the lake in East Austin, from Interstate 35 to the lagoon by the Festival Beach boat ramp.
Watershed Protection is applying 30,000 pounds of Phoslock at the area near Festival Beach and at Red Bud Isle this summer. The cost for all the treatments, testing and lab work is $300,000, city officials said.
An algae sample taken from Red Bud Isle on May 30 indicated the presence of dihydroanatoxin, a previously detected, potent neurotoxin, Watershed Protection officials said.
Phoslock, which looks looks like gray cat litter, is mixed with water to form a material that binds to phosphorus and denies the blue-green algae a primary source of nutrients, thus slowing the spread of the algae.
When Watershed Protection applied Phoslock near Red Bud Isle last year, the department saw a 40% reduction in phosphorus available to the algae. Sediment testing in May "showed that the reduction in available phosphorus had persisted over nine months," officials said.
"During treatments, boaters should avoid the treatment area and keep plenty of distance from the barge applying the Phoslock," department officials said. "The barge will be spraying a gray slurry into the lake that will temporarily cloud the water."
City officials said Phoslock "is safe for humans, the environment and wildlife, and will settle to the bottom in a few hours."
If your dog becomes sick after swimming, take it to a veterinarian immediately.
Symptoms of algae poisoning in dogs can pop up minutes to hours after they are exposed to harmful algae, or after they've ingested it. Symptoms include excessive drooling, vomiting or diarrhea, foaming at the mouth, jaundice or an enlarged liver, blood in their urine or dark urine, stumbling, loss of appetite, abdominal tenderness, progression of muscle twitches or respiratory paralysis.
Humans may experience a rash, irritation, swelling, sores, a fever, headache, eye irritation, or gastrointestinal, neurological, ear or respiratory issues.
Make sure to rinse off after swimming and keep your dog from licking its fur before you rinse it off.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: City testing for toxic algae at Barking Springs after dog dies
