Algae alert in park
Dog walkers urged to keep beloved pets on lead as water turns toxic in loch
Visitors to Strathclyde Park are being advised to keep their dogs out of the water following a blue-green algae outbreak.
North Lanarkshire Council have issued warning notices around the loch advising people to avoid contact with the water and to also keep their dogs out of the water and stop them from drinking it.
The warnings are in place as bluegreen algae is potentially harmful to both humans and dogs.
However, there is no way to prevent the outbreak, and all council officials can do is monitor it.
Whilst the park is closed to all water sport activities, the area has seen an influx in walkers out getting their daily exercise during the coronavirus lockdown.
A council spokesperson said: “As a result of the warm weather conditions, Strathclyde Loch is affected by blue-green algae. This is a common issue in areas of fresh water, particularly during the summer. We have placed notices around the park advising visitors to avoid contact with the water and not to allow dogs to enter or drink the water. Due to the coronavirus, there are currently no watersports activities on the loch.”
Warm weather conditions can result in algae, some types of which release toxins which can be can be dangerous for humans and poisonous to dogs (and other animals). It is impossible to tell which algae produce toxins just by looking at them, therefore it is best to treat all blue-green algae as potentially toxic.
Symptoms of exposure to blue green algae in humans (meaning contact with or ingestion of affected water) include abdominal pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, sore throats and blistering in the mouth.
More serious effects, such as atypical pneumonia and gastroenteritis are also possible. Ingestion of the toxic scums that can be formed by the algae is also reported to have caused deaths in cattle, sheep, dogs, birds and fish.
The same problem occurred two years ago, just one month before the park was one of the main venues of the 2018 European Championships.
It also happened back in 2014, when just over a month after Strathclyde Park hosted the triathlon during the Commonwealth Games, the loch closed to watersports enthusiasts.