Blue-green algae on area rivers and lakes may be toxic.
Kim Biggs with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency reminds:
A confirmed toxic Algae bloom will close a lake and fishing will not be allowed.
A bloom can go from barely noticeable to dangerous in a short amount of time.
Typically stagnant water is the most likely to develop algae blooms.
However you will see in rivers and streams and even the I and M canal.
Typically these blooms happen in stagnant water but may appear on rivers and streams.
Blue green algae can easily double in size and depth rapidly.
While this naturally occurs in our environment, rapidly developing algae is usually toxic.
Such algae blooms may look like a patch of blue or green paint suspended on the surface of the water. In that case, residents should avoid contact and not let children or pets play there.