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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM, HEALTH ISSUE TEMPORARY ADVISORY FOR TEN MILE RIVER AND ITS IMPOUNDMENTS PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management and the Department of Health (HEALTH) are advising people to temporarily avoid recreational activities that include contact with water from the Ten Mile River including its impoundments, Turner Reservoir and Omega Pond. The river originates in Massachusetts and forms the boundary between Massachusetts and Rhode Island along the northern half of East Providence and Seekonk.During a recent sampling event, DEM observed a dense algae bloom turning the waters of Turner Reservoir a bright green color. Laboratory results from tests have found high levels of the naturally occurring algal toxin, Microcystin. These levels, exceeding 25,000 micrograms per liter, are significantly above the guideline of 40 micrograms per liter from the World Health Organization. The risks of health effects from casual contact with water containing this toxin are low. Serious health effects could occur if people were to drink large quantities of this water or to drink this water over a period of several days. HEALTH Director, David Gifford, MD, MPH, advises, "People should avoid recreational activities, such as swimming or fishing, that involve contact with this water, until water samples are safe." High levels of Microcystin in water causes serious damage to the liver when the water is used as a water supply, or when water is swallowed repeatedly during swimming or other recreational activities. Pets can suffer similar affects, but with smaller quantities of water, and should be prevented from drinking or contacting water from this area. Symptoms of exposure to Microcystin include stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, muscle and joint pain, and irritation of the skin, eyes and throat. People who have been drinking from, swimming, or fishing at the Ten Mile River and experience those symptoms should contact a doctor. DEM advises that the situation will likely improve over time, and that Tuesday's rainfall flushed some of the toxin-producing algae downstream. DEM will re-sample the waters and, with HEALTH, will advise the public when it is safe to resume recreational activities on the Ten Mile River and its impoundments. Microcystis is an algae that grows naturally on the surface of many waterbodies. Under certain conditions, such as warm weather and an abundance of nutrients in the water, the algae may undergo an explosive type of growth that results in dense, floating mats of algae, commonly referred to as an algae bloom. Since algae benefit from warm, sunny weather, as the days get shorter and cooler the algae are likely to dissipate. Any toxins that are in the water will decline as the algae die off. In addition, rainfall helps to circulate the water and break up the blooms. Although not all algal blooms produce toxins, people are advised to avoid contact if they encounter similar conditions of dense algae blooms and bright green colored waters in other lakes and ponds. -30- |
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