BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen are being cleaned of algae.
This comes after an increase in microcystin, which is a naturally occurring toxin that can form on growing algae.
The city’s water department and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency have been monitoring the water quality closely since a spike in algae occurred in January. Testing confirmed the microcystin levels are well below any level that requires a health advisory.
The city has been using powdered activated carbon as part of the treatment process, and this algae treatment will further boost the quality of the water.
Ed Andrews, the city’s water director, said the treatment will help with the taste and odor of water in Bloomington, which has been a source of contention since January.
“Right now, we’re pumping off Lake Evergreen,” he said. “We’re not pumping off of Bloomington while we’re doing the treatment. Once this treatment is applied and we give it the weekend to follow-up with testing, then we’ll decide to be able to switch and draw from Bloomington while we treat Evergreen next week for the same condition.”
The city plans to start algae treatment on Lake Evergreen next week.
WMBD TV can be reached at [email protected].
