Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has lifted the public health advisory at Sprague Pond following a cyanobacteria algae bloom which closed the pond on Nov. 8 for three weeks.
Testing samples that were taken in the area from Nov. 20-26 revealed levels of cyanobacteria below the state’s safe limit of 70,000 cells/milliliters (mL) of water.
Environmental Science Fellow Paul Hanbury with the Neponset River Watershed Association first documented a cyanobacteria algae bloom in the pond earlier this month.
Cyanobacteria algae is a blue-green algae that grows rapidly in bodies of water and produces toxins that are harmful to people, animals and the environment. The algae bloom in Sprague Pond created a green murky sheen and killed several fish in the water, according to Hanbury.
According to Cooke, seeing an algae bloom during the winter months is quite unusual as it typically occurs during the warmer, summer months.
“What we suspect happened here is that the pond turned over, it liberated that extra fertilizer, but it was sunny enough and warm enough for little critters to using that fertilizer to start growing,” he said.
Cooke added that temperature is “fundamental” to the ecosystem and wildlife, and that an imbalance could cause “unintended and unexpected consequences,” like this algae bloom.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok