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"Three teaspoonfuls are enough to kill a small child" |
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Written by Staff
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Fosters Daily Democrat ran a story titled, "Townhouse Pond toxins worry UNH expert" about the dangers of high chlorophyll levels in a lake. In the case of Townhouse Pond, the levels climbed high enough that toxic cynobacteria, more familiarly known as blue-green algae, began to grow at an alarming rate. The article quotes Dr. Jim Haney of UNH's Zoology Department, "Three teaspoonfuls are enough to kill a small child," he said. "If you see any green material, send it to UNH or DES (Department of Environmental Services). They'll test it, and they could shut the beach down. It is deadly."
Pawtuckaway Lake has had some small outbreaks of blue-green algae in the past but, nothing close to what Townhouse Pond is experiencing. However, if our water quality continues to decline and effective phosophorous/nutrient loading into the lake is not curtailed, we may see more blue-green algae in the lake. The entire news story is available here: Townhouse Pond Story
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