By Lisa Ramsden
Visitors to Castlewellan Lake have been reminded that it is not safe to enter the water, following another discovery of potentially toxic algae.
Blooms of the so-called blue-green algae have appeared in the lake in recent weeks, prompting the organisers of a triathlon, which is set to take place there this summer, to postpone entries.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, which runs the park, has reminded locals that the algae has been present since last year and reissued health and safety guidance. Within this, the local authority says people must not enter the water, avoid contact with the algae’s scum, refrain from drinking or fishing from the lake, and keep animals well away from it.
Blue-green algae is a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria naturally inhabit our freshwater, coastal, and marine waters, and like plants, they require sunlight, nutrients, and carbon dioxide to grow and reproduce. It can increase greatly in numbers and form visible ‘blooms.’
Read the full story in the Mourne Observer to find out the effect that the blooms will have on the area.
