State health and water quality officials urge the public to avoid contact with green or blue water on the Chowan River between Arrowhead Beach in Chowan County and the Occano community in Bertie County.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources notified the public Thursday about the algal blooms that have lingered in the area since Oct. 6.

The bloom has been observed in the Chowan River at its confluence with Salmon Creek near Occano, near Whites Beach, and at the Arrowhead Beach boat launch.

Cyanobacterial blooms usually appear bright green, but when a bloom starts to decay, the color can change to a milky blue. Decaying algae may produce a strong, foul odor that can impact a large area. Algal blooms tend to move due to wind and wave action.

The division determined the blooms are dominated by species of Dolichospermum, or as Anabaena, and Microcystis, which belong to the algal group cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

“Dolichospermum and Microcystis can produce microcystin, an algal toxin that may cause adverse health effects in humans and pets,” division states.

Testing shows that the three sites exceed public health advisory levels. Results are on the division’s Algal Bloom Dashboard.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health recommends avoiding contact with large accumulations of algae and to prevent children and pets from swimming or ingesting water in an algal bloom.

The state health department suggests the following steps:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored, or scummy.
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
• Avoid handling, cooking, or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal bloom.
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seek medical care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger or collapse after being in a pond, lake or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

To report an algal bloom, contact the nearest DEQ regional office or submit a report online. To view reported algal bloom events, visit the state Fish Kill & Algal Bloom Dashboard.

Officials also remind the public to take precautions as other microorganisms or pollution may be present in waterbodies that can lead to recreational water illness, see https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/water/prevent.html.

State officials are urging the public to avoid coming in contact with algal bloom — green or blue water — in the Chowan River in the Edenton area.

In a notice Monday, the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources officials said the bloom has lingered in the area since July 27. Officials said there were no reports of adverse health effects in people associated with the algal bloom at the time of the notice.

The bloom was observed near Edenton, from Arrowhead Beach to Rockyhock and Colerain. Algal blooms tend to move due to wind and wave action. Chowan and Bertie counties were affected.

The Division of Water Resources investigating the bloom and determined it is dominated by Dolichospermum and Microcystis, belonging to the algal group cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria blooms usually appear bright green but when a bloom starts to decay, the color can change to a milky blue. Decaying algae may produce a strong, foul odor that can impact a large area.

Both Dolichospermum and Microcystis can produce microcystin, an algal toxin that may cause adverse health effects in humans and pets. A quantitative test detected microcystin in this bloom at 350 μg/L which exceeds public health advisory levels. A final report was to be uploaded to DWR’s Algal Bloom Dashboard.

The state Division of Public Health said the public should avoid contact with large accumulations of algae and to prevent children and pets from swimming or ingesting water in an algal bloom. The division suggested the following steps to safeguard against algal blooms:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored or scummy.
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
• Avoid handling, cooking or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal bloom.
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seek medical care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger or collapse after being in a pond, lake, or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

To report an algal bloom, contact the nearest DEQ regional office or submit a report online. To view reported algal bloom events, visit DWR’s Fish Kill & Algal Bloom Dashboard.

This story has been updated.

Officials with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources are urging the public to avoid an algal bloom on the east side of the Chowan River because of a toxin called microcystin, a type of cyanobacteria.

Test results announced Thursday by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services indicate the bloom is producing microcystin at observed levels greater than 250 micrograms per liter.

“At these levels, officials with the Division of Public Health would consider this bloom a high risk for acute health effects during recreational exposure, based on guidance values published by the World Health Organization,” the department announced.

State environmental officials have been monitoring numerous blooms in the Chowan River since May, DEQ said Tuesday. On July 17, staff from the Estuarine Monitoring Team responded to a reported algal bloom near Arrowhead Beach in Edenton.

Environmental conditions controlling toxin production by cyanobacteria are not well understood and can change rapidly over time and location, officials said. North Carolina has had no reports of adverse health effects in people associated with this algal bloom. State health officials routinely encourage the public to avoid contact with large accumulations of algae and prevent children and pets from swimming or ingesting water in an algal bloom.

State water quality and health officials suggest the following steps to safeguard children and pets from any algal bloom:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored or scummy. Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
• Avoid handling, cooking or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal bloom.
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seek medical care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger or collapse after being in a pond, lake or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

For more information on potential health effects from algal blooms, visit the N.C. Division of Public Health’s website. To learn more about algal blooms in North Carolina, visit the Division of Water Resources’ website.

RALEIGH – Though state health officials consider the bloom low risk for acute health effects if exposed, the state Division of Water Resources recommends avoiding an algal bloom on the east side of the Chowan River because of the toxin microcystin, a type of cyanobacteria.

There have been no reports of adverse health effects associated with this algal bloom. Currently low risk, what causes the toxin production by cyanobacteria is not well understood and can quickly change.

DEQ’s Estuarine Monitoring Team responded July 17 to a reported algal bloom near Arrowhead Beach in Edenton, the Department of Environmental Quality announced Friday.

Preliminary results indicate that the bloom is able to produce microcystin but levels have been observed to be between 5 to 10 micrograms per liter, which is considered low risk according to World Health Organization, or WHO, guidelines.

State environmental officials have been monitoring several blooms in the Chowan River since May.

State health officials routinely encourage the public to avoid contact with large accumulations of algae and suggest the following steps to safeguard children and pets from any algal bloom:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored or scummy.
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
• Avoid handling, cooking or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal bloom.
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seek medical care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger or collapse after being in a pond, lake or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

For more information on potential health effects from algal blooms, visit the N.C. Division of Public Health’s website. To learn more about algal blooms in the state, visit the Division of Water Resources’ website.

RALEIGH –  The public is being urged to avoid contact with green or blue water in the Chowan River caused by an algal bloom about 12 miles upstream from Edenton, North Carolina Division of Water Resources announced Tuesday.

The bloom, which has lingered in the area since June 20, can easily move to other areas.

Staff with the agency’s water sciences program have identified the bloom species as Dolichospermum, a member of the blue-green family of algae. Algal blooms of this type usually appear bright green, according to the press release. When a bloom begins to decay, the color may change to a milky blue with the decaying algae producing a strong, foul odor.

Though North Carolina has had no reports of adverse health effects in people associated with this algal bloom, state health officials routinely encourage the public to avoid contact with large accumulations of algae and prevent children and pets from swimming or ingesting water in an algal bloom.

Officials recommend the following steps to help safeguard pets and children from any algal bloom:

• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored or scummy.
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
• Avoid handling, cooking or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you are exposed to water where an algal bloom is occurring, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that have been exposed to water where an algal bloom is occurring.
• If your child appears ill after being in water where an algal bloom is occurring, seek medical care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger or collapse after being in a pond, lake or river, seek veterinary care immediately.

Learn More

• Algal blooms
• Potential health effects from algal blooms

Officials with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announced June 23 that they are urging the public to avoid contact with green or blue water in the Chowan River due to an algal bloom that has lingered in the area since June 12.