Residents should be on the lookout for blooms and, if they are serious, they should be reported to the North Carolina Department of environmental quality, Washington, NC office. The DEQ provides an online form for this report, DWR Citizen Report.
Albemarle Resource Conservation and Development Council offers current information on algal blooms and the regional partnership.
N C Division of Water Resources explains algae blooms. "Cyanobacteria, commonly called bluegreen algae, are naturally occurring bacteria present in most fresh waterbodies
across North Carolina. Under certain environmental conditions, cyanobacteria can reproduce rapidly to form a cyanobacterial bloom. Blooms are most common during summer months when bright sunlight, warm temperatures, and increased nutrient availability promote cyanobacterial growth. Some cyanobacterial blooms are able to produce toxins,
called cyanotoxins, which can cause illness in humans and animals that come into contact with water affected by a bloom."
The Partnership to Monitor and improve Water Quality in Albemarle Waters has been studying and Addressing Algal Blooms. Hall and Paerl, UNC Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences in a 2019 study, have identified several potential nutrient sources as possible causes on recent bloom activity including nitrogen and phosphorus loading.
