Overview
- Austin Watershed Protection staff observed thick mats of blue-green algae near Red Bud Isle on Lady Bird Lake and at Walsh Boat Landing on Lake Austin on Tuesday and collected samples from six monitoring sites for laboratory testing.
- Austin Public Health and city officials warned people to avoid contact with visible algae, keep pets away from scummy water, rinse after any exposure, and report suspected illnesses to Austin Public Health or the Texas Poison Center Network.
- The observation comes during a planned 2026 control year after a five-year, roughly $1.5 million pilot that applied lanthanum-modified clay to bind sediment phosphorus and limit blooms; the pause will be used to judge the treatment’s effectiveness.
- Blue-green algae can produce neurotoxins such as dihydroanatoxin-a that harm humans and animals, and local reporting says six dogs in the Austin area have died from associated toxins since 2019.
- Officials expect more blooms as temperatures rise and advise extra caution because Austin Water monitors Lake Travis and Lake Austin for drinking-water safety but the city does not routinely test all recreational waterways such as Lady Bird Lake.