After severe droughts have plagued Texas waterways, many cautions have been put out for area lake goers.
LAKE TEXOMA — The Army Corps of Engineers has banned swimming in some local lakes after spread of hazardous blue-green algae was found in Lake Texoma.
The Army Corps of Engineers announced that any activity causing direct exposure to the lake’s water is off-limits to people and animals until further notice. Contact with the toxin-forming algae is prone to cause nausea and skin rashes and can be lethal in extremely high doses.
Joe Custer, a manager at Lake Texoma, said the recent extreme heat and stagnant water levels likely triggered the algae bloom. The Army Corps announcement also explained blue-green algae are naturally present in Tulsa-area lakes but it was high heat and dryness that exacerbated them into a harmful spread.
Lake Travis — The last public boat ramp on Lake Travis, at Mansfield Dam Park, closed September 19th because of rapidly sinking lake levels.
The Travis County Parks and Recreation Department closed the ramp, which is the deepest on the lake, according to the park’s department’s website.
September 20th, Lake Travis was at 630.7 feet above mean sea level, about 33.9 feet below its September average, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Officials have also closed all public ramps on Lake Buchanan, which is about 20 feet below its September average. Boats can still be launched from the beach at Buchanan Dam Park, officials said.
All four launch ramps on Lake Buchanan have been closed since earlier this summer, making this the first time since August 2009 that all launch ramps on lakes Travis and Buchanan are closed.
Private ramps and marinas can still operate at their own discretion.
All public ramps on lakes LBJ, Marble Falls and Inks, which are kept at constant levels, remain open.
The last time all public boat ramps on Travis and Buchanan was August of 2009, officials said.