Our Land: Toxic Blue-Green Algae Blooms in New Mexico Lakes

September 13, 2019 – In this month’s episode of Our Land, correspondent Laura Paskus visits Cochiti and Abiquiu lakes, which were closed to swimming in August because of blooms of blue-green algae. Contact with the blooms, which are triggered by things like high water temperatures and an influx of nutrients from upstream farms, grazing lands, or wastewater treatment plants, can make people and animals sick. With a warming climate, such algae blooms are likely to become more common in coming years.

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Line Panelists:
Becky Bixby, research assistant professor, UNM Department of Biology
John Mueller, operations project manager, Abiqiui Lake, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Kristopher Barrios, program manager, New Mexico Environment Department
Monika Hobbs, graduate student, UNM Department of Biology
Mollie Hanttula, graduate student, UNM Department of Biology

For Further Reading:
Blooms close lakes – Albuquerque Journal

Algae is a danger to dogs – KRQE-TV

Historic information on algae blooms – NM Water Resources Research Institute