<\/p>\n
A stretch of the Animas River south of Durango has turned fluorescent green from an algae bloom.<\/p>\n
The growth is most pronounced downstream of the South Durango Sanitation District treatment plant, 434 Trestle Lane, about a mile south of Home Depot, and stretches several miles downstream, past the Weaselskin Bridge on La Posta Road (County Road 213).<\/p>\n
Shirley Isgar, who lives about a mile south of the wastewater treatment plant, said she and a fisherman noticed the algae growth early last week. A dead fish, about 16 inches long, was lying belly up Tuesday on the riverbed behind her house. Isgar has lived there for several years, and her mother has lived there for decades, and they have never seen the river taken over by algae quite like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe river is always low this time of year, every year \u2013 always low, never green, never algae growth like this,\u201d Isgar said.<\/p>\n
San Juan Basin Public Health was unaware of the algae growth when reached Tuesday afternoon by The Durango Herald. Brian Devine, water program manager for the health department, visited the site that afternoon and confirmed the algae bloom.<\/p>\n
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, which monitors that section of the river, said algae grows naturally in rivers and streams across the Four Corners, including the Animas River during sustained low-flow and clear-water conditions.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t respond to specific questions about the most recent growth and whether it presents a health hazard for humans or wildlife.<\/p>\n
Algae blooms<\/a> can occur naturally or as a result of human activity. Some algae blooms can deprive fish of oxygen or be a sign of degraded water quality.<\/p>\n Several factors can contribute to algae growth in rivers, including high temperatures, low river flow, plenty of sunlight and an influx in nutrients contained in fertilizers and wastewater discharge, Devine said. Often, it is a combination of all four factors that play a role, he said.<\/p>\n