Toxic algae infests another cove in Charlotte area, this time at yacht club home
Toxic algae has infested a third cove on Lake Wylie, one where a longtime yacht club that hosts sailing and rowing programs is based, county officials said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services staff spotted an active blue-green algae bloom on Thursday in an unnamed cove near the Catawba Yacht Club, according to a Mecklenburg County news release.
Staff also discovered active blooms in the Boyd’s and Snug Harbor coves on Thursday.
Blooms of the creepy cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, have been reported in Boyds Cove since early August and in Snug Harbor since mid-September, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The yacht club is south of the Buster Boyd Bridge on the North Carolina side of the lake, about 20 miles from uptown Charlotte.
In an email Oct. 6, club secretary David Kern told members the bloom was near the kayaks at the club. “Please do not swim or let your animals swim in the cove,” Kern said in the email that has been provided to the Observer.
The private, non-profit club was founded in 1939 to provide family-oriented sailing and docking facilities for its members, according to its website, Catawbayc.org. The club offers sailing and rowing programs.
Don’t touch the algae
If you come upon the algae, don’t touch it, county officials warned.
And never touch, cook or eat dead fish found near the algae, officials said.
If you do touch any of the bloom, thoroughly wash your hands with clean water, the county advised. Rinse off pets that contacted the algae with clean water, too.
Seek immediate medical attention if your child was in the water and falls ill, county officials said. Watch for such symptoms in your child as “loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, itchy skin or rash,” according to the county news release.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 10:48 AM.