Blooms of potentially harmful algae have swirled in lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas during most of the summer of 2021 due to increased inflow of phosphorus and other nutrients caused by this year’s heavy rainfall.
The concentration of blue-green algae has not resulted in health warnings from the Louisiana Departments of Environmental Quality or Health.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has not issued any reports of effects on fisheries, saying the agency won’t know what impact this year’s bloom might have on fisheries until it’s over and can be compared to past events.
The last time health warnings were issued for algae blooms in the lake was in 2019, when the Bonnet Carre Spillway was open for a record 123 days, dumping nutrient-rich Mississippi River water into Lake Pontchartrain.
