Toxins detected at Dillon

Add Dillon, Lake Hope, Shawnee State Park and East Harbor to the list of places either being tested for toxic algae levels or having the toxins present at significant levels. The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday that warning signs are going up at Dillon, LAke Hope ad a Shawnee State Park pond. It reported in Thursday's editions that East Harbor is being tested.
The Newark Advocate reports that beaches at Buckeye Lake tested clear.
As I understand it, the blue-green algae that produces the dangerous toxins is present in almost every body of water. When conditions are right, such as with a build up of nutrient levels from agricultural runoff, the algae can "bloom" and the toxin levels build to dangerous levels, which is what happened at Grand Lake St. Mary's.
Nothing in the Dispatch stories indicates the toxin levels at Dillon are at the level of Grand Lake, but the fact is the state is erecting warning signs and you should heed the warnings and be careful not to ingest any water and keep contact to a minimum. Stay away from any obvious algae surface scum.
The signs at Dillon were to be erected Wednesday and I haven't heard whether they had any effect on the turnout for the Wednesday night pot tournaments there. I should hear something Thursday.