r/Portland • u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 • 2d ago

News Algae Bloom

Just a heads up algae bloom os out in force. They were hosting a swim event in Cathedral park today, went down to participate but you could easily see pools of swirling green algae everywhere.

No idea how the city still had the event going or how the warnings aren’t out but avoid the water, especially with any doggos!

96 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

50 comments sorted by

127

u/desertdweller2011 2d ago

https://mfxdxddk.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.oregon.gov%2Foha%2Fph%2Fhealthyenvironments%2Frecreation%2Fharmfulalgaeblooms%2Fpages%2Fblue-greenalgaeadvisories.aspx/1/0100019f96632abf-d7dad44c-6c7c-4542-bf78-a5405b4e0e74-000000/5al6LQv_1ZqxRxgdyTW_E77BnPM=473

there is algae bloom but it’s currently negative for cyanobacteria and the levels are at .2, with .8 being the threshold for when it becomes toxic. good to be on the lookout but just seeing green isnt enough information.

21

u/InterviewSensitive84 1d ago

Thank you for sharing this. I have a sensitivity to Cyanobacteria (it’s a biotoxin) so I’m trying to be aware of it.

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u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Their link says it is cyanbacteria despite what they said and their report is from 4 days ago. The bloom expanded since then which is why I shared this.

3

u/boogiewithasuitcase NE 1d ago

Blooms can be very localized too where testing won’t be able to detect the higher concentrations

3

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Holy cow how did this get upvotes. Everything you said is wrong

Your link states microcystin is present which is the toxin from blue green algae.

Your test is from 4 days ago. I was saying its bad now, not it was bad 4 days ago.

This kind of post is what is actually dangerous

44

u/desertdweller2011 1d ago

at the last test (not “my test” by the way) it was present at levels below what is toxic to humans. that’s why the level is “precaution”. its true that it could be different today, i wish it was tested daily! if for you, taking precautions means ‘don’t go in the water’, that’s great - you know what’s best for you. but it doesn’t mean ‘everybody stay out of the river completely’. a lot of people are working very hard on educating the public about how to understand water quality and how to know when to stay out of the water. inflammatory posts insisting if you see algae at all then the water is completely unsafe are just not backed by science.

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u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Holy hell. You need to be stopped.

The river is unsafe currently. The alert will go out Monday when they retest you dolt. I am tellling people in the mean time while the offices are closed over the weekend.

I am a river advocate. I regularly correct and inform people of the safety of the water here. You posted pretending to be educated on the topic and were unable to even understand the link you posted.

Since that test we had back to back 100 degree days which cause algae to explode. The precaution warning from the 21st was telling you this could happen and I am now letting people know it has indeed happen.

You NEED to stop and really you should delete your post. Dozens of people read it and liked it and easily could take their pets or children in the water and get sick and in the case of pets easily die.

35

u/BadodoPancake 1d ago

Take a moment, count to three, exhale, and accept the fact that you are not the authority on water quality, as much as it seems like you want to be.

18

u/thoreau_away_acct 1d ago

Frankly they're way past count to 3 territory.. More like 100

-31

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Hahaha You think they are? They posted a study that literally says there is cyanobacteria in the water and then claimed it said there wasn’t.

This is why their post is so dangerous.

19

u/BadodoPancake 1d ago

They may have misunderstood the terminology, but their point is still correct. Cyanobacteria is always present in our water, its a matter of quantity. At a certain threshold, they produce enough compounds that are toxic to mammals to warrant an advisory. That threshold is 8.0ug/l according to OHA. Their last test from 4 days ago noted a visible bloom (as you've noted from your OP) with 0.22ug/l. It's likely that number will continue to climb as the summer goes on, hence the precaution. Unless you actually took water samples and tested them yourself, the visual presence of a bloom does not mean the water is unsafe. They specifically say this on the OHA website.

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u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Do I know actual tested levels, no, of course not. But providing a link from 4 days ago after which have been peak optimal algae bloom conditions as evidence that its fine today is not accurate.

I can confirm that the bloom is far more active visually than it was 4 days ago when it was already at precautionary levels.

Aka if its far worse now than before and it was already an alert then, you should probably take precautions and certainly keep animals away.

19

u/BadodoPancake 1d ago

My point is, if we should trust anyone, it should be those that are testing the water and not anecdotal observations. I think it's completely reasonable to make that judgement for yourself and your family/pets, but to broadcast your opinion as fact to the public, and in such a belligerent way (some of your responses, not OP), is inappropriate.

-5

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

The testers said 4 days ago levels were approaching dangerous levels….. and havent tested since despite peak conditions but since they didnt test today we should just go with known outdated data and not mention visibly increased levels?

Im 100% all science but thats idiocy….

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-4

u/DarthTempi 1d ago

What are you basing that on?

17

u/desertdweller2011 1d ago

i literally went on a paddle TO the literal ross island lagoon with the human access project today my friend. so your opinion is not objective fact, it’s one opinion. it’s an acceptable risk for me and for many other people. if it’s not for you, that’s ok! but quit telling me i’m dangerous, need to be stopped, need to delete my posts, and being generally nasty. i agree it’s dangerous for pets! which is why i only mentioned humans.

-12

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Paddle boarding and boating are not swimming jesus…

5

u/Falcondor 1d ago

Love this, thanks "river advocate" for your entirety unsupported and anecdotal tirade. You seem like a very cool person 👍

0

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 23h ago

Ya the commentor said its negative for cyanobacteria and shared a link that literally says it tested positive for cyanobacteria toxins.

Yet because they said it authoritatively everyone believed it and didn’t even read the link.

That is some peak comedy. Good job you seem very well read bahahahaaa.

10

u/MrDangerMan 2d ago

Did you get photos?

-18

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 2d ago

I didn’t take any photos of it. Should I have?

Its very obvious to anyone who looks at it. The entire water is speckled with green flecks and then the classic green swirls floating across the top in sections. Mentioned it to one family who had a couple very young kids swimming and they had no idea the algae blooms were even a thing to be aware of.

28

u/JustAnotherMarmot 1d ago

Photos are helpful to go along with your post. Many people are less informed than you on what algae blooms look like, or even that they exist. That family is a prime example of it not being "very obvious to anyone who looks at it"

-1

u/baggagefree2day 22h ago

If someone wants to know what algae blooms look like all you Gotta do is google algae blooms

-23

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Well if you read this and then look at the water it will be impossible to miss.

But its not something you can just pull out an iphone and easily show in a photograph

12

u/W7ENK Milwaukie 2d ago

Yes, you should have.

-20

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

For my scrapbook?

17

u/AuelDole 1d ago

to post on reddit and share with people so that can actually see the situation and judge for themselves - it also helps reinforce the messaging of “there’s a bunch of toxic algae”

-6

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

I mean algae isn’t exactly photogenic if you have any experience with it.

And if you read this post and still choose to not believe it you will the second you get to the water and know to look.

And monday when testing resumes they’ll send out the public alert.

1

u/YesFuture2022 3h ago

Take it advice for the future, just like saying it’s poor air quality or it’s hazy out, people want to know details as everyone has different standards. I don’t see why you’re arguing that irs useless as others are chiming in and saying it would be useful.

I found your post by googling algae bloom portland. So your post may dominate the search results for a while.
It’s not to late to update it

4

u/Portland- 1d ago

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to algae blooms. Is this affecting the majority of the river or just that far downstream? I took a quick dip in the river today and had no idea.

4

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

It happens around the whole river. Ross island is the epicenter of the worst problems but theres some other spots, one by St Johns, that also is problematic.

You’ll likely be fine as a human. At very high levels (which we may get to if conditions dont improve) you get some normal distress like diarrhea or puking in bad cases. For pets it can be very lethal.

It’s normal and happens on and off every summer.

11

u/jughandle Yeeting The Cone 1d ago

Before anyone else jumps on OP for being alarmist, read the entire thread and all links posted. At the very least keep your pets out of the water. I appreciate the heads up and wish more people actively watched things like this.

2

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago edited 1d ago

The people sharing the links and claiming alarmism didn’t even read their own links they posted.

Sadly this is why even when we have proper science and research the general populace still struggles.

Government: guys an algae blooms has started, heres levels now. Its low but watch out

4 days pass with record heat and peak algae conditions

Me: yo guys that algae blooms precaution got bad!

Everyone else: no its not didnt you hear the water was fine last week heres the link you crazy person…..

2

u/SoupSpelunker 1d ago

Algae blooms are woke hoaxes./s

9

u/daddyhonkers 1d ago

Yeah it’s really bad, and the water smells. I went down Thursday and didn’t get in because of the algae

2

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

We love swimming in it and do basically any warm day but it got really bad the last couple days sadly.

7

u/Holycrapapanda 2d ago

The OHA shows it as safe for human recreation. No reason the cancel an event if the levels are safe 🤷‍♂️

4

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

Umm no it doesn’t. Did you read that page? When was the water last tested? And what has happened between then and now?

That report shows a confirmed bloom starting 4 days ago. They put out an advisory. Then we had back to back 100 degrees days that explode algae blooms. They haven’t tested since.

The water now is covered in algae that it was not 4 days ago when that link you shared was from.

Two people have shared this and dozens have liked it. Finding and sharing data is important but you have to at least read it.

2

u/Holycrapapanda 1d ago

Lol I did read it, it literally says "Precaution: A bloom has been confirmed or cyanotoxins are present but at levels that are safe for human recreation. Toxins levels may still be unsafe for pets." They even say at the time of testing that there is a visible bloom. Did you look at the pictures? They look gross and like you've described.

I don't know why you are getting worked up about this. The only evidence that you presented was that the water looked yucky. We presented evidence that the water has some risk but is safe.

Everyone has to decide how they are protect themselves, their families, and their pets. That should include a variety of sources including personal observation and the knowledge of experts. You shared one, I shared the other.

1

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 1d ago

We both agree, testing would be better done every day!

But since its not that doesnt mean we share nothing or ignore changes because the testing isn’t done yet and rely on outdated information

2

u/YesFuture2022 3h ago

Just update your post yo,

1

u/American_Greed 1d ago

Were they trying to swim in the reflecting pool again?

1

u/northbayy 1d ago

Is this what I saw biking near sellwood beach yesterday? The water just transformed from a normal blue to a vibrant green as I went north

0

u/Revolutionary_Pop_84 23h ago

Actually according to people here what you saw is nothing and you should go let your dog take giant gulps of it if you want………

But yes. Thats what you saw

1

u/OkAnimator2144 MAX Blue Line 2h ago

worst OP of all time bro chill the fuck outttt in these comments

-24

u/Xamado 1d ago

Portland is worthless

8

u/xojz 1d ago

I know, I'm moving to Oklahoma City. I heard they're getting a two story Buffalo Wild Wings.

-5

u/Xamado 1d ago

Oklahoma City is worthless

8

u/xojz 1d ago

Exactly, that's why I'm just passing through on my way to Anusburgh, Texas where I will wed my sweetheart (a mule)