Green algae blooms in Austin lakes and creeks; city warns to stay cautious

Toxic algae returns to Lady Bird Lake

The city of Austin is reminding residents to be careful as algae blooms once again in central Texas lakes.

AUSTIN, Texas - In 2019, a toxic blue-green algae bloom sickened and killed several dogs in Austin.

It's returned every year since, never really leaving the minds of dog owners.

"I know this area can sometimes have algae in the area, and those are the days I usually avoid coming," said Abe Parbataneni, a dog owner.

As we head into warmer months, the algae returns once again.

Lady Bird Lake ranked on toxic algae list

Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin were both ranked in a new study naming the top 10 places with the worst toxic algae blooms in the world.

So far this year, one type of algae in particular, has shown up in Austin’s lakes and creeks.

The city said it's seeing a lot of green algae.

The good news is that it's not toxic, and it's part of the natural food web.

"I think the water is pretty good," said Jeremy Avera, a dog owner who went to Red Bud Isle on Sunday. "It was pretty good. There's a little bit of moss throughout. We tried to stay away from that as much as we could."

Avera said his dog, Rusty, loves the water, so they take extra precautions.

"This is probably his favorite place to come," said Avera. "They do say it gets pretty bad in the hotter months of the year, so we try to keep an eye on that and see if, try to look online and see if there's any precautions or any warning that the algae level is higher than, you know, I guess is safe for him to get in the water."

The city said to go ahead and treat all algae like it's toxic.