Officials tested the waters at McIntosh Woods Beach in Clear Lake and in Ventura. They discovered that bacteria toxin levels were far too high coming from blue-green algae. this prompted them to post a Swimming Not Recommended advisory for the beach.
Daniel Kendall with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources advises everyone to avoid the impacted area. If you do get into the water, do not drink it and wash yourself off completely after you get out. The water is untreated and could lead to short- and long-term health issues. Fish that are caught in the lake are generally safe to eat.
There have been a number of studies about how to fix the issue, but nothing has been done until a second sample is taken. Those results are expected to be announced shortly.
