A harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) recreational use Bloom Advisory has been issued for Wind River Lake and the Wind River – Lower Wind River Campground, according to a release issued by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) on October 3.
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) works cooperatively with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to issue recreational use advisories when cyanobacterial cell densities or cyanotoxin concentrations pose a risk to people engaging in swimming or similar water contact activities in areas where cyanobacterial blooms occur.
HCBs may also pose a health risk to animals.
The WDH is working directly with resource management agencies to ensure signs are posted at these water bodies. Additional details regarding advisories and other HCB resources can be found at WyoHCBs.org.
Bloom advisories are issued when a HCB is present and cyanotoxins may be present. Toxin advisories are issued when cyanotoxins exceed recreational thresholds.
Water bodies under an advisory are not closed since HCBs may only be present in certain areas and conditions can change frequently.
Advisories will remain in place until blooms have fully dissipated and cyanotoxin concentrations are below recreational use thresholds identified in Wyoming’s HCB Action Plan.
If you encounter a potential HCB, the Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Livestock Board recommend the following:
- Avoid contact with water in the vicinity of the bloom, especially in areas where cyanobacteria are dense and form scums.
- Do not ingest water from the bloom. Boiling, filtration and/or other treatments will not remove toxins.
- Rinse fish with clean water and eat only the fillet portion.
- Avoid water spray from the bloom.
- Do not allow pets or livestock to drink water near the bloom, eat bloom material, or lick fur after contact.
- If people, pets, or livestock come into contact with a bloom, rinse off with clean water as soon as possible and contact a doctor or veterinarian.
Questions about health effects and recreational use advisories can be directed to Courtney Tillman, Surveillance Epidemiologist, Wyoming Department of Health, at [email protected] or (307) 777-5522. Questions regarding cyanobacteria sampling can be directed to Kelsee Hurshman, Natural Resource Analyst, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, at [email protected] or (307) 777-2073.
Current HCB Recreational Use Advisories*
| Waterbody Name | Observation or Sampling Location(s) | Advisory Type | Date Issued |
| Alcova Reservoir | Kids Beach | Toxin | 09/07/2023 |
| Anne’s Pond | West Shore | Bloom | 09/15/2023 |
| Beck Lake | East Ramp | Bloom | 08/03/2023 |
| Big Sandy Reservoir | Dam | Bloom | 09/27/2023 |
| Bighorn Reservoir | Cottonwood Creek Ramp | Bloom | 08/29/2023 |
| Boysen Reservoir | Brannon Ramp | Toxin | 08/24/2023 |
| Brooks Lake | South Ramp | Bloom | 08/03/2023 |
| Buffalo Bill Reservoir | Bartlett Beach | Bloom | 08/18/2023 |
| Diamond Lake (Bosler Reservoir) | Northwest Access | Toxin | 09/07/2023 |
| Eden Reservoir | South Outlet | Bloom | 09/27/2023 |
| Festo Lake | East Shore | Bloom | 07/13/2023 |
| Flaming Gorge Reservoir | Firehole Beach | Bloom | 07/19/2023 |
| Fontenelle Reservoir | West-Central Ramp | Toxin | 09/19/2023 |
| Gillette Fishing Lake | East Dam, North Shore | Bloom | 08/18/2023 |
| Glendo Reservoir | Custer Cove, Cottonwood Campground | Bloom | 08/09/2023 |
| Goshen Hole Reservoir | Northwest Campground | Bloom | 07/29/2023 |
| West Granite Springs Reservoir | West Causeway | Bloom | 08/09/2023 |
| High Savery Reservoir | Dam | Bloom | 07/12/2023 |
| Homesteader Park Pond | South Shore | Bloom | 09/27/2023 |
| Kemmerer City Reservoir | East Access | Bloom | 08/18/2023 |
| Keyhole Reservoir | Wind Creek, Rocky Point | Bloom | 09/27/2023 |
| Lake Viva Naughton | East Shore | Toxin | 09/19/2023 |
| Leazenby Lake | South Access | Toxin | 08/02/2023 |
| McKenzie Lake | East Cove | Bloom | 08/29/2023 |
| Miller Lake | Northeast Shore | Bloom | 08/01/2023 |
| New Cody Reservoir | Swim Dock | Bloom | 09/27/2023 |
| North Watkins Lake | East Shore | Bloom | 09/07/2023 |
| Ocean Lake | Long Point | Toxin | 08/24/2023 |
| Pathfinder Reservoir | Bishops Point | Toxin | 08/10/2023 |
| Rainbow Lake (Shoshone Forest) | Entire Lake | Bloom | 08/24/2023 |
| Saratoga Lake | West-Central Shore | Toxin | 08/10/2023 |
| Scab Creek Pond | Shore | Bloom | 09/12/2023 |
| Seminoe Reservoir | Sunshine Beach | Toxin | 08/10/2023 |
| Sloans Lake | South Beach | Bloom | 08/14/2023 |
| Sodergreen Lake | Southeast Access | Bloom | 08/09/2023 |
| South Watkins Lake | Outlet | Bloom | 09/07/2023 |
| Toltec Reservoir | West Shore | Bloom | 08/25/2023 |
| Twin Buttes Lake | South-Central Ramp | Bloom | 08/09/2023 |
| Upper Brooks Lake | Northwest Cove | Bloom | 08/24/2023 |
| V Lake | West Shore | Bloom | 09/06/2023 |
| Wind River | Upper Wind River Campground, Lower Wind River Campground | Bloom | 08/25/2023 |
| Wind River Lake | Southwest Shore | Bloom | 10/03/2023 |
| Wheatland Reservoir Number 3 | Northwest Causeway | Toxin | 08/03/2023 |
| Woodruff Narrows Reservoir | North Ramp | Toxin | 09/19/2023 |
*There may be additional waterbodies with HCBs that WDH and WDEQ are not aware of. Please report potential blooms to WDEQ and HCB-related illnesses to WDH.