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Vegetables not affected by Utah Lake toxic algae bloom, officials confirm

Posted at 3:34 PM, Aug 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-08 17:34:52-04

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — No toxins were found in vegetables irrigated by Utah Lake after its waters were infected by a toxic algae bloom last month, officials confirmed Monday.

On July 21, eleven samples of corn, zucchini, potatoes and other vegetables were collected from farms in south Salt Lake County, according to a press release from Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

“The lab was unable to detect any residue of the four toxins it was testing for (Anatoxin-a, Cylindrospermopsin, Microystins and Saxitoxin),” the release states.

State health officials closed Utah Lake July 15 after finding a large toxic algae bloom in the water. Several surrounding communities shut down secondary water as a precaution to keep the algae from impacting their water supplies.

The lake reopened to swimmers on Aug. 2 as the bloom continued to dissipate.

“It is reassuring that the toxin levels were so far below the safe levels for humans consumption that they were also below the detectable limits of the tests,” said Bracken Davis, environmental scientist with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

The tests were conducted by GreenWater Laboratories of Palatka, Fla. View its test results here: http://www.ag.utah.gov/documents/UtahLakeVegesDataMain%20160721.pdf