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Algae Bloom Closes Diamond Valley Lake

/in , /by /NBC4 (Los Angeles)by Austin Green

All recreational activities at Diamond Valley Lake have been suspended indefinitely due to a large bloom of blue-green algae at the bottom of the lake, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced Thursday. Boating, fishing and hiking are just some of the activities suspended around the lake until the district determines it is safe to use again. The algae, called cyanobacteria, sometimes releases harmful cyanotoxins into the water, which in high concentrations can be poisonous when ingested.

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Algae Shuts Down Diamond Valley Lake Near Hemet

/in , /by /ABC7 (Los Angeles)

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has temporarily suspended all recreational activities at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet because of an algal bloom. The sometimes toxic cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae has covered the lake, prompting officials to prohibit boating, fishing and hiking until further notice. Experts assured the public that the quality of the district’s treated drinking water has not been affected. “This is a recreation issue, not a drinking water issue,” Metropolitan Water Quality Manager Dr. Mic Stewart said. “We don’t want folks coming into contact with or fishing in this water.”

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Illicit Pot Growers Are Polluting State, Even With New Law

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Peter Fimrite

The legalization of cannabis in California has done almost nothing to halt illegal marijuana growing by Mexican drug cartels, which are laying bare large swaths of national forest in California, poisoning wildlife, and siphoning precious water out of creeks and rivers, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said Tuesday. The situation is so dire that federal, state and local law enforcement officials are using $2.5 million from the Trump administration this year to crack down on illegal growers, who Scott said have been brazenly setting booby traps, confronting hikers and attacking federal drug-sniffing dogs with knives.

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