State REMOVES Cyanobacteria Advisory for Nippo Pond in Barrington, NH

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) has REMOVED a cyanobacteria advisory for Nippo Pond that was issued on 8/30/2019. Weekly monitoring and sampling was conducted by the University of New Hampshire. A bloom of picocyanobacteria has slowly lowered in abundance since the advisory was first issued, when duplicate samples between UNH and DES confirmed that cell concentrations were about 200,000 cells/ml. Cyanobacteria advisories are issued when concentrations exceed 70,000 cells/ml. Samples collected on 9/20/19 were estimated below this threshold and the advisory has been removed at this time. Please continue to monitor your individual shoreline for changing conditions.

NHDES monitors public beaches and public waters of the state for cyanobacteria. Once a cyanobacteria advisory has been issued, NHDES returns to affected waterbodies weekly until the cyanobacteria standards are again met. NHDES advises lake users to avoid contact with the water in areas experiencing elevated cyanobacteria cell conditions. NHDES also advises pet owners to keep their pets out of any waters that have a cyanobacteria bloom.

This advisory was not based on a toxin evaluation and was intended as a precautionary measure for short term exposure. Cyanobacteria are natural components of water bodies worldwide, though blooms and surface scums may form when excess nutrients are available to the water. Some cyanobacteria produce toxins that are stored within the cells and released upon cell death. Toxins can cause both acute and chronic health effects that range in severity. Acute health effects include irritation of skin and mucous membranes, tingling, numbness, nausea, vomiting, seizures and diarrhea. Chronic effects may include liver and central nervous system damage. Be cautious of lake water that has a surface scum, changes colors, or appears to have green streaks or blue-green flecks aggregating along the shore.

The advisory went into effect on August 30, 2019 and was September 23, 2019.

Visit the NHDES Beach Program website for photos and more information about cyanobacteria at https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/beaches/index.htm

Updates on advisories and warnings may be obtained at http://www4.des.state.nh.us/WaterShed_BeachMaps/WaterShed_BeachMaps.aspx

Follow the Beaches twitter feed: https://twitter.com/NHDES_Beaches

If you notice anything resembling cyanobacteria, please refrain from wading, swimming, or drinking the water. Keep all pets out of the water and contact NHDES immediately. Please call NHDES to report a cyanobacteria bloom at (603) 848-8094.