News

Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman returned to the field this week, this time to investigate a report of an algal bloom in a pond off Runyon Creek in Washington.

Neighbors of the pond noticed the problem when Katey, Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register and Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz were on their Piedmont to Pamlico Paddle, a 175-mile kayaking trip on the Tar River from Oxford to Washington. On Katey’s return to dry land, she headed out to take samples.

“It looked to be a blue-green algae,” Katey said. “We’ll get the results back in a few days, so we don’t know yet if it’s toxic or not. If it comes back and it turns out that it is toxic, the only thing you can do is stay away from it and keep your pets out of it. It will eventually go away on its own.”

Causes of the algal bloom could be related to weather changes — the algal bloom first became apparent during the mini-heat wave a couple of weeks ago — and really low water levels could have added to the problem.

Katey said she appreciates getting calls when people see issues on the water

“We want to be viewed and used as a resource for water-quality issues like this, so we can stay informed about what’s going on on the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico and share our information with the relevant state agencies,” Katey said. “We appreciate Jill Paxson (Division of Water Resources) for working with us to get us more answers.”

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