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Hillsborough County Health Dept. issues Health Caution for Lake Taylor and Lake Breckinridge

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Health officials issue Blue-Green Algae Bloom Alert

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY – The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough issues a Health Caution due to the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins in Lake Taylor – Odessa and Lake Breckinridge. This is in response to a water sample taken on January 18, 2024. The public should exercise caution in and around Lake Taylor – Odessa and Lake Breckinridge.

  • Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:
  • Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom.
  • Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have contact with algae or discolored or smelly water.
  • Keep pets away from the area. Waters where there are algae blooms are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should have a different source of water when algae blooms are present.
  • Do not cook or clean dishes with water contaminated by algae blooms. Boiling the water will not eliminate the toxins.
  • Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water. Throw out the guts and cook fish well.
  • Do not eat shellfish in waters with algae blooms.
For water quality updates, please visit the statewide Algal Bloom Dashboard.