Steinaker State Park is a popular recreation spot but park officials want the public to know that testing is underway of a possible Harmful Algal Bloom. The park started to notice patches of green around the dock area. For now visitors are asked to recreate away from the areas of scum and avoid swimming in the dock area. While there have been no human deaths in the United States from the toxins of algal blooms, there are plenty of pet, livestock and wildlife deaths. Symptoms of exposure to watch for from animals is fatigue, excessive saliva, staggering, difficulty breathing, vomiting or convulsions. Human symptoms of exposure are typically vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, dizziness, skin or eye irritation, and occasionally respiratory problems. The best thing to do is avoid known or suspected Harmful Algal Blooms.
