MOTHER, MOTHER MAY I GO FOR A SWIM?

Mother, mother, may I go for a swim?

Yes, my darling daughter.

Hang your clothes on a hickory limb

And don't go near the water.

-Nursery Rhyme

If you're up along the South Yuba River, anywhere below DSPUD's discharge, you'd be well advised to take the advice offered by the old nursery rhyme. Do not go in the water, and don't let your dogs or kids near it either. There is an algae bloom, and some algae can produce cyanotoxins, which are dangerous to ingest, and dangerous to get on your skin.  There have been incidences of dogs who swam in algae ridden water up in the Northern part of California dying quick and unpleasant deaths from exposure to algae blooms.

On Monday, in quick response to complaints from some concerned citizens, someone from the state water quality control board responded promptly, and gathered samples for testing. Samples were gathered upstream and downstream of the DSPUD discharge point, and at the bridge downstream. Items sampled for include nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, phosphate, orhtophosphate, and field testing for pH.

A big thank you for the water quality folks for getting out there so fast--