Salina Reservoir Algal Bloom Monitoring 2018

Salina Reservoir is a small reservoir located approximately 26 miles from Salina, Utah, in the Fishlake National Forest.

Update October 4, 2018

A Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) District Engineer (DE) visited Salina Reservoir on October 3, 2018, after a fisherman reported a large fish kill and blue-green foam around the edges of the reservoir. The DEQ DE observed cyanobacteria resembling grass clippings suspended in the water, but the bloom wasn’t very dense and only a small amount of cyanobacteria had accumulated on the shoreline. Recent rain may have dissipated what was a much larger bloom. The DE noticed a few sheltered areas that still showed signs of a blue-green ring on the shore and another spot that showed signs of a recent, larger bloom. DEQ counted over 60 dead fish around the reservoir.

The DE collected samples from two different areas of the reservoir. Toxin test strips on the samples showed anatoxin-a levels between non-detect and 1 microgram per liter (µg/L). Microcystin levels appeared to be >10 µg/L, which exceeds the recreation health-based threshold for a Warning Advisory. Both samples were delivered to the labs for further toxin analysis.