Brandon Oaks Residents,
Union County Public Health has been made aware of an algal bloom that has been reported at the Brandon Oaks Subdivision pond that is located near the clubhouse.
The Brandon Oaks Board is actively working to mitigate the excess algae by applying a natural algaecide in the pond. We used a combination of barley straw floats, Airmax water clarifying algaecide, pond shade dye, & Muck Away which treats from the bottom up to the surface. We are already seeing some improvement & plan on doing 2 more treatments within the next 6 weeks. We will be posting the attached letter to the signs at the pond.
The Brandon Oaks Board of Directors
The second treatment went in Thursday evening around 7p.
We advise people and pets to avoid the pond near the Brandon Oaks subdivision clubhouse due to an algae bloom. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) staff have responded and collected samples for additional analysis. A preliminary test detected microcystin in this bloom at concentrations greater than 10 parts per billion, exceeding public health advisory levels. The North Carolina Department of Health Human Services Division of Public Health (DPH) | routinely encourages the public to avoid contact with large algae accumulations and prevent
children and pets from swimming or ingesting water in an algae bloom.
Take the following steps to safeguard against algae blooms:
• Keep children and pets away from water that appears bright green, blue, discolored,
or scummy-
• Do not handle or touch large mats of algae.
Avoid handling, cooking, or eating dead fish that may be present.
• If you come into contact with an algal bloom, wash thoroughly.
• Use clean water to rinse off pets that may have come into contact with an algal
bloom.
• If your child appears ill after being in waters containing an algal bloom, seck medical
care immediately.
• If your pet appears to stumble, stagger, or collapse after being in a pond, lake, or
river, seek veterinary care immediately. To learn more about algal blooms, visit the DWR website.
For more information on the potential
health effects of algal blooms, visit the DPH website.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Traci Colley
Director, Environmental Health
unioncountyeh@unioncountync.gov
