The City of Austin has urged dog owners to continue to keep their dogs away from Lady Bird lake due to potential toxins in algae.
This is similar to 2019 and 2020 when a harmful algae bloom occurred at Lady Bird Lake, which sickened and killed several dogs.
Low levels of a neurotoxin have been found in two samples of algae near Red Bud Isle. However, the toxin was not found in any of the water samples or in other algae samples. Additionally, the sampling has shown that much of the algae in other parts of Lady Bird Lake are presently harmless varieties.
Samples of water and algae were taken from eight locations on Lady Bird Lake. Additional samples were taken at the Walsh Boat Ramp on Lake Austin and downstream of Longhorn Dam.
Based on these test results, the toxin appears to be localized at this time to the algae near Red Bud Isle, and Red Bud Isle remains closed. Signs were placed on Red Bud Isle Sunday evening to warn pet owners.
If you’d like a safe, clean environment for your dog to swim in, you can rent a pool in Austin.