UPDATE: City of Orlando lifts Lake Alert for Lake Rowena
The Lake Advisory for Lake Rowena for an algae bloom has been lifted.
Original Alert:
On May 3, 2021 the City of Orlando tested water samples from Lake Rowena and determined that potentially unsafe concentrations of to cylindrospermopsin are present in the lake. As a precaution, we are advising everyone to refrain from swimming, recreating and irrigating in/from Lake Rowena until further notice.
For reference, cyanobacteria/blue-green algae are always present in the water, however, not all bacteria have the ability to produce toxins. Toxicity is hard to predict because a single species of algae can have toxic and non-toxic strains. Nothing can be done to treat algae blooms without causing massive fish kills. In the coming weeks, the city will work closely with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to monitor Lake Rowena. Once we obtain more information on the status of the lake, we will continue to update this Lake Alert.
Please encourage your neighbors to register for the Lake Alert at orlando.gov/lakealert so they too will get important information about Lake Rowena directly.
In the meantime, as we stated above, the city would advise refraining from swimming, recreating and irrigating in/from the lake until further notice.
For more information about cyanobacteria, please visit the Florida Department of Health website.
If you should have additional questions, please email Lisa Lotti at lisa.lotti@cityoforlando.net.
