OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain and a cold El Niño winter have purged three East Bay swim lakes of toxic algae that flourished in the drought last year and led to swim bans, lost lifeguard jobs and changed vacation plans.
The Oakland Tribune reported that the beach at Quarry Lakes Recreation Area in Fremont has reopened to swimming after repeated tests showed the lake free of blue green algae.
The algae also has dissipated at Lake Temescal in Oakland and Lake Anza in Berkeley. Swimming has not resumed yet in those two lakes, however, as they are regularly closed until the swim season begins in late April.
Del Valle Reservoir in Livermore remains closed to swimming because of an algae bloom that flourished in December. The algae can cause nausea, vomiting, and headaches in humans, and it can kill dogs.
