Toxic algae warnings posted at areas on Navarro River near Philo

MENDOCINO Co., 8/23/24 — On Friday, Mike Thomas, with the unwieldy title of Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom (FHAB) Monitoring and Response Program Coordinator for the state’s North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, posted toxic algae signs along the Navarro River at Hendy Woods State Park and a couple of campground retreats near Philo. 

There are two levels of signs that may go up near a river or creek, and the ones Thomas posted are the more severe warning. The signs went up after Thomas did testing on August 9. “We found a little bit of cyanobacteria. There were some antitoxins, comparatively low.” While Thomas felt the levels were low, he knew that he could not come back weekly to sample. “Out of an abundance of caution we recommended posting the toxic algae alert,” he said in an interview later Friday afternoon.