RALEIGH, NC -- Big Lake at William B. Umstead State Park has been closed to boating and fishing due to the presence of a potentially dangerous blue-green algae, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
 
The state park is advising visitors not to have contact or allow pets to have contact with the water in the 25-acre lake accessible from the park’s U.S. 70 (Glenwood Avenue) entrance. Swimming is not allowed in the lake at any time. Signs have been posted at the property, advising visitors that the water contains a type of blue-green algae capable of producing toxins that can be dangerous to humans and pets.
 
Visitors are warned not to ingest the water, not to allow pets to swim or drink the water and not to allow children to play along the shoreline. Rangers will regularly patrol the area to inform visitors of the warning.
 
The presence of the algae, which can emit a strong odor, was confirmed during routine monitoring by the N.C. Division of Water Quality. Biologists with the state parks system are working with the state Division of Water Quality and the N.C. Division of Public Health to further monitor the lake and try to determine the cause of the algae’s presence.