Columbia Park fishing pond covered in slimy algae. Is it dangerous?

Algae clouds Columbia Park Pond along the Columbia River and Highway 240 in Kennewick. A recent toxic bloom has closed Scooteney Reservoir north of Pasco in Franklin County.

But its unclear if the Kennewick bloom is toxic but there’s no history of a problem like that, said Kennewick and local health officials. And the health department plans to test the pond this week.

Still, they urged people to be cautious by keeping pets and small children out of the popular fishing pond.

“If you see water that doesn’t look right stay out of it and report it,” said Rick Dawson of the Benton Franklin Health District.

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This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 2:01 PM.