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HAB Update

VDH RECREATIONAL advisories

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issued the FINAL 2023 HAB Report on October 16th, 2023 based on Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sampling conducted on October 10th, 2023.

The most recent sampling event for Lake Anna occurred on 10/10/23 at four sites within the Lake and one shoreline site at the State Park beach. All samples indicated acceptable levels of cyanobacteria with toxin results below advisory levels. This is the second set of acceptable samples within the Middle North Anna Branch. These results are the first of two acceptable samples collected for the upper North Anna and Pamunkey Branches. The recreational HAB response season is set to end on November 1, therefore, there will be no additional HAB response samples conducted this season. Fall and winter lake recreators should observe caution as blooms may appear as temperatures fluctuate as we go into the cold weather months. This is the final status update for the 2023 recreational season, with response sampling resuming May 2024, weather permitting. For more information, visit www.SwimHealthyVa.com.

A link to the current VDH HAB report for Lake Anna is provided below.

Click on this link to access the most current VDH HAB Report.

The Google Earth polygons used by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to issue advisory areas are included in the .kmz file linked below:

VDH Google Earth Polygons


The Lake Anna Bloom status report has been updated on the website under the quick links page of the HAB website.

Please bookmark www.SwimHealthyVa.com site, and use this page to stay up to date on HAB updates.

You can view the current status of HAB events throughout Virginia on VDA's HAB map.

Report suspected HAB-related HEALTH complaint to the HAB Hotline 1-888-238-6154. All requests for HAB sampling updates received on the HAB hotline will be referred to the website.

A few reminders on reporting and resources:

To submit a HAB report or scum sighting, utilize the online report form located at:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/harmful-algal-bloom-online-report-form/

VDH has many HAB resources available via the HAB resources list on their website, including talking points, signage, and brochures. If you are contacted for information, please point citizens to these resources.

Citizen reports called “Crowd-Sourced Reports” are displayed on the VDH HAB Map online, represented by blue dots on the map. 

If you see what you suspect to be an algae bloom, please report it to the Virginia Department of Health, even if a Recreational Advisory is already in place near your property.  Use the HAB Online Report Form and submit weekly updates with images to keep VDH up to date.   A report must be based on current conditions - a report that documents a past condition (defined as greater than 48 hours in the past) will be rejected by VDH.  Submit reports to VDH using the online reporting form within 24-48 hours of the algae bloom condition. 

Geographic coordinates are required when you submit a report.  You can use Google Maps, or other mapping tools, to provide the latitude and longitude of the location. 

Also - and this is essential - include a picture of the algae/scum condition with your report.


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