The City of Orlando has closed Lake Ivanhoe to water contact activities due to a spike in the presence of microcystins in the lake, which includes boating, swimming, fishing, and irrigating lawns.
Microcystins result from algae blooms, but are always present in freshwater but become more prevalent in colder months when lakewater “flips” – as the surface water cools, it becomes more dense, and sinks, causing the warmer water, more nutrient-rich layer on the bottom, to rise to the top, where it is exposed to sunlight and causes algae blooms.
The City is monitoring the levels of the toxins until further notice.
