HANOVER — The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has lifted a cyanobacteria advisory for Goose Pond in Hanover and Canaan, according to a news release.
In spite of lifting the alert for Goose Pond, DES continues to recommend that people keep an eye out for green surface accumulations, which can be toxic. It urges people to be cautious of water along a lake’s shore with a surface scum, that changes colors or that appears to have green streaks or blue-green flecks.
The Goose Pond advisory, which first went into effect on Friday and was lifted on Wednesday, was intended as a precautionary measure for short-term exposure. A similar alert remained in effect on Wednesday for Mascoma Lake in Enfield and Lebanon, according to DES’ website.
Cyanobacteria are natural components of water bodies, but blooms and surface scums can form when excess nutrients are present. Some cyanobacteria produce toxins that can cause both acute and chronic health effects, ranging in severity from skin irritation to nausea and vomiting, seizures and diarrhea, and possibly liver and central nervous system damage.