PROVO, Utah (AP) - Dozens of bodies of water in Utah were not tested for toxic algae blooms this spring because of state budget cuts.
They previously underwent regular testing before the cuts to the Utah Division of Water Quality testing and monitoring program, The Daily Herald reported.
State lawmakers in 2019 dedicated $200,000 annually for monitoring and testing of the algae blooms. But they cut the funding this year to prioritize Utah Lake initiatives, said Erica Gaddis, the director of the water quality division.
The regulator started monitoring of 65 bodies of water after a harmful algae bloom spread across Utah Lake in 2016, forcing it to close for two weeks. That same year, a different algae bloom killed fish in a reservoir.
Gaddis said her division this year reduced the number of water bodies being monitored from about 60 to 17.
An average of 35 health advisories related to harmful algae blooms were issued between 2017 and 2019, but only four advisories have been issued this year, according to a program summary presented to the legislative subcommittee on Monday.
The Utah Poison Control Center has reported 43 illnesses associated with algae blooms this year, up from the statewide average of 40 registered from 2017 to 2019.
Gaddis urged state lawmakers to restore the organization’s funding, saying that harmful algae blooms are becoming more common worldwide in part due to higher spring and summer temperatures.
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