LCRA collected our last SPATT (Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Testing) bag for analysis on October 28 and has now discontinued testing for toxins at Travis Landing due to lack of funds and manpower. The situation may change when 2022 budgets are allocated but for now, we are relying on John Anderson’s monthly tests of general water quality to indicate other conditions. LCRA has also agreed to provide us with results from Arkansas Bend Park at Lago Vista, the nearest toxin testing site to us: https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/parks/arkansas-bend 

 

Arkansas Bend Park was selected for a permanent SPATT bag location because it has good public access and had the highest levels of toxins recorded over the past year.  However, the park is some distance from Travis Landing, across Lake Travis from the other side of Hudson Bend, so those readings may not be very relevant to Travis Landing. Anatoxin-a and dihydroanatoxin-a were found primarily in algae growing close to the peninsula shore and LCRA will no longer take or test samples from our park.

 

LCRA’s best safety advice is to make a habit of being cautious. The ‘Caution’ notice has been replaced on the park gate and the two other notices on the way down to the beach will remain in place for now. Assume that any algae on the shore may have toxic blooms and keep pets and kids away from those areas. (See previous blogs for pictures). If anyone accidentally treads in the algae, rinse feet or paws immediately with clean water - dogs are most at risk from licking between their toes to dry off. It’s important to note that cyanotoxins don’t dissolve or disperse evenly in water but tend to remain in patches, mostly in shallow water close to the shore.   

 

The latest water samples tested by John Anderson show a slight improvement in the level of dissolved oxygen from 3.0 to 4.25 milligrams per liter, most likely due to cooler weather. John is a member of the Colorado River Watch Network and his full results are posted on the network’s website every month. If you click on the entry for Site 463, located in segment 1404, you can see monitoring data for Travis Landing going back to May of this year: https://crwn.lcra.org/sitelist.aspx  

 

Here is a summary of the most recent Travis Landing results: