SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento River is one of the main sources of water people living in Sacramento County use to drink, cook and bathe, but ABC10 had a viewer reach out and ask if that river water is even safe.
QUESTION:
"I heard from a friend that the Sacramento River has a ridiculously high amount of lead in it causing the algae bloom. Is that true?"
ANSWER:
We can verify that the Sacramento River does not have a high amount of lead-causing algae blooms. The City of Sacramento says algae is more commonly caused by high water temperatures.
SOURCES:
Carlos Eliason with the City of Sacramento
California State Water Board
PROCESS:
Recently throughout the state, there has been an increase in reports of harmful algae blooms and potentially associated toxins in California. That’s according to the State Water Board, which says that algae may present a health concern if present in drinking water.
On the State Water Board’s Harmful Algal Incident Reports Map, there are eight voluntary reports this year of harmful algae blooms reported in Sacramento County, none being in the Sacramento River.
The City of Sacramento monitors for algae in drinking water when algae blooms are known to happen more often, typically from May to October.
"Recent tests have not shown detectable levels of lead in our surface water sources, the American and Sacramento rivers. Lead does not contribute to harmful algae blooms," said City of Sacramento spokesperson Carlos Eliason in a statement to ABC10.
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