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A recent infestation of toxic algae in Walkersville's Fountain Rock Park led officials to restrict public access to the park's quarry pond until further notice, according to Frederick County Parks and Recreation Division Director Paul Dial.

Park staff first noticed a red discoloration of the water in early spring, Dial said. After some tests were conducted in March, officials discovered that the type of algae growing in blooms on the surface of the 15 million gallon pond was emitting toxins and could have negative health affects for animals or people coming in contact with the water, he added.

"With that being the case, to err on the side of safety, we completely fenced off the pond area," he said.

According to a warning issued by the Frederick County Health Department in March, the red algae blooms that staff noticed on the surface of the pond were caused by blue green algae, a bacteria.

Adverse skin reactions, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and respiratory symptoms are symptoms that can happen upon contact with contaminated water. Both humans and animals can have reactions to the toxins, but no such reactions have been reported in the Walkersville area.

The pond is self-contained, meaning it is not attached to any other water sources, but the algae could still spread through contact with wildlife, Department of Environmental Health Services Director George Keller said.

Additional tests showed that the infestation has not affected the Town of Walkersville's drinking water supply or the park's fishing pond. Although the discoloration of the quarry pond has "cleared up dramatically" since the weather has gotten warmer, public access will likely be restricted well into the summer, Dial said. Summer camp activities in the park are still being held, he added.

According to the county health department, only two other locations in the state have seen infestations of this particular type of algae, Dial said. The cases were reported in western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore. In the United States, the rare growth is mostly found in the Great Lakes area, but the algae is more common in Europe, he said.

"It thrives more in cold, fresh water environments," Keller said.

Meanwhile, in other areas of the county, the warm weather is increasing instances of algae infestation. The City of Frederick Department of Public Works plans to apply copper sulfate to Lake Linganore and the Fishing Creek Reservoir in mid-July in order to treat an odor-causing algae that has grown in both locations.

This algae is not known to cause health concerns like the kind that was found in Fountain Rock Park and the city has battled it every summer for at least the last 15 years, according to Craig Lambert, Superintendent of Water Treatment.

Michael Marschner, director of the Frederick County Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management, said treatment of the Walkersville pond will also begin in mid-July. Additional samples of the water were taken by division staff earlier this week to determine the next course of action, he said.

According to Terri Snyder-Kolovich, a lab supervisor for the Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management who collected samples from the pond earlier this week, staff will continue to monitor the status of the quarry water.

As for the other Walkersville water sources that have been monitored, including the fishing pond and Glade Creek, "they've remained clean after multiple testings," she said.

E-mail Courtney Pomeroy at cpomeroy@gazette.net.