Cumberland, Maine officials are warning people to stay away from water in the town’s parks due to possible blue-green algae contamination.
A community in Maine has asked that people avoid contact with water in town parks due to possible blue-green algae, after an online report of dog deaths, News Center Maine has reported.
The Town of Cumberland said online that water contact at all town parks is not advised, as it encourages "extreme caution." Municipal officials have not confirmed the algae is there, but was made aware of possible contamination at Twin Brook Recreational Facility over the weekend, it said in a Facebook post.
A woman posted to a community Facebook page on Saturday, saying that she had to put her dogs down, after walking one of them at Twin Brook.
"This week I had to put to sleep my 2 sweet dogs," Elayna Girardin wrote online. "We got the test results back and suspected they had blue-green algae toxicity...I don't want anyone to go through what our family did."
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Girardin has not gotten back to News Center Maine with more information about what happened.
Blue-green algae typically thrives in fresh water during sunny and hot weather. Exposure can be very dangerous to both animals and humans.
The Town of Cumberland is working with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to test the water this week. You can stay updated on the situation on the town's website.
