This summer, Portlanders have made their way down to the shores of the Willamette River in droves, keen to get the most out of our city's public swimming spot. Now, a harmful algal bloom is putting the fun on pause, at least for a while.

The cyanobacteria bloom emerged in the Ross Island lagoon last week, and remained confined to the area for a while. But after a streak of extreme heat earlier this week, the algal bloom spread throughout most of Portland's stretch of the Willamette River. On Wednesday, August 13, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued an advisory for a harmful algae bloom from Ross Island, located just south of its namesake bridge near Portland's South Waterfront, all the way north to Kelley Point Park.

Exposure to toxins in the algae can be harmful to humans and deadl

See Full Page