LAS VEGAS (TheBlaze/AP) -- Authorities took a boat onto Lake Mead on Tuesday to gather water samples they hope could shed light on mysterious brown foam found floating on the lake's surface over the weekend.
The sun sets on Echo Bay at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, June 10, 2013, near Overton, Nev. Authorities are warning people to avoid the Overton Arm section of Lake Mead after park officials found dead carp and a mysterious foam there. The foam appeared to be coming from the mouth of the Virgin River and stretched about eight miles down to Echo Bay. (Photo: AP/Julie Jacobson)
Park officials urged people to avoid the Overton Arm, a northern extension of Lake Mead, after several dozen carp were found dead and the foam was seen extending about eight miles from near the mouth of the Virgin River to Echo Bay.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority is monitoring water quality at two intakes and so far hasn't found anything problematic, according to spokesman Bronson Mack. Typically, pollutants are diluted in the reservoir.
The hills and islands at Echo Bay glow in the light from the setting sun at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, June 10, 2013, near Overton, Nev. Authorities are warning people to avoid the Overton Arm section of Lake Mead after park officials found dead carp and a mysterious foam there. The foam appeared to be coming from the mouth of the Virgin River and stretched about eight miles down to Echo Bay. (Photo: AP/Julie Jacobson)
"It really is a massive body of water, and that's one benefit from a drinking water perspective," Mack said, noting that water from the Overton Arm typically takes about a month to meander to the intake area.
A park volunteer collected water samples several days ago and they turned up normal, Mack said. But the water agency wants to gather new samples using more precise methods.
Mack spoke more about the cause of wildlife death to the Las Vegas Sun:
Mack said that much of the situation is unclear and that there’s a chance the death of the carp and appearance of the foamy substance are unrelated. Wildlife death, such as the 2009 virus that killed thousands of carp, can be caused by any number of things, he said.“Any given year, we can see some kind of change within the lake itself, whether it’s an algae bloom or it's dissolved oxygen within the water,” Mack said. “Some species in the lake can be more susceptible to those changes than others.”
Samuel Nguyen, right, and Mila Phaman of Montreal, Canada walk along a dock at Echo Bay Marina Monday, June 10, 2013, at Lake Mead National Recreation Area near Overton, Nev. Authorities are warning people to avoid the Overton Arm section of Lake Mead after park officials found dead carp and a mysterious foam there. The foam appeared to be coming from the mouth of the Virgin River and stretched about eight miles down to Echo Bay. (Photo: AP/Julie Jacobson)
High winds and waves prevented crews from collecting water Monday, and the foam wasn't readily visible from the shore.
"We're hoping we can still get samples" of the foam, Mack said.
Lab tests on Tuesday's water collections are expected soon.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife is handling the investigation into the fish deaths.
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