Satellites reveal when toxic algal blooms flare in Blue Mesa Reservoir

The summers of 2021 and 2022 were tough seasons for Colorado's Blue Mesa Reservoir.

A severe drought gripped much of the western U.S., prompting emergency water releases that brought the reservoir to its lowest level since 1984.

Marinas and boat ramps closed, remnants of a ghost town emerged from the muck, and parts of the reservoir turned greenish and swirled with toxic cyanobacteria blooms. ...