With a new month on the horizon, algae blooms at three lakes in Reston appear to be turning a leaf.

Warnings to avoid making contact with Lake Anne and Lake Audubon have been lifted after an algae bloom took over some parts of the lakes since mid-November.

A spokesperson for Reston Association, which manages the lakes, told FFXnow the decision was made after evidence of algae was no longer present.

Out of an abundance of caution, however, a warning for Lake Thoreau remains in place, according to Reston Association.

Blooms of algae emerged in Thoreau and Audubon early this fall and lingered as a result of the season’s warm weather, according to RA. Another bloom was spotted in Lake Anne on Nov. 16.

At that time, RA urged residents to avoid contact with the water, though the risk of incidental exposure risk is low during this time of the year.

Staff decided against treating the bloom, which would have disrupted oxygen levels in the lake, potentially harming fish and other wildlife.

Photo via RA/Twitter

Updated at 3:40 p.m. — An algae bloom was spotted this morning in Lake Anne,  joining blooms on Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon, Reston Association says.

“At this time, Reston Association has determined that treatment of the blooms would not be beneficial, as a mass die-off of algae after treatment would cause a dip in otherwise healthy oxygen levels, therefore posing significant risk to fish and wildlife in the lake,” the organization said, advising residents and pets to avoid contact with the affected lakes.

Earlier: Reston Association plans to let algae blooms at Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon run their natural course.

In response to concerns from the community about the blooms, RA said that treating them could disrupt oxygen levels in the lakes, putting fish and wildlife at risk.

“While we understand concerns about the algae bloom, especially this late in the season, our experts believe that leaving the bloom to run its course is more likely to result in a balanced outcome,” RA wrote in a statement on social media.

RA says it will continue to monitor the situation.

RA confirmed to FFXnow that the blooms are the same ones that emerged in mid-October. At the time, the scope of the bloom on Lake Thoreau was limited, but it contained potentially harmful cyanobacteria, leading RA to advise avoiding contact with the water.

“These blooms arrived quickly at the onset of fall turnover, which mobilizes nutrients from the bottom of the lake into the rest of the water column,” said Cara O’Donnell, RA’s director of communications and community engagement. “Typically, a fall turnover bloom like this would subside quickly, but we’ve had unseasonably warm weather this fall that is causing the bloom to linger longer than anticipated.”

Lake Audubon also had a bloom this summer that was cleared in August.

Our watershed team is closely monitoring the situation, and at this time they’ve chosen to hold off on a late-season treatment out of concern for the health of fish and wildlife in and around the lake. pic.twitter.com/h7VDn6TcIN

— Reston Association (@RestonOnline) November 15, 2023

Lake Anne and Lake Audubon in Reston are now clear of harmful algae that bloomed on the surface of the lakes last week.

Reston Association staff had reported “potentially harmful” algae in both lakes. Staff worked with an environmental contractor to determine if Lake Audubon was clear of the algae Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 9). Lake Anne was previously reported as safe.

“The bloom began after hot weather allowed cyanobacteria to thrive which was then enhanced further by an influx of nutrients that came from a water main break that flowed into Snakeden Branch last week,” RA Chief Operating Officer Peter Lusk said.

Specifically, Dolichospermum was found — a potentially harmful cyanobacteria. The bacteria found in Lake Anne, however, is not considered harmful.

RA had previously encouraged residents to avoid contact with the lake water. The bloom at Lake Anne was mostly limited to the east of the lake near Wiehle Avenue.

The water main break referenced by Lusk occurred the morning of Aug. 4 behind Hunters Woods Plaza, contributing to the deaths of a number of fish found in Snakeden Branch stream, according to RA.

Updated at 5:45 p.m. — The fish deaths reported at Snakeden Branch stream this morning have been traced to a water main break behind Hunters Woods Plaza, Reston Association says.

“Potable water was discharged and included chlorine, causing the fish kill,” RA Chief Operating Officer Peter Lusk said. “The water main break has been repaired, and the stream is considered safe, and not harmful to humans or animals.”

Earlier: Dead fish were found earlier this morning (Friday) at Snakeden Branch stream, according to a report confirmed by Reston Association.

A foul smell also protruded from the stream.

RA staff are working with the Virginia Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) and the Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division to confirm the cause of the incident.

Residents are encouraged to avoid using the stream. Signage has been posted at the stream, which flows from Hunters Woods Village Center to Lake Audubon.

RA is also urging residents to be cautious when using Lake Audubon until the source of the issue is confirmed.

Preliminarily, there is no evidence that the issue was caused by sewage, according to RA COO Peter Lusk.

“These events typically occur when there are malfunctions within wastewater systems, water mains, or occasionally illicit dumping. RA staff will confirm the source of the issue, once identified,” RA said.

Updated at 4:05 p.m. — Yesterday’s meeting on a potential Lake Audubon renaming was suspended after 20 minutes due to a medical emergency. The meeting will be rescheduled, but an exact date hasn’t been determined yet, Reston Association spokesperson Mike Leone says.

Earlier: Months after floating the possibility of a name change for Lake Audubon, Reston Association is beginning initial conversations with the community.

RA planned to hold a meeting on the idea of renaming the lake yesterday (Thursday) at the Walker Nature Center.

The meeting was strictly intended to “explore community sentiment on whether to rename Lake Audubon,” RA spokesperson Mike Leone said.

Leone told FFXnow that the meeting focused on getting input from members in the area around the lake on the possibility of a name change.

“Currently, no other meetings or discussions are scheduled on the renaming,” Leone wrote in a statement.

RA’s Board of Directors first pitched the idea at a December meeting. The motion was suggested by at-large director John Farrell, who later announced that he is running in the state delegate race to succeed Ken Plum.

Farrell is also seeking to retain his seat on the RA board, which has an election now underway.

The lake is named after 19th century artist and known enslaver John James Audubon.

In October 2021, the Audubon Naturalist Society — a major D.C. area conservation group — said it will change its name due to the “pain” caused by Audubon. The organization is now called Nature Forward.

The National Audubon Society, however, voted earlier this week to keep its name, even as local chapters of the bird conservation nonprofit — including the one in D.C. — move to drop it.

Restonians can officially enjoy a series of multi-sport events for adult and youth athletes, including a Reston staple: the Reston Triathlon.

CORE Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to address charitable needs, has launched “Racing in Reston,” a series of events that grows out of the popular Reston Sprint Triathlon, which started out as a singular community event in 2007.

The move revives the triathlon that had been organized each fall by the Reston Triathlon Association since 1984. Last year, the group announced that the event would be discontinued due to financial and logistical issues.

“CORE Foundation wants to see this event which was unique to so many families in our community, continue,” the foundation said in an announcement earlier this month, noting that it worked closely with the previous board to bring the triathlon back.

The event has been renamed the Reston Olympic Triathlon “to avoid confusion with our Sprint event,” event organizers said.

The “Racing in Reston” series includes the Reston Sprint Triathlon, which is slated to happen next year on June 4, and the second annual Reston superhero youth triathlon, which is coming in the fall of next year. The series will conclude with the 37th annual Reston Olympic Triathlon on Sept. 10, 2023.

Registration is currently open for the 17th annual Reston Sprint Triathlon. The cost of tickets is $110 for individuals and $200 for relays if purchased before Jan. 4.

The Olympic triathlon will open with a 1,500-meter open water swim in Lake Audubon and will be followed by a 25-mile bike and 10K run in Reston.

Going forward, the event will be held annually on the first Sunday following Labor Day.

Lake Audubon Terrace residents are protesting Reston Association’s decision to order the removal of their boats on the organization’s shoreline — a practice residents say they had been doing for years without issue.

In a petition discussed before RA’s Board of Directors in late June, the Lake Audubon Terrace Cluster asked permission to access the shoreline. They say the order has increased overcrowding, undermined their ability to offer mooring spots to owners near their homes, and “directly diminished” property values of owners who can’t access the shoreline.

“We believe that RA’s consideration of our request should rest primarily on what is fair and right by its directly impacted constituents, not how the outcome is perceived by others,” said the Feb. 6 letter submitted to the board by Cris Revaz, the cluster’s vice president.

The petition has the signatures of nearly all lakefront and Lakeview owners.

The discussion follows a failed motion to allow the cluster to continue using the shoreline for boat mooring in October 2021. RA staff and board directors said then that allowing residents to maintain access to the shoreline would set a precedent for other residents’ to seek similar relief.

In recent years, RA began a concerted attempt to implement and streamline its boat and docking procedures, many of which previously were not enforced. The association sought to refine its policies to address enforcement and oversight issues involving lake use and access.

So far, there has been no resolution on the issue, according to RA’s spokesperson Mike Leone.

“It is my understanding that the Board plans to discuss this in Executive Session during their July 28 Board of Directors meeting,” Leone wrote in a statement to FFXnow.

As a part of the negotiation, residents say they are prepared to beautify part of the slope leading to the shore, rehabilitate mooring spots and eroded docking points, install a fish habitat, and preserve landscaping and vegetation along the shoreline.

“We believe our request for reconsideration is very fair and reasonable, would have a positive impact on the environmental health of the shore and the lake, holds no adverse precedent for RA, and reflects a position outcome that avoids further contention between our cluster and he RA board,” the petition states.