MCCORMICK, S.C. —

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services issued a Recreational Advisory for a cove of J. Strom Thurmond Lake in McCormick County after identifying the presence of a harmful algal bloom (HAB).

The cove is located off Yacht Club Drive in Plum Branch.

SCDES was notified of a potential HAB by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Nov. 20.

Water samples collected from the area on Monday indicated the presence of cyanobacteria capable of producing cyanotoxins. Laboratory analysis of these samples returned concentrations exceeding the state’s recreational water quality standard for the cyanotoxin microcystin.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency names microcystin as a potent liver toxin and possible human carcinogen.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a commo

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