Jamaica Pond no longer a toxic danger to you and your pets, city says

Levels of a toxic microorganism in Jamaica Pond have receded below dangerous levels, and the city today lifted its ban on any activities that might bring you or your pet into contact with pond water or pond scum.

So everybody back into the water - well, except for swimming, which was banned before the recent blue-green algae bloom, and which continues to be banned. But boating, fishing and letting your dog romp around the edges of the pond are once again OK, three weeks after the Boston Public Health Commission warned people and dogs to stay away from the pond and its banks.

The commission reports:

The lifting of the advisory follows two weeks of consecutive tests of the pond water which demonstrated algal cell counts below the state’s safe limit. DPH generally recommends that recreational water advisories can be lifted when two consecutive weekly samples show algal cell counts below the safe limit of 70,000 cells/milliliter of water.

Analysis of weekly testing of samples taken from the pond collected on August 3rd and August 10th support the conclusion of DPH that Jamaica Pond is no longer experiencing a harmful algae bloom. On August 3rd, the level was 66,000 cells/milliliter and on August 10th, the level was 51,000 cells/milliliter.

City workers today took down all the warning signs around the pond.