State agencies seek public's help to locate harmful algal blooms

HELENA — As people savor the last few weeks of summer, forest fires aren’t the only menace that can spoil a day in the great outdoors.

Harmful algal blooms — HABs — are a seasonal phenomenon on Montana’s lakes, reservoirs and ponds that can make people sick and even kill pets and livestock.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality are enlisting the public’s help with identifying suspected HAB sites. The two agencies launched a HAB reporting website — http://www.hab.mt.gov — as well as a 24-hour hotline at 1-888-849-2938.

“Ha...