Officials advise against contact with Burrillville pond due to harmful algae blooms

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Health is now advising people to avoid contact with Wilson Reservoir in Burrillville.

The notice is due to high levels of cyano-bacteria causing harmful algae blooms.

Contact with water with the algae can cause skin irritation, stomach aches, diarrhea and nausea.

The DEM also lifted a previous no contact advisory at Worden Pond in South Kingstown.

Recent testing showed the levels of algae in that pond to have significantly lowered.