Herrick Lake fishing derby canceled due to algae bloom

Organizers have canceled a fishing derby on Herrick Lake near Wheaton after an algal bloom was detected by a DuPage County Forest Preserve District’s ecologist.

Two lawmakers, state Sen. Seth Lewis and state Rep. Amy Grant, announced their joint event was nixed out of an abundance of caution. An attempt will be made to reschedule the derby at a later date.

According to the state public health department, harmful algal blooms result from the rapid growth of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae are naturally present in the aquatic environment, but excessive blooms can develop with warm temperatures during calm and sunny conditions.

The district plans on retesting Herrick on Friday. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Dashboard that tracks reported blooms throughout the state.