Board of Health Chair Tanja Ryden issued a public health advisory on Friday, July 16 for the South Watuppa Pond near the Tickle Road area in Westport. Reports and warnings of a blue-green algae bloom in the water which can cause the water to be unsafe for people and their pets.

According to the digital edition Fall River Herald, Ryden has advised the public not to swim there, not to swallow the water, to keep animals away, and rinse after any contact with the water.

Contact with the bloom, known as Cyanobacteria, can cause skin or eye irritation, and inhaling water spray containing the algae bloom can cause asthma-like symptoms.