Historic Blooms in Texas
Historical Fish Kill Events Involving the Golden Alga, Prymnesium parvum, in Texas
This is a historical listing of fish kills due to toxic Golden Alga in Texas in chronological order by river basin. This chart gives the estimated number of fish killed at each event; bivalves (i.e. clams and mussels) have also been killed but are not included here.
| Beginning | End | River Basin | County(ies) | Affected Waterbody(ies) | Estimated # of Fish Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/14/1981* | 08/18/1981 | Brazos | Stonewall | Brazos River | 506,600 |
| 10/20/1982* | 12/10/1982 | Brazos | Haskell | California Creek | 4,681 |
| 10/25/1988 | 11/06/1988 | Brazos | Haskell, Throckmorton | California Creek, Paint Creek | 43,356 |
| 04/24/1989 | 05/16/1989 | Brazos | Haskellq | Paint Creek | 15,162 |
| 05/02/1992 | ? | Brazos | Stonewall | Double Mountain Fork Brazos R. | 700 |
| 10/05/1997 | 10/12/1997 | Brazos | Young | Brazos River | 640,446 |
| 06/25/1998 | 07/20/1998 | Brazos | Fisher | Clear Fork of the Brazos | 33,873 |
| 01/11/2001 | 07/15/2001 | Brazos | Palo Pinto | Possum Kingdom Reservoir | 200,027 |
| 01/27/2001 | 06/20/2001 | Brazos | Hood | Lake Granbury | 409,952 |
| 04/13/2001 | 06/21/2001 | Brazos | Hill, Bosque | Lake Whitney | 9,596 |
| 01/01/2003 | 04/21/2003 | Brazos | Palo Pinto | Possum Kingdom Reservoir | 1,475,212 |
| 02/03/2003 | 04/30/2003 | Brazos | Hood | Lake Granbury | 3,550,159 |
| 02/18/2003 | 05/01/2003 | Brazos | Hill, Bosque | Lake Whitney, Brazos River | 1,264,236 |
| 03/18/2003 | 04/10/2003 | Brazos | Nolan | Lake Sweetwater | 7,801 |
| 02/03/2003 | 04/30/2003 | Brazos | Lubbock | Lubbock City Lakes 1-6 | 9,130 |
| 03/10/2003 | 04/30/2003 | Brazos | Lubbuck | Buffalo Springs Lake | 2,203 |
| 08/14/2003 | 08/30/2003 | Brazos | Young | Brazos River | 124,799 |
| Total in Brazos River Basin | 8,297,933 |
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| 02/10/2003 | 04/01/2003 | Canadian | Hutchinson | Stilling Basin Lake Meredith | 48 |
| Total in Canadian River Basin | 48 |
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| 08/12/1989 | 08/18/1989 | Colorado | Runnels | Colorado River | 4,080 |
| 08/16/1989 | 08/30/1989 | Colorado | Runnels | Colorado River | 1,723 |
| 08/30/1989 | 09/11/1989 | Colorado | Coke | Colorado River | 8,542 |
| 09/11/1989 | 09/15/1989 | Colorado | Coleman | Colorado River | 1,000 |
| 11/12/1989 | 11/18/1989 | Colorado | Mills, San Saba | Colorado River | 48,928 |
| 10/23/2001 | 10/30/2001 | Colorado | Howard | Moss Creek Lake | 6,381 |
| 10/18/2001 | 10/30/2001 | Colorado | Coke | E.V. Spence Reservoir | 2,213,953 |
| 01/24/2002 | 01/28/2002 | Colorado | Mitchell | Colorado City Lake | 4,060 |
| 11/26/2001 | 12/20/2001 | Colorado | Runnels | Colorado River | 5,986 |
| 01/15/2002 | 01/29/2002 | Colorado | Midland | Wadley-Barrow Park Pond | 6,300 |
| 01/29/2002 | 02/05/2002 | Colorado | Coke | E.V. Spence Reservoir | 1,223 |
| 01/29/2002 | 02/05/2002 | Colorado | Mitchell | Colorado City Lake | 61,781 |
| 10/09/2002 | 03/19/2003 | Colorado | Mitchell | Colorado City Lake | 15 |
| 01/08/2003 | 03/19/2003 | Colorado | Coke | E.V. Spence Reservoir | 175 |
| 01/14/2003 | 03/19/2003 | Colorado | Mitchell, Coke, Concho, Runnels | Colorado River | 1,199 |
| Total in Colorado River Basin | 2,365,346 |
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| 01/15/2001 | 03/15/2001 | Red | Archer | Dundee State Fish Hatchery | 5,121,827 |
| 03/12/2001 | 06/15/2001 | Red | Baylor, Archer | Lake Diversion | 309 |
| 02/282002 | 04/10/2002 | Red | Baylor | Lake Kemp | 7,400 |
| 01/08/2003 | 04/20/2003 | Red | Baylor | Lake Kemp | 329 |
| 03/24/2003 | 04/20/2003 | Red | Childress | Baylor Lake | 1,490 |
| Total in Colorado River Basin | 5,131,355 |
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| 04/21/1985* | 04/27/1985 | Rio Grande | Loving | Red Bluff Reservoir | 10,125 |
| 10/31/1985 | 11/10/1985 | Rio Grande | Crockett, Pecos, Terrell, Val Verde | Pecos River | 111,459 |
| 11/19/1985* | 11/20/1985 | Rio Grande | Val Verde | Pecos River | 300 |
| 11/20/1986* | 12/12/1986 | Rio Grande | Pecos, Terrell, Val Verde, Crockett | Pecos River | 263,879 |
| 11/05/1988 | 11/16/1988 | Rio Grande | Reeves, Loving, Ward, Pecos, Crane, Crockett | Red Bluff Reservoir, Pecos R. | 1,580,320 |
| 12/06/1989 | 12/06/1989 | Rio Grande | Reeves | Red Bluff Reservoir | 50 |
| 11/03/1993 | 11/21/1993 | Rio Grande | Pecos, Terrell, Val Verde, Crockett | Pecos River | 33,124 |
| 12/05/1995 | 12/09/1995 | Rio Grande | Crockett, Terrell | Pecos River | 7,598 |
| 01/06/2003 | 02/15/2003 | Rio Grande | Reeves | Red Bluff Reservoir | 1,156 |
| Total in Rio Grande Basin | 2,008,011 |
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| Total | 17,802,293 |
* Suspected due to P. parvum
Texas rivers affected by Golden Alga. Read details of map.
Impacts of Blooms
Current Bloom Status
Would you like to know more?
The Biology of Golden Alga summarizes what we know about the alga and its toxins.
Where does golden alga fit compared to other single-celled organisms?
The Golden Alga Family Tree gives examples of and information about golden alga and other protists.
What does golden alga look like?
TPWD Golden Alga Images has photos of fish kills, golden algal cells, and short videos of live golden alga. These images may be used for noncommercial/educational purposes as long as TPWD is given credit and other site policies are followed.
Golden Alga Information Card: TPWD has collaborated with TCEQ and other entities to produce a golden alga information card(pdf document). The purpose of this card is to educate the public on golden alga blooms and answer some common questions. Hard copies of this card are available for free by contacting 512 389-8750.