It already feels like summer, and if you hit the lakes and the beaches, you might notice there is already algae on the water in some locations. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has been getting calls about it, but they don’t start regular water testing until around Memorial Day.

“If it looks like green, wet wool or cotton candy, it is probably green algae, which is not toxic,” said Rachel Crabb, Water Resources Supervisor for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board.

“We’ve hit a hot stretch of weather. What we have are the right conditions for algae to grow: heat, nutrients so they are taking off,” she added.

Beginning Memorial Day weekend, the MPRB will test water levels every week and will shut down beaches that have unsafe toxin and bacteria levels — typically closures are the result of blue-green algae or E. coli.