AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin dog owners are worried about the return of toxic blue-green algae blooms in the local waterways. The blooms are connected with the deaths of several dogs last summer.

The blooms, technically cyanobacteria, disappear in cooler weather, but experts are already worried it could come back as spring turns into summer and water temperature rises.

For Claire Saccardi, it’s been a tough nine months since her four-year-old Golden Retriever, Harper, passed away after taking a dip in Red Bud Isle.

“Extremely traumatic, still not over it, of course,” she said.

Saccardi said the killer was toxic blue-green algae.

“I had no idea what had happened,” she said about her dog Harper.

At present, those at the Watershed Protection Department said there is no sign of the algae in Austin’s waterways, but they’re not dismissing the return of the algae.

“We’re going to plan and prepare as like it will, and we will hope that it won’t,” Brent Bellinger, an environmental scientist at the Watershed Protection Department said.

Watershed Protection Department scientists are working with researchers at UT to test the water at Lady Bird Lake, Red Bud Isle, Auditorium Shores and Festival Beach once to twice a week. However, those tests won’t start until next month.

Saccardi said, “It’s such a silent killer, it’s such a fast killer. I think if we all educate ourselves that would be so important to not let anyone else go through this that doesn’t have to.”

Thankfully for Saccardi, there’s a new beginning: Charlie. After seeing her story, Harper’s breeders contacted Claire.

“She was just like Claire, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I don’t want to pressure you, but I really want to help you get another dog.'”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Red Bud Isle closed due to concerns of potentially toxic algae

The new family member is a golden reminder of Harper.

“This is probably kind of weird, he has the same dad as Harper. He’s like her brother,” she said.

Saccardi said her goal this summer is to ensure no other family goes through the same heartache.

“I will feel gutted if I hear of another dog dies this summer,” Saccardi said.

Saccardi said since this happened she does not allow her new dog, Charlie, in waterways. To help her furry friend stay cool, she bought Charlie a kiddie pool and put it in her backyard.

This type of algae thrives in warm, shallow, nutrient-rich lakes like Lady Bird Lake, preferably bodies of water that are calm.

The Watershed Protection Department said the release of the lake water downstream, keeping a constant flow is helpful. Once that stops and the temperatures start to rise, that’s when experts say there could be a threat.

Research from several universities shows an algal bloom can happen if the water is 75 degrees or higher. The water temperature above Tom Miller Dam is 67 degrees, so Lady Bird Lake is likely cooler than that 75 degrees.