Businesses fear tourist drop-off as blue-green algae clogs Murray river

Health warning issued for 350km of the river to not swim or drink the water, but fishing is not affected

Businesses along the Murray river that rely on the tourist dollar brought in by the Easter long weekend hope for cool weather to ease a blue-green algae outbreak that has prompted a health warning for 350km of the waterway.

The microscopic Cyanobacteria have bloomed in the warm, stagnant river, helped by a heatwave that brought above-average March temperatures to south-eastern Australia.