A giant algae bloom has engulfed a Chinese city in knee-high grass-like seaweed.

The algae bloom is  twice the area of Los Angeles County, and it has engulfed the Chinese coast around the city of Qingdao. Beaches are buried in the seaweed.

Bulldozers are haluling away tons of the algae daily, but they are unable to keep up with the growth.

The algae is called hutai in Mandarin, and began to appear a month ago.

The Enteromorpha prolifera, the Latin name for the algae, is well over a foot deep in many areas. It blankets an area of some 11,500 square miles.

Officials think the algae growth comes from specific nutrients in the water that may be from industrial pollution or agricultural runoff.

The algae bloom will die off when temperatures rise to above 73 degrees, but at the moment, conditions for the algae growth are now ideal; the water temperature is around 68 degrees.

The bloom is not harmful to people. Beachgoers have been burying themselves in huge stacks of the plant or lounging on plushy beds of the algae.

However, the  traditional July 1 opening of the city's designated beach swimming zone was delayed due to the algae bloom. Some visitors are cancelling reservations due to the algae and the fears of unclean water.

Qingdao's name means "Green Island," and the city is living up to the name. It is the seventh year the algae was bloomed, but it is the worst it has been this year.

Authorities have installed netting along the shore in an effort to keep the algae away from the beach, but this year's bloom is massive.

When Qingdao hosted the Olympic sailing competition in 2008, the government had 1,000 soldiers clean the algae using nets, boats, trucks, and bulldozers.

In southern China, people eat dried hutai. It is made into pancakes or mixed into spring rolls. It is thought to lower cholesterol because it is low in calories and high in fiber.