Toxic algae shuts Kansas swim beach down

RILEY COUNTY (KSNT) – State health officials have issued new alerts for blue-green algae in Kansas that are forcing some parks to shut down services to visitors.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is reporting that more than a dozen bodies of water contain potentially harmful blue-green algae. The algae, and resulting harmful algal blooms (HABs), can cause harm to people, pets and livestock that enter contaminated water.

Staff with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) closed the swimming beach at River Pond in response to it reaching a high level for algae. The KDWP warned that people and pets should avoid all contact with the water while the warning is in place.

The KDHE reports that 14 lakes and ponds around Kansas are now at the ‘warning’ level for blue-green algae in late August and may be hazardous to enter. These bodies of water include the following:

Warning

• Atchison County Lake, Atchison County.
• Augusta Santa Fe Lake, Butler County.
• Edgerton City Lake, Johnson County.
• Fossil Lake, Russell County.
• Frazier Lake, Grant County.
• Gathering Pond, Geary County.
• Hodgeman State Fishing Lake, Hodgeman County.
• King Lake, Lyon County.
• Lake Afton, Sedgwick County.
• Melvern Outlet River Pond, Osage County.
• Peter Pan Park Pond, Lyon County.
• River Pond (Tuttle Creek State Park), Pottawatomie and Riley Counties.
• Wilderness Lake (Overland Park), Johnson County.
• Wooster Lake, Lyon County.

Watch

• Atchison City Lake #9, Atchison County.
• Atchison State Fishing Lake, Atchison County.
• Eagle Lake (Bel Aire), Sedgwick County.
• Lake Shawnee, Shawnee County.
• Marion County Lake, Marion County.
• Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Osage County.
• Mission Lake, Brown County.
• Ottawa State Fishing Lake, Ottawa County.
• Rock Garden Pond, Shawnee County.

The KDHE classifies bodies of water in Kansas at watch, warning and hazard levels depending on the amount of blue-green algae in the water. People are encouraged to take precautions with lakes and ponds that have blue-green algae such as cleaning fish thoroughly after catching them from the water, limiting recreational activities or canceling them altogether and paying attention to posted signs.

The KDHE regularly updates its list of blue-green algae waters weekly. You can learn more about the dangers associated with blue-green algae and what lakes and ponds are contaminated with it by using this link.

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