State Warns About Exposure at Pawnee Lake
(Lake Closed)

NEWS RELEASE
A joint release from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services – Regulation and Licensure Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

July 20, 2004

Contact Marla Augustine, Communications and Legislative Services, (402) 471-4047 Brian McManus, Department of Environmental Quality, (402) 471-4223 Jim Carney, Game and Parks Commission, (402) 471-5547

State Warns Public About Exposure at Pawnee Lake
Lake Closed to Swimming, Water Skiing, Jet Skiing

Lincoln – Numerous calls to the state on Monday and Tuesday have prompted stronger state warnings to the public regarding recreational activities at Pawnee Lake. Activities including swimming, jet skiing, water skiing, tubing and sailboarding are prohibited until levels of toxins in the water subside.

Pawnee Lake, near Emerald, is one of four that are currently under a Health Alert for toxic algae. The lake was placed on a Health Alert on Friday, July 16, due to water samples that indicated toxins at levels above the state’s health threshold.

Since then, HHSS received 16 calls related to 25 individuals who had symptoms such as gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and lesions or ulcers of the skin, throat and nose. Almost all of the calls involved people who had been exposed to Pawnee Lake within the past week. Therefore, the state is increasing efforts to warn the public about the hazards of water consumption, particularly at Pawnee Lake.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will be posting more signs at Pawnee Lake and conveying more specific prohibitions to the public. Although the public beach at Pawnee Lake had already been closed, the state is broadening the prohibition of swimming to all areas of the lake. In addition, activities that involve full body contact and the likelihood of ingesting water are all prohibited until the levels of toxins subside. These activities include water skiing, tubing, sailboarding and jet skiing. The state is also urging the public to pay particular attention to small children and pets, to make sure they don’t come in contact with the water. Recreational boating and fishing are permitted, as long as the public makes sure to avoid situations that could possibly involve the ingestion of water.

The Department of Environmental Quality is conducting more extensive sampling today (Tuesday, July 20) to collect more comprehensive information about the levels of toxins in various areas of Pawnee Lake. Sampling results from Pawnee Lake should be made available on Friday, July 23. Results will also be made available for samples taken at the other three lakes that currently are under a Health Alert -- Enders Reservoir near Imperial, Swan Creek Reservoir #5A near Tobias and Hanson Lake 4, near the Platte River, south of Omaha.

People who become ill after exposure to one of the lakes in a health alert or advisory should call their physician or the Nebraska Health and Human Services System at (402) 471-2937. People whose pets become ill after exposure to water at these lakes should contact the HHSS Public Health Veterinarian at (402) 471-1374.

Since early May, tests have confirmed the presence of toxic bluegreen algae in a number of public and private lakes in Nebraska. Toxic bluegreen algae is similar in appearance to regular, non-toxic algae and occurs frequently in water bodies across the state. The appearance can be a pea green, bluegreen or reddish brown color, and there may be a scum, foam or a thick mat on the water surface. Blooms of bluegreen algae can occur under the right conditions of sunlight, temperature and nutrients in the water.

The likelihood of symptoms increases significantly with the duration of water contact and the density of the algae bloom. The severity of the illness is related to the amount of water and toxins ingested. The risk to humans is mainly that of skin irritations and gastrointestinal illness. Symptoms for external exposure include skin rashes and skin ulcers. Symptoms from ingestion can include headaches, nausea, central abdominal pain, seizures, liver failure, respiratory arrest and death.

According to state health officials, the public should be cautious if they are visiting a lake that contains algae. Although generally the algae would likely be a safe variety, the recent outbreak of toxic algae at multiple lakes warrants extra precautions throughout the state.

Currently, four lakes remain in the Health Alert listing. In addition, many are listed in the Health Advisory designation, which means risk to the public is considered low. At these sites, sampling results indicate the amount of toxins in the water are at a level that the state believes is safe for full-body recreational activities. Fremont Lake #20, which had been under a Health Alert for several weeks, was downgraded to Health Advisory status on July 16, due to decreased levels of toxins.

In addition to ongoing state sampling, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been providing sampling analysis kits to individuals who have concerns about potential for toxic algae. For more information about receiving a sampling kit and analysis, contact the University of Nebraska at (402) 472-7783.



NOTE: Fact sheets and updates are available at DEQ’s web site: www.deq.state.ne.us and at HHS’s web site: www.hhs.state.ne.us/new/0504nr/AlgaeFactSheet.pdf
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