For more information, contact
Brian McManus
Public Information Officer
(402) 471-4223

For Immediate Release
August 6, 2004

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

Contact
Brian McManus, Department of Environmental Quality, (402) 471-4223
Marla Augustine, Communications and Legislative Services, (402) 471-4047
Jim Fuller, Game and Parks Commission, (402) 471-5550

Lincoln – Seven lakes are currently on Health Alert for toxic bluegreen algae, including Fremont Lake 20, which was previously taken off the alert list. Alerts have been removed at Wagon Train Reservoir and Red Willow Reservoir, but sampling will continue at both lakes.

Health Alerts are in effect for the following lakes, due to high readings of blue-green algal toxins in samples taken Monday, August 2:

· Pawnee Lake, near Emerald;
· Swan Creek Reservoir 5A, near Tobias;
· Hanson Lake #4, near the Platte River, south of Omaha.
· Conestoga Reservoir, near Lincoln;
· Iron Horse Trail, near DuBois;
· Fremont Lake 20, near Fremont; and
· Wedgewood Lake in Lincoln (not sampled by DEQ; sample date unknown)

Fremont Lake 20 and Hanson Lake #4 both demonstrate that the toxic algae situation can be persistent and can recur after levels have subsided, state officials said. Fremont Lake 20 had previously been on a Health Alert from May 28 through mid July. It had been taken off the list since July 16 because readings showed the levels had subsided to low risk levels, until this week. Likewise, Hanson Lake 4 has been on Health Alert status most of the time since May 21, although there was a brief period when it appeared that the problem was subsiding. This is the fourth week that Pawnee Lake has been on Health Alert status.

Officials from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said they will continue prohibitions against full-body contact including swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, sailboarding and tubing at state facilities that are under Health Alert status. 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. People can still use the areas for camping, picnics, and other outdoor activities. Game and Parks officials suggest that anglers practice catch-and-release fishing, as the toxins created by the algae can accumulate in the organs of fish. These restrictions will continue until the state finds that all sampling locations at these lakes are below the state’s threshold for declaring a Health Alert (15 parts per billion of the toxin Microcystin).

Samples will be collected again at all of these locations on Monday, August 9, and the analysis of these samples should be available on Friday, August 13.

Readings were low at other lakes that had been sampled this week. Readings were below 7 ppb for: Alexandria State Recreational Area, east and west lakes, Wagon Train Reservoir, Two Rivers SRA lake #4, Christopher Cove near Columbus, Dove’s Cove near Fremont, Holmes Dog Run in Lincoln and Red Willow Reservoir near McCook. Readings were very low, below 2.0 ppb, at: Branched Oak Lake and Bluestem Reservoir near Lincoln, and Louisville Lake #2 near Louisville.

Other news releases

FACT SHEET:
Precautions and facts regarding toxins in lakes

A Joint Publication from the
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

What is “toxic algae” or “blue-green algae”?
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are single-celled aquatic organisms found in surface waters worldwide. Cyanobacteria tend to thrive in stagnant water, during warm weather, with drought or near drought conditions. The toxins produced by cyanobacteria can cause human and animal health problems ranging from skin irritation and gastrointestinal upset, to death from liver or respiratory failure.

What should I look for to avoid potential toxins?
Areas of bloom where such poisonings occur typically have heavy surface growths of green scum and impart disagreeable odors and tastes. The water has a consistency similar to motor oil. The blooms typically accumulate near the shoreline where the water is shallow and stagnant. Signs to watch out for include:

· Water that has a neon-green, pea-green, blue-green or reddish-brown color;
· Water that has a bad odor;
· Foam, scum or a thick mat on the water surface; and/or,
· Green or blue-green streaks on the surface, or accumulations in bays and along shorelines.

What are the risks involved with these types of toxins?
Pets and farm animals have been killed by the toxins when the animals have ingested waters containing toxic blooms or licking their wet hair/fur/paws after exposure. This type of toxin has been known to persist in waters for as long as two weeks after the bloom has disappeared.

While the risk to humans is mainly that of skin irritations, there have been instances of gastrointestinal illness and liver disease. All cases where human illness can be reliably attributed to toxic algae in water have been connected with either the breakdown of a natural bloom or with the treatment of a bloom by the application of copper sulphate.

In Wisconsin in 2002, a teenage boy died 48 hours after diving and swimming in a scum-coated pond. He suffered nausea and diarrhea, then seizures, before dying. However, some uncertainty remains as to whether toxic algae was responsible, but no other possible explanations have been found.

Is this of greater risk to certain segments of the population?
Yes. Those at greater risk include:

· Children. Toddlers may tend to explore the shoreline of a scummy pond, causing greater opportunity for exposure. Based on body weight, children tend to drink a higher volume of water than adults, and therefore could be at greater risk.
· People with liver disease or kidney damage.

What should I do to minimize hazards?
Potentially affected water should be avoided. Also,

· Be aware of areas of bloom and keep animals and children away from those waters;
· Don’t wade or swim in water containing visible blooms, and avoid direct contact with dense mats of algae;
· Don’t drink the water or let children, livestock or pets get into the water;
· Make sure children are supervised at all times when they are near water;
· If you do come in contact with the algae or the water around a bloom, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible;
· If you are wading in knee deep water and can’t see your feet, get out of the water immediately and wash well;
· Don’t boat or water ski through algae blooms;
· Remember: ingestion of the toxins can be potentially fatal, so avoid any situation that could lead to swallowing potentially contaminated water.

What are the signs and symptoms associated with exposure to or ingestion of toxic algae?

The likelihood of symptoms increases significantly with the duration of water contact and the density of the algae bloom. The severity of the illness appears to be related to the amount of water ingested.

Symptoms include: skin rashes, mouth ulcers, ulcers inside of the nose, eye and/or ear irritations, blistering of the lips, sore throat, headaches, nausea, muscular pains, painful diarrhea, vomiting, central abdominal pain, seizures, liver failure, respiratory arrest, and death.

Can I take samples and find out results?

As part of the University of Nebraska Water Quality Extension Program, UN-L has developed a "Volunteer Monitoring Program" and subsequent lake test kit, which allows lake users, owners, etc., to become involved in the sample collection process. The lake kit has the following: An instruction sheet on how to properly collect the samples, a field data sheet for recording all measurements, a questionnaire that provides UNL with lake background information (such as, size of lake, age of lake, number of homes, septic or city sewer, etc.), a secchi disk for measuring water clarity, a sample bottle for obtaining a whole water sample for nutrient analysis, and another sample bottle for algal collection. To obtain more information and a test kit, contact: UN-L Extension at (402) 472-8190, or (402) 472-3305.