Elkhorn Lake on advisory for blue-green algae
The suspected presence of blue-green algae at Holton’s Elkhorn Lake has prompted the city to warn fishers who visit the lake and close the lake’s pump station to protect livestock who drink pumped water from the lake, it was reported.
Holton Water and Sewer Superintendent Dennis Ashcraft said the advisory was issued jointly on Wednesday by city officials and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) after the presence of cyanobacteria — commonly known as blue-green algae — was suspected in Elkhorn Lake, which is located in Rafters Park.
“We called them and talked to them when we thought what we saw was blue-green algae,” Ashcraft said. “The lake’s been placed under a watch just as a precaution.”
Since the city-owned, four-acre lake is located in a hill, and warmer weather conditions have lasted longer than normal into October and November, Ashcraft noted that conditions were “just right” for blue-green algae to bloom in the lake.
“It just naturally occurs when you’ve got the nutrients available — the nitrogen, the phosphorus, the sunlight and the warm weather,” he said. “It’s one of those things that just naturally occurs in the ecosystem.”
Until water tests confirm the presence or absence of cyanobacteria in the water, the lake will continue to be under a watch and the pump station will remain closed, Ashcraft said. In the meantime, he said, it is hoped that colder temperatures will take care of the blue-green algae, and chemicals will not be used to speed the process.
“When you’re trying to get rid of blue-green algae, if you kill it off in a hurry, it puts more toxins into the lake. So KDHE recommends just letting it run its course,” he said. “I’m hoping it turns around fairly quickly.”
Blue-green algae are considered harmful in animals, and in addition to closing the pump to farmers whose livestock drink pumped water from the lake, city residents are advised to keep their pets from drinking water from the lake.
However, Ashcraft noted that the water watch would not prevent local anglers from fishing in the lake, even though precautions are recommended for visitors to Elkhorn Lake, which is stocked by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Community Fisheries Assistance Program.
“Fishing is OK,” Ashcraft said. “They just recommend that you wash the fish good, that you save only the filets and discard everything else.”
Blue-green algae is known to produce toxins that pose a health risk to people and animals, KDHE officials noted. Contact with blue-green algae — whether through ingesting it through water or having it come into contact with the skin — can produce such adverse health effects as intestinal problems, respiratory problems or skin irritations.
In the event that the algae watch at Elkhorn Lake is lifted, KDHE still advises visitors to the lake to exercise caution and watch for algae blooms in the water, as conditions can change quickly depending on the weather.
Some blue-green algae blooms can look like foam, or a thick slurry, KDHE officials noted. Blooms can be blue, bright green, brown or red, and they may look like paint floating on the water, although some blooms may not affect the appearance of the water.
Holton city officials will announce when the water watch at Elkhorn Lake is lifted.
For more information on blue-green algae, visit the KDHE Web site, www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness
