Emporia State University’s King Lake will remain in a blue-green algae warning until at least Thursday after an update from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, may look like foam, scum or paint floating on the water — and unlike the official name, blue-green algae isn’t always a blue-green color. KDHE says it can be colored blue, bright green, red or even brown.
When bodies of water are in a warning, lake water is not safe to drink for people, pets or livestock. In fact, water contact should be avoided because even inhaling the spray or aerosols near the water can be harmful. Fish may be eaten from the lake, but only if the fillet portion is thoroughly rinsed with clean water; all other parts of the fish need to be thrown out. Also, pets should not eat dried algae under any circumstances.
This is now the third straight week for an algae warning for the lake, which is located north of Interstate 35 and west of the Trusler Sports Complex. The Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center sits on the lake’s north side. King Lake was in an algae watch for a week last month before the warning took effect.
