As if the immediate Council Grove area needed any more water-related issues.
Already grappling with a federal hiring freeze that will force temporary shutdowns of certain areas at Council Grove Lake beginning Thursday, residents in and around Council Grove now have to deal with a blue-green algae watch at Council Grove City Lake as announced by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. A watch means a harmful algal bloom, or HAB, is possible and may be present at the body of water in question.
Even with an algae watch, water may be unsafe for humans and animals. KDHE has several safety guidelines for algae watches:
*Avoid areas of algae accumulation and do not let people/pets eat dried algae or drink contaminated water.
*Swimming, wading, skiing and jet skiing are discouraged near visible blooms.
*Boating and fishing are safe. However, inhalation of the spray may affect some individuals. Avoid direct contact with water and wash with clean water after any contact.
*Clean fish thoroughly with potable water and eat fillet portion only.
The algae watch at Council Grove City Lake follows unsuccessful work to obtain an exemption from the federal hiring freeze involving Council Grove Lake. The permanent ranger position and three seasonal jobs were all open when the freeze went into effect, meaning they cannot be refilled until further notice. As a result, the US Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District has confirmed temporary closures of different park areas. New temporary closures include:
*Canning Creek entire park area closed
*Santa Fe Trail boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
*Outlet East entire park area closed
*Kanza View camping area closed with day-use open
*Richey Cove entire park area closed
This also affects areas that had been set to open May 1 but now will remain closed until further notice:
*Neosho Park boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
*Kit Carson Cove entire park area closed
*North Richey Cove boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
KVOE News will have updates on both situations as they evolve.
