Lake Afton in western Sedgwick County is under a blue-green algae warning.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has also issued warnings for Atchison County Park Lake in Atchison County and Overbrook City Lake in Osage County. The lakes under warning aren’t closed, but according to the KDHE, contact with the water can cause serious illness and should be avoided. Pets that swim in or drink the water, or that eat dried algae along the shore, may become seriously ill or die.
The state allows boating and fishing on lakes that are on the warning list, and says it's safe to eat fish caught during a harmful blue-green algae outbreak. The fish must be rinsed with clean water, and only the filet portion should be consumed. After handling fish from an affected lake, the state says hands should be washed with clean water.
A toxic blue-green algae bloom causes the surface of a body of water to appear scummy, as if it is covered in green paint.
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