Algae disappears from reservoir
Staff writer
Neil Whitaker, ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Marion Reservoir, said there was no sign of the menacing turquoise algae, anabaena, Sunday morning.
"We'll go in a boat and swing around the perimeter of the lake," he said, "but we haven't seen any since Thursday."
"It's real noticeable, when it is there," Whitaker said. "It's turquoise-green and different from the usual, normal algae. We've had lots of green algae for quite a while. That's normal in the summer on Kansas lakes."
Normal algae is nothing to fear, he added. But there was a striking difference in the anabaena that was spotted on the reservoir Thursday.
"Its distribution was limited. It was winnowed. A slight breeze blew up on shore, and there were small pools of the algae at the dam's base, each the size of a large kitchen table," Whitaker said.
"It was in the small pools, but not in the main body of the lake
"Mike Knak flew over the lake in his plane on Friday and saw no anabaena. We'll continue to patrol and check the water plants (in Marion and Hillsboro) as they go along, take water samples and test them."
The public-use facilities at the reservoir, for showers, etc., takes its water from rural water district well water, so campers and others there are not affected, he said.
Campers were still not to wade, swim or JetSki in the Hillsboro Cove area, he added. This was on advice of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
"We will need an 'OK' from the state to open it," he said. Other areas were open.
"We have seen no fish or other wildlife killed" because of the algae, Whitaker said. In his 13 years at the reservoir with the Corps, he's never seen any anabaena before.
"It's probably there, though, in all bodies of water in Kansas. But it's a problem only when a visible bloom shows, and we don't know why.
"Anabaena does not always carry toxicity with it. And anabaena is a genus name, with several species in it. Some produce toxins, some don't. We don't know yet.
"We're being vigilant about continuing to look for it and will continue to do so," Whitaker said.
