OLATHE, Kan. — Johnson County officials are warning the public to stay away form Cedar Lake Park in Olathe once again.
The first warning came several weeks ago, when thousands of fish were found dead on its shores due to a lack of oxygen in the water.
This time, staff is concerned about a possible algae bloom.
Algae bloom often looks like foam, scum, or paint floating on the surface of the water and colors can vary from blue, green to brown or red.
Cedar Lake is currently under a “watch” advisory, but officials are waiting for lab results to find out exactly what is floating in the water and if it is harmful enough to be bumped up to a “warning” advisory.
Wade Boesen, who likes to fish at Cedar Lake, says he heard about the algae problem, but is not too concerned for his safety as long as he does not ingest it.
They do not plan on eating any of the fish they catch either.
While safety is not much of a concern, he does think it dampens the park experience.
“One thing I know about algae is just that it clogs up essentially the lake," Boesen said. "It just makes it harder to fish and it also makes it harder to see through it."
Experts say common symptoms to look out for are rash, vomiting, diarrhea, fevers and headaches just to name a few.
Algae can be especially dangerous for pets, so if you or your animals accidentally touch it, make sure to wash it off immediately with soap and water.
“It can have an effect on people with respiratory issues — it’s not something that you wanna be breathing in," said Meg Ralph, spokeswoman for the city of Overland Park."In more severe cases, it’s something that can be a challenge if you touch it. It’s certainly not something that you want to be drinking, or your pets to be drinking."
Overland Park dealt with a similar issue back in 2018 at South Lake Park. Ralph says algae grows because nutrients and bacteria from fertilizers dump into the lake from surrounding neighborhoods.
City leaders implemented a solution called “Floating Wetlands,” an artificial island with native plants that grow deep into the water and soak up the runoff. It has shown signs of progress.
“What we actually just did this last spring was we increased the amount of floating wetlands that we have out there, so we actually have ten times any many now than we did last year,” Ralph said.
Experts say while hot temperatures and increased moisture may be uncomfortable for some, it is the perfect ecosystem for algae to thrive and it is a common occurrence come summertime.
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