The state has ended a health alert for toxic blue-green algae at Lone Star Lake in Fillmore County. With the end of this alert, there are currently no health alerts remaining in effect in Nebraska.

Weekly sampling has been conducted at 50 public lakes in Nebraska since the beginning of May. For the second consecutive week, samples taken at Lone Star Lake were below the state’s health alert threshold of 20 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin (a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.) Lakes that are on health alert must have two consecutive weeks of readings below the threshold before the alert is discontinued. The alert had originally been issued on June 21, 2013.

The lakes will continue to be monitored weekly throughout the 2013 recreational season. Sampling results for toxic algae and bacteria will be updated every Friday and posted on NDEQ’s web site, https://dee.nebraska.gov/home.

(For more information about potential health effects of toxic blue-green algae, what to look for, and steps to avoid exposure, please refer to the Toxic Algae Fact Sheet.)