Lincoln – The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and its partners have begun weekly sampling of public lakes across Nebraska.

This sampling will test for harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as toxic blue-green algae, and E. coli bacteria at 53 public recreational lakes across the state. The testing takes place annually from May through September.

In coordination with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the state will issue Health Alerts for HABs when test results indicate the toxin microcystin are at levels above 8 parts-per-billion (ppb).

Lake samples are typically collected on Mondays and results are posted to NDEE’s website at https://deq-iis.ne.gov/zs/bw/ on Fridays. While viewing this webpage, those interested can also subscribe to NDEE’s Beach Watch listserv to receive email updates on lake conditions.

NDEE’s sampling partners include the Central District Health Department, Nebraska Public Power District, Upper Republican Natural Resources District, Lower Republican NRD, South Platte NRD, Middle Niobrara NRD, Lower Loup NRD, Nemaha NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.