Four Stateline Lakes Closed Amid Concerns Surrounding Toxic Algae

WINNEBAGO - Several lakes in northern Illinois have succumb to cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae.  It's a toxic algae that has lake managers and the Illinois EPA shutting down four lakes around the Stateline. 

Joseph Harmon and his friend Kadin were hoping to take a dip in the lake at the Westlake Subdivision after school on Tuesday.  With temperatures soaring into the mid 90s in Winnebago, thank goodness the complex has a pool.

"It's the only thing we can do to cool off," said Harmon.

But the lake at Westlake is one of those four lakes across the Stateline that has voluntarily shut down.  Not only is swimming off limits, but boating and fishing is off limits as well.  The World Health Organization says the safe limit of the toxins caused by blue-green algae is 20 parts per billion.  The levels at Westlake are more than 1,000 times that safe amount.  Bob Eiss, Westlake Lake Manager, says a shallow lake with a muddy bottom make for pristine conditions to grow algae.

"Normally with rainfall, regular rainfall, you get a flush through that keeps [the algae] going on out the lake, but this year, no rain," said Eiss.

The three other lakes closed due to the blue-green algae are Wonder Lake in McHenry County, Candlewick Lake in Boone County, and Lake Le-Aqua-Na in Stephenson County.  All of these lakes are man-made lakes, and are experiencing these issues because of the lack of a natural flushing mechanism like a stream of river.  The state's not sure if all the lakes in the area are safe because they aren't normally tested for toxicity, so the EPA is arming you with information.

Blue-green algae can pose health risks from rashes due to skin exposure all the way to liver damage if ingested.  The health risks can be worse for children because their lower body weight requires fewer toxins to get sick.  Even breathing some of these toxins may make some people ill.

Eiss says he saw this algae problem coming, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop it.

"We were kind of warned of this early on because we did not have a severe enough winter or snowfall and spring rains to flush last year's [algae] out and so we've got some of last year and now all of this year compounded by the heat and no rain," said Eiss.

The Illinois EPA says there's a lack of funding for blue-green algae testing, so although they hope to be out to test these lakes toward the end of the month, that's not for certain.  Due to this lack of funding the state says there may be other lakes out in the Stateline also experiencing this blue-green algae, but they just don't know because they haven't been able to test them.