Elinor Lake has been found to have cyanobacteria confirmed in the water and residents living near the lake are asked to avoid all contact with blue-green algae blooms.
Anyone who comes in contact with the water is asked to avoid drinking or using the water to cook. AHS says boiling the water will not remove the toxins produced by blue-green algae.
Blue-green algae is naturally occurring and often becomes visible when weather conditions are calm. Appearing like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of water, blue-green algae can be blue-green, greenish-brown, brown, and/or pinkish-red, and often smells musty or grassy.
People who come in contact with visible blue-green algae or who ingest water containing blue-green algae may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days. Symptoms in children are often more pronounced; however, all humans are at risk of these symptoms.