WINONA LAKE — This week, the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams identified a highly toxic blue-green algae bloom in Big Chapman Lake.

As a result, the Lilly Center urges lake residents to exercise caution and look for tell-tale signs of a blue- green algae bloom such as an oil spill-like appearance. When in doubt, stay out, the Lilly Center said in a news release issued Friday.

Thanks to a tip from a Chapman Lake resident, Lilly Center researchers conducted an
analysis of microcystin, a blue-green algae toxin, in the lake to identify any potential
threats.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management's threshold for pet safety is 0.8 parts per billion (ppb) and 8.0 ppb for human safety.

Initial lab results from water samples in the north channel of Nelly’s Bay indicated a toxin level of 160.4 ppb. Further tests showed that the bloom had dissipated somewhat and dropped to 1.7 ppb.

However, toxin results from a second channel in Nelly’s Bay showed a microcystin concentration of 41.3 ppb. Although the visible bloom may begin to dissipate in the
coming days, toxins may linger, the news release said.

Lake residents are encouraged take precautionary measures including avoiding contact
with the bloom, avoiding ingesting toxin-laden water, and rinsing lake water off with
fresh water. Pet owners are encouraged to keep their pets out of the water until after
the bloom has disappeared.

The main body of Big Chapman Lake had microcystin levels below the pet and human
safety threshold.Spotting a blue-green algae bloom is easy if you know the signs. A bloom will often have a pea soup or paint spill-like appearance and often be bright green or blue. Performing the “stick test” will help you identify the difference between harmless green algae and potentially toxic blue-green algae. Green algae is stringy and will hang off the stick, but blue-green algae will simply stir like paint.

If you spot a blue-green algae bloom or something you cannot identify, report it to the
Lilly Center by emailing lakes@grace.edu or calling 574-372-5281.

Supported by the K21 Health Foundation and the Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission, the Lilly Center conducts weekly sampling on 14 lakes and at seven public beaches throughout Kosciusko County. Samples are processed in the Lilly Center's lab, and results are posted to our website each Friday, beginning June 7.

Sign up for weekly toxin notifications at lakes.grace.edu/microcystin.

The post Toxic blue-green algae bloom confirmed at Big Chapman Lake appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana will contract with an outside laboratory to conduct “rigorous” testing of the hazardous materials that are already being shipped from the East Palestine train derailment to an Indiana facility, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Thursday.

The announcement followed an earlier statement from the governor in which he pushed back on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to transport hazardous materials from the Ohio train derailment to a landfill in Roachdale, Indiana.

Holcomb said he learned about the decision third-hand on Monday.

“All of us can agree that we should do everything within our control to provide assurance to our communities. This testing is the next necessary step,” the governor said in a written statement Thursday. “Since making this decision, we have informed the EPA and the site operator urging them to coordinate closely with this 3rd party laboratory to carry out this important testing.”

Indianapolis-based Pace Labs is scheduled to start sampling “for dangerous levels of dioxins” on Friday, Holcomb said.

EPA officials said Thursday they will require Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins in Ohio, but made no mention of such action in Indiana. If dioxins are found at a level “that poses any unacceptable risk to human health and the environment,” the EPA said it will direct “the immediate cleanup of the area as needed.”

Norfolk Southern is also mandated to conduct a background study to compare any dioxin levels around East Palestine to dioxin levels in other areas not impacted by the train derailment. The EPA is overseeing all cleanup efforts.

The Roachdale landfill is operated by Heritage Environmental Services and is federally certified to handle the management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. The “geologically isolated” site has about 14 million cubic yards of permitted landfill capacity, according to Heritage’s website.

Trucks hauling the toxic material began arriving at the landfill Tuesday, according to The Indianapolis Star. That’s despite pushback from Holcomb and various lawmakers, as well as state environmental officials and residents who live around Roachdale.

Representatives with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) previously told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that they did not have regulatory authority “to prevent hazardous waste disposal facilities from accepting materials for which they are permitted to handle and dispose.”

Holcomb reiterated Thursday that “it was extremely disappointing” to learn through a Monday press conference that the EPA had chosen Indiana as a location to deposit and remediate the waste from East Palestine.

“This was made after our administration directly conveyed that the materials should go to the nearest facilities, not moved from the far eastern side of Ohio to the far western side of Indiana,” Holcomb said. “As you can expect, I expressed as much to the EPA administrator when we spoke on the phone Tuesday.”

The EPA has not responded to multiple Indiana Capital Chronicle requests for comment.

It remains unclear how many more trucks will deliver the contaminated soil to the Roachdale landfill, or for how long.

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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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