POLK COUNTY – The Florida Department of Health in Polk County (DOH-Polk) has issued health alerts for the presence of harmful blue-green algae toxins in Lake Conine - Boat Ramp, Lake Van, Lake Gibson - West, Scott Lake - West, and Lake Hancock - South Central. The alerts are in response to water samples taken on May 6, 2024. The public should exercise caution in and around Lake Conine - Boat Ramp, Lake Van, Lake Gibson - West, Scott Lake - West, and Lake Hancock - South Central.

DOH-Polk advises residents and visitors to take the following precautions:

• Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercrafts, or come into contact with waters where there is a visible bloom.
• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have any contact with algae, or discolored or water that smells unpleasant.
• Keep pets and livestock away from the area to avoid any contact with water. Waters where algae blooms are present are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should use an alternative source of water when algae blooms are present.
• Do not cook or clean dishes with water contaminated by algae blooms. Boiling the water will not eliminate toxins.
• Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts, and cook fish thoroughly.
• Do not eat shellfish in waters with algae blooms.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and partners collect algae samples (link opens in new window) from reported bloom locations. After samples are analyzed at their laboratory, the toxin results can be viewed on the Protecting Florida Together (link opens in new window) or on DEP’s Algal Bloom Dashboard (link opens in new window).