Microcystin Data

Sign up for our microcystin toxin update emails, sent weekly from June-August. They will remind you to check this page to see which lakes have microcystin detected, and at what levels.

Supported by the K21 Health Foundation, we sample 14 lakes and seven public beaches every week from June-August, and 12 streams biweekly year-round. Visit these excellent and educational resources to learn more about blue-green algae:

• The Lilly Center’s ultimate guide to blue-green algae
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s guidelines

IDEM’s safety threshold is 8.0 ppb for humans and 0.8 ppb for pets.

ND – None Detected

– – –  Data unavailable for this sampling week 

From June-August, the Lilly Center collects water samples from open water on Kosciusko County’s 12 all-sport lakes and Center and Pike lakes, along with public swimming beaches at these lakes:

• Center
• Pike
• Syracuse
• Waubee
• Webster
• Winona

Samples are processed and analyzed for microcystin, a toxin produced by blue-green algae. If ingested or left on the skin for too long, microcystin can cause health problems for people and pets. It’s especially dangerous for animals, like dogs.

Toxin results are updated on this page every week during the summer. To learn more about microcystin and pet and human health, visit our blue-green algae research hub!

As a general guideline, don’t recreate in water that has a blue-green algae bloom! Blooms often look like a green paint slick on the surface or a pea-soup appearance. If you see a bloom (or aren’t sure if it’s a bloom) email us the date, time, location and a picture and a team member will follow up with you.