Health alert in effect for Rockford Lake SRA

LINCOLN, Neb. – A health alert is in effect for Rockford Lake State Recreation Area (SRA) in Gage County.

During water testing earlier this week, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality detected elevated toxin levels produced by blue-green algal blooms in Rockford Lake. Visitors to Rockford Lake SRA should avoid full body contact activities such as swimming, wading, skiing, jet skiing, etc. Non-contact activities such as boating, fishing and camping are OK. Dog owners are urged to keep pets out of the water and not allow them to ingest lake water.

Lakes with beaches and those that allow power boating are tested weekly through the summer months. Health alerts are lifted when algal toxin levels are below advisory concentration for two consecutive weeks.

A park permit is required of each vehicle entering Rockford Lake SRA, which is located 7 miles east and 2 south of Beatrice.