County begins work on budget
Staff writer
David Brazil told Marion County commissioners Monday that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is the "lead agency" investigating the appearance of the anabaena algae Thursday at Marion Reservoir.
"When it dies, it leaves a heptatoxin behind," Brazil, director of planning, zoning, and the transfer station and sanitarian for the county, said.
The cities of Marion and Hillsboro are testing their water continuously, and a laboratory in Florida is also going to run tests on the water, Brazil said.
Although the cities and the state agency are handling the situation, the county could lend its support if a problem arises in regard to quantities of water, Brazil said.
Michelle Abbott-Becker, director of emergency communications for the county, said commissioners needed to declare by proclamation that a state of disaster exists here.
The commissioners did sign such a proclamation Monday. It is good for seven days only. Abbott-Becker will submit it to the state director of Emergency Management in Topeka.
"They could lay a temporary line for Hillsboro or whomever, at no charge," if that became necessary, she said.
Issuing the proclamation entails no financial responsibility on the county's part, she said.
Brazil said that 50 to 75 percent of the time, the anabaena algae does produce the toxins reported, when it dies.
"We hope there is no danger here. We need to know what's present and at what level," Brazil said.
The written proclamation speaks of damage, injury, or loss of life or property "in disaster proportions."
The county health department's role in this is only to provide public information, Brazil said.
He said he was pretty sure that in order to be harmed by the anabaena, or rather its deposited toxins, one would have to ingest water containing the poison, not merely have skin contact with it.
