Milford Lake, Kan. — Milford Lake currently doesn’t have a blue-green algae bloom, but according to one Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) official, the body of water typically does every year.

Tom Stiles, Director of the Bureau of Water in KDHE, said there was an exception in 2018 and 2019.
With Milford, Stiles said they know a bloom is going to happen but their efforts are set on keeping a severe bloom from occurring like it did in 2014-16 and like the current situation in Marion County at the reservoir.

Other mitigation efforts are a work in progress according to Stiles. A couple of years ago, they put hay bales in the water near the Military Marina in an attempt to help curve the bloom. It worked initially, but Kansas weather was working against them.

The biggest problem with Milford, Stiles said is the shear size of the lake and upping the resources needed, which in turn raises the cost.
Efforts are currently underway to treat the blooms, with an emphasis on trying to get to a bloom before it starts and then accelerates to a point where they can’t keep up with its growth.