Iowa is using a Blackhawk helicopter to drop 1,000-pound sandbags on a levee leak that threatens to flood a community in the southwestern part of the state. Gen. Derek Hill of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security says sandbags were being dropped Sunday on a leak in a levee in Atchison County, Mo. He says it was too dangerous to use ground crews for the work.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported Sunday morning there was a breach in a Missouri River levee that could flood Hamburg, Iowa. The city is about five miles north of the leak, and Hill says the land in that area is flat and the leaking water is expected to flow back into Hamburg.

The leak has forced the evacuation of 600 Hamburg residents.

DES MOINES – Rapidly warming weather and water temperatures have prompted concerns about microcystin, a product of blue-green algae.

Sun Valley Lake, a private lake and development in Taylor County, reported a small fish kill on Saturday in an area of the lake that appeared to have a blue-green algae bloom. The algae can deplete oxygen making fish vulnerable, particularly this time of year when fish are also stressed because of spawning activities.

Sun Valley Lake will be sampled by Iowa Department of Natural Resources for microsystin. Because the conditions are conducive to blue-green algae growth, people and pets should not be in contact with water that has a poor appearance.  The appearance can be a pea-green or blue-green color, but also a reddish-brown. It may appear with scum, foam or as a thick mat on the water surface. Blue-green algae can grow quickly and become very abundant in warm, shallow, undisturbed surface water that receives a lot of sunlight.

The main risk to humans from microcystin is skin irritations and rashes, but if the water is swallowed or airborne droplets are inhaled during swimming, bathing or showering, symptoms could be worse. Those would include headaches, nausea, abdominal pain, seizures, liver injury and respiratory problems.

Precautions that should be taken to prevent health-related problems due to harmful algal blooms include:

*          Don’t swim, water ski or boat in areas where the water is discolored or if there is foam, scum or mats of algae on the water.
*          If you come in contact with water that might have a harmful algal bloom, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible.
*          Don’t let pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where water is discolored, of if there is foam, scum or mats of algae on the water.
*          Don’t let pets (especially dogs) lick the algae off their fur after swimming in scummy water.
*          Don’t irrigate lawns or golf courses with pond water that looks scummy or has a bad odor.
*          Don’t drink the water. Boiling the water will not make it safe to drink.

AMES, Iowa – June 5, 2011; 3:15 p.m. – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is reporting that all portions of Interstate 29 in Iowa remain open at this time.

The minor levee boil south of Hamburg in Missouris Atchison County has NOT impacted I-29 in Iowa. The Iowa DOT is monitoring the situation in Hamburg, but there is no imminent danger to I-29 at this time.

If it becomes necessary to close the interstate or other state roadways due to flooding, the Iowa DOT will provide the public with as much advance notice as possible. If a road is closed due to flash flooding, a notice will be issued as quickly as possible.

For the latest road condition information 24 hours a day, visit http://www.511ia.org/ or call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (outside Iowa).