The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a warning to be on the lookout for algae blooms as the weather warms up and Kansans spend more time at public lakes.

Algae are microscopic organisms that grow naturally in the ocean and freshwater, but under certain conditions and warmer weather, can grow rapidly. When this happens, blue-green algae can produce toxins capable of causing illness in people and animals. Several bodies of water last year had dangerous levels of blue-green algae.