An Indiana legislative panel has asked three state agencies to develop a statewide monitoring system to track levels of blue-green algae in the state's lakes and rivers.

The plantlike bacteria doesn't just give surface waters an unappealing, greenish cast -- it can also release toxins that can sicken people, causing diarrhea, vomiting or nausea.

And it's been known to kill dogs and livestock.

The Environmental Quality Service Council voted 9-0 last month to direct the state's environmental, health and natural resources agencies to devise a statewide strategy for monitoring algae levels

But the state's environmental agency has not yet found the funding to pay for monitoring that's expected to cost millions of dollars, so it's unclear when that effort could begin.

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