Anderson Lake, tainted by toxic algae woes past two summers, set to open for fishing season
A warning sign is already posted at the entrance to Anderson Lake State Park near Chimacum. -- Peninsula Daily News photo
By Jeff Chew and Paul Gottlieb, Peninsula Daily News
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The good news for freshwater fishing on the 70-acre lake comes as some Jefferson and Clallam County ocean beaches on Thursday were closed early by paralytic shellfish poisoning, or red tide.
Jefferson County water quality officials today awaited the lab results of water samples taken from Anderson Lake earlier this week.
Anderson was closed after a short fishing season last year. It also had been closed in June 2006 after two dogs died from biotoxins when they drank the lake's water.
The lake inside a state park will open to fishing at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, said Mike Zimmerman, Anderson Lake State Park manager.
Jefferson County Environmental Health officials have posted a cautionary sign at the lake's entrance, warning those using it not to drink, swim in, water ski or allow their pets in the water.
"It does not appear bad enough to prevent fishing," said Zimmerman, adding that fish caught in the lake should be cleaned as soon as possible and their internal organs discarded.
Biotoxins in algae levels in two other Jefferson County lakes, Leland near Quilcene and Gibbs in Chimacum, have been determined to be low, but county water quality specialists advise residents to take precautions before coming into contact or drinking water from the lakes.
No lakes in Clallam County have been tested for biotoxins.
Clallam health officials conduct visual monitoring and said they would respond if a person or animal were sickened by collecting samples and submit them for testing with the state.
Early red tide
In Jefferson and Clallam County's ocean waters, meanwhile, an onslaught of paralytic shellfish poisoning has closed key beaches to recreational shellfish harvesting.
Those beaches include Port Townsend, Kilisut Harbor between Marrowstone and Indian islands, and Mystery Bay at Marrostone.
Closed to recreational butter clam harvesting in Jefferson County are Port Ludlow Bay, Discovery Bay and Mats Mats Bay.
In Clallam County, only butter clams have been marked as dangerous to consume in Sequim Bay and along the Clallam County shoreline of Discovery Bay.
"The news is Mystery Bay and Port Townsend," said Neil Harrington, Jefferson County Environmental Health water quality manager.
"It's early. Last year they never closed. Usually it's late May to July when red tide closes it.
"It's really odd that we didn't have a (red tide) bloom last year, and here it is April, and it's been a cold April."
The state Health Department has posted warnings on its Web site at www.doh.wa.gov.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning, or red tide bloom,
"Red tide has more to do with ocean currents, circulating into shoreline," said Tom Locke, Jefferson and Clallam County health officer.
"It may be connected with current patterns offshore.
"Red tide may not be from human impact. Rather it's from mysterious processes in the ocean."
Algae precautions
Water samples will continue to be taken and tested each week at Anderson Lake, Harrington said.
"It's been up and down this spring," he said of the lake's water quality.
"It was down last week, and then [Tuesday], when our folks were up there, it was fairly clear and a scum had formed. Then we came by later and it was gone.
"What we're advising people to do is just be cautious."
Blue-green algae tends to grow in warm weather.
If biotoxin levels reach potentially dangerous levels, Harrington said, then county and state officials would have to discuss possible closure.
"Fishermen have been calling us a lot now [about Anderson Lake]," Zimmerman said.
Health officials have said they don't know why the algae grows in Jefferson County lakes, the source of the nutrients fueling algae growth or the reason that benign blue-green algae will begin producing toxins.
Algae blooms, which occur naturally, are fed by an overload of nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorous. Possible sources of such nutrients include fertilizer or human or animal waste.
Jefferson County Public Health recommends closure of lakes when toxic levels reach more than one part per billion.
Anderson Lake was the first lake in Jefferson County to be found to have lethal levels of toxic blue-green algae.
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Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: April 23. 2008 9:00PM