Lake Leland upgraded, but Anderson remains closed
By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News
Print This |
Email This
Recent Headlines
To our readers . . . about the Aspire! Quartet’s Singing Valentine program -- 2/10/12 -01:53 PM
Floating luxury home hits the water, now moored at Point Hudson [**Video**] -- 2/10/12 -01:03 PM
Mountain goat population up about 40 percent in Olympic Mountains -- 2/10/12 -12:07 PM
417.9 million bites later . . . (does this video warrant that much attention?) -- 2/10/12 -12:02 PM
Josh Powell had ‘incestuous’ sex images, investigators say -- 2/10/12 -09:32 AM
Andrew Shogren, Jefferson County environmental health director, said a sample taken this week showed a decline in toxic blue-green algae levels in Lake Leland, which has a county boat ramp for fishing and which partially bounds a residential neighborhood.
"Basically, you can swim in the lake, but watch out for algae scums. Don't swim in the scums, and don't drink it," Shogren said, adding that guts from fish caught in the lake should be discarded before the fish are eaten.
No toxic blue-green algae has been reported in Clallam County lakes.
Clallam County officials do not test for the toxins. Instead, they are monitoring the lakes through visible inspections.
Blue-green algae can produce anatoxin-a, which can cause liver damage or nerve impairment.
Anderson still closed
Anderson Lake, which is in a state park near Port Hadlock, remains closed for the Labor Day Weekend.
It was the first lake closed in Jefferson County closed because of algae toxins. The first closure was in 2006 after a dog died from drinking the water.
Anderson Lake State Park remains open for recreational uses outside the lake.
Gibbs Lake, near Chimacum, and Crocker Lake, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 104 between Discovery Bay and Lake Leland remain on the list of freshwater bodies with toxic blue-green algae levels that threaten public health and should be avoided.
"We really wanted to open Gibbs, but it ended up a lot higher than we had hoped," Shogren said, referring to blue-green algae levels tested in that lake.
The public must still be cautious of using Tarboo Lake, north Quilcene, which remains on the list and is now in the same caution category as Lake Leland.
Jefferson County Public Health is monitoring publicly-accessible lakes during the recreational season through September.
Sampled weekly
Anderson Lake, Lake Leland, and Gibbs Lake have a history of blue-green algae blooms and are being sampled weekly.
Other publicly-accessible lakes in the county are sampled when blooms are observed.
These samples are sent to a laboratory in Tacoma to identify the algae species present and determine their concentrations.
Current lake status, and more detailed recommendations, can be found on the Jefferson County Public Health Web site at www.jeffersoncountypublichealth.org.
To report an algae bloom in a Jefferson County lake not listed, phone 360-385-9444.
The Public Health web site has been updated with information that tells swimmers what to do if they accidentally swim in a lake marked with warning signs as toxic.
In Clallam County, the Environmental Health office can be reached at 360-417-2258.
________
Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: August 28. 2008 9:00PM