PORT TOWNSEND — Tests that resume this week will help determine whether Anderson Lake will be reopened for the trout-fishing season the last Saturday of this month.
The statewide lowland lakes trout-fishing season will begin April 27, and the ranger in charge of the lake says he figures there are some large fish in Anderson Lake.
“Many fishers are anxious to see if they can catch ‘the big one.’ Since the lake has been closed for so long the last few seasons, there is likely some nice big fish in there,” said Ranger Mike Zimmerman, who is in charge of Anderson Lake State Park.
But only testing will determine whether opening the lake is safe.
In 2012, Anderson Lake was opened the last Saturday in April for the start of the season but was closed May 3 because of elevated levels of algae-produced toxins, and was opened only briefly throughout the summer.
The last tests in October found a stunningly high level of the lethal nerve toxin anatoxin-a, with levels some 300 times higher than the safety threshold of 1 milligram per liter.
“Last year was a bad year for Anderson,” said Greg Thomason, Jefferson County environmental health specialist.
Since then, the lake appears to have calmed down. There are no sign of algae blooms, said both Zimmerman and Thomason.
But appearances can deceive. The only way to know if that clear lake water is poisoned is to test it.
Water samples will be taken from Anderson Lake, as well as Leland and Gibbs lakes, on Monday and sent to King County Environmental Lab, which is expected to report test results by Friday, said Thomason, who is with the Jefferson County Public Health Department.
“We need the data from the 15th to tell anything before the opening on April 27,” Thomason said.
“This one is really the important date” because the second round of test results won’t be received until the day before the season is set to open.
The lake could be closed on short notice, but both Thomason and Zimmerman said they prefer to have it planned better than that, if possible.
“When you have 50, 60, 100 people coming from all over, it makes it tough to close it down,” Thomason said.
The lake has remained popular despite frequent closures, he said.
Anderson Lake is “the best fishing lake in the county,” Thomason said.
“Fishermen are chomping at the bit. They’ve been waiting all winter for this,” he added.
Since 2006, the 70-acre lake in Anderson Lake State Park has been closed during parts of the warmer months because of dangerous levels of toxins.
Historically, two toxins have been found in East Jefferson County lakes: anatoxin-a, a potentially deadly nerve toxin, and microcystin, a slower-acting poison that can cause skin irritation and nausea over the short term and liver damage if ingested over a long period of time.
Anderson, Leland and Gibbs lakes have had caution signs up all winter because of winter algae blooms, Thomason said.
“Without samples, to be safe, we have to assume some toxins are present,” he added.
But if tests show the lakes to be clear, the signs will come down.
Researchers do not know why some species of blue-green algae, which occur naturally, will suddenly begin to produce toxins.
Warm weather does fuels algae growth when sufficient nutrients, such as phosphorus, are present, and Anderson Lake, once the site of a dairy farm that closed in the middle of the last century, may contain high levels of phosphorus, which is present in livestock waste.
No toxic blue-green algae has been reported in Clallam County, where health officers do not test for toxins; instead, they visually monitor lakes for signs of algae bloom.
Report algae blooms in Clallam County by phoning 360-417-2258.
Report algae blooms in Jefferson County by phoning 360-385-9444.
For more information about lake quality in Jefferson County, visit http://tinyurl.com/jeffersonlakewaterquality.
A Discover Pass is needed to visit the 410-acre Anderson Lake State Park, which will be open “even if the lake water tests for toxins [and does] not allow us to open the lake for recreation,” Zimmerman said.
A Discover Pass costs $10 per day or $30 for an annual pass and can be purchased online at www.discoverpass.wa.gov, in person from places where state fishing and hunting licenses are sold, by phone at 866-320-9933 and at state parks, such as Anderson Lake.
“However, visitors are encouraged to purchase their passes prior to arriving at Anderson Lake,” Zimmerman said.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or at leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.