PORT TOWNSEND — Anderson Lake’s toxic cyanobacteria levels remain dangerously high, a Jefferson County official said Friday.
The lake in the state park by the same name remains closed to the public until further notice.
Other lakes around Jefferson County remain clear of cyanobacteria, which appears in so-called blue-green algae blooms, said Mike McNickle, county environmental health director.
Higher than ever, the cyanobacteria level in the 70-acre Anderson Lake was tested at 1.3 million cells per milliliter, said McNickle, adding that the lake is now testing for lingvia-producing saxotoxins.
“It’s similar to what you experience with PSP, paralytic shellfish poisoning,” McNickle said of saxotoxins, “so we’ve kind of gone through the cycle now.”
The latest cyanobacteria count in Anderson Lake compares to 27 million cells per milliliter found in tests two weeks ago, according to McNickle
