FORKS — Clallam County environmental health officials are looking into an unconfirmed report of a dog dying after drinking water from a pond near the Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks.
The report was received Wednesday, health officials said Thursday, and details were still being sought.
Although Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, acknowledged he did not know the details of the report on Thursday, he said the report would be fully investigated.
“Certainly we have lakes in Clallam County that are particularly vulnerable,” Locke said.
But a survey of Jefferson County lakes would have to be completed first.
Since Memorial Day weekend, two dogs have died — and a third nearly died — after coming in contact with algae-laden Anderson Lake near Chimacum.
Serious threat
Locke said the threat of toxic blue-green algae blooms was a serious threat to pets and livestock.
At least seven Clallam and Jefferson County residents have reported gastrointestinal reactions after eating fish caught in Anderson Lake, which Jefferson County environmental health officials shut down two weeks ago.
A children’s fishing derby at another Jefferson County lake — Leland north of Quilcene — has been canceled as a precaution because of algae discoveries this week.
“Generally, what we are looking for is commonly called a common-source outbreak,” Locke said.
