CHIMACUM – Algae blooms found in Jefferson County’s Anderson and Gibbs lakes contain no toxins, the Jefferson County Department of Environmental Health reported Friday.
“Zero toxins were found. I would say this is good news,” Neil Harrington, Environmental Health water quality program manager, said Friday.
“It’s nice the lakes will be open for Memorial Day weekend.”
High concentrations of potentially toxic blue-green algae blooms found early last week in the trout lakes prompted Environmental Health to send water samples to a Tacoma laboratory.
Samples extracted on Tuesday from both lakes were tested, and Environmental Health received the results Friday afternoon that showed the algae is not producing toxins.
The types of algae existing in both lakes are the same types found in Anderson Lake last year.
Last year, that same kind of algae was producing toxins.
The algae in the lake was producing a bacteria, a type of cynobacteria, some of which can cause nerve or liver damage if consumed.
