PORT TOWNSEND — Biotoxin levels in four Jefferson County lakes remained the same after lab results were reviewed Thursday, county Environmental Health officials said.
This means Teal Lake is cleared for recreational use, while elevated levels remain at Anderson Lake, Lake Leland and Gibbs Lake.
County Public Health last week removed warning signs from Teal Lake, west of Paradise Bay, after water quality test results cleared it for all recreational uses.
County health officials reported two weeks ago that water tests showed high levels of potentially-toxic blue-green algae in Anderson Lake, south of Port Townsend.
As a result, the State Parks Department closed Anderson Lake to boating until further notice to minimize the public’s exposure to the water. It remains closed to boating and blue-green algae is clearly visbile around parts of the lakes shoreline.
Anderson Lake State Park remains open, however.
Gibbs Lake, near Chimacum, and Lake Leland, north of Quilcene, continued to have high algae levels and have a red warning status.
This means users are warned not to drink lake water, swim in the lake, or consume fish from them.
Moderate blooms of potentially-toxic blue-green algae are present in Tarboo Lake, leaving the lake unsafe for drinking water.
The lake is OK for recreational use with some simple cautions: Small children and pets should stay out of the water, and fish caught for consumption should be cleaned in fresh water with the organs and skin discarded.
Clallam County
No toxic blue-green algae has been reported in Clallam County lakes, said Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Clallam County officials do not test for the toxins. Instead, they are monitoring the lakes through visible inspection.
Blue-green algae can produce anatoxin-a, which can cause liver damage or nerve impairment.
Algae blooms, which occur naturally, are fed by an overload of nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorous.
Possible sources of such nutrients include fertilizer or human or animal waste.
To report an algae bloom in a lake in Jefferson County that is not already listed, phone Public Health at 360-385-9444.
In Clallam County, the Environmental Health office can be reached at 360-417-2258.
