PORT HADLOCK — Although Anderson Lake remains closed because of toxins from blue-green algae, Lake Leland and Gibbs Lake have been upgraded to permit more recreation.
Because of lowered algae levels in water samples taken last week, both Leland and Gibbs lakes are now posted with caution signs rather than warning signs, said Neil Harrington, county water quality manager for the Jefferson County Public Health Department.
Restrictions
Now permitted at the lakes are eating fish caught from their waters and swimming for adults — but with some reservations:
• No one should drink the lake water, even if it is boiled.
• Small children and pets are advised to stay out of the water. Smaller bodies are more susceptible to any toxins that could be present, so what’s OK for an adult could harm a small child or animal.
• Fish from Gibbs or Leland should be cleaned and the organs and skin discarded, Harrington said, since the toxins can concentrate in skin and organs, especially the liver.
People with liver problems such as chronic hepatitis should exercise additional caution.
Neither Gibbs — which is near Chimacum — nor Leland — north of Quilcene — have shown high enough algae content this year to be closed to recreation, but the health department’s advice earlier this month was that fish should not be eaten, and that no one should swim in them.
Anderson Lake
As for Anderson Lake near Port Townsend — which was closed on April 24, the day before this year’s trout fishing season began — improvement was seen in samples of water taken last week, but not enough to permit recreational use, Harrington said.
“Some of our numbers are down, but it still looks pretty bad,” he said Tuesday.
While the county and state have closed the lake, other recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding and biking are allowed at Anderson Lake State Park.
Toxins, algae
Jefferson County tests both for toxins and the number of cells of algae per liter.
Blue-green algae, which occurs naturally, can produce toxins. Scientists don’t know why algae becomes toxic.
Algae growth seems to be encouraged by either warmth or sunlight, as well as nitrogen or phosphorus, which can come from fertilizer, sewage, lake sediments or other sources.
The warning signs at Gibbs and Leland lakes posted earlier this month were based on a high concentration of algae in the water.
Now the algae blooms in Gibbs Lake and Lake Leland have moderated, but have yet to completely dissipate, Harrington said.
Avoid visible scums, if present. Algae can concentrate in bright greenish patches or bands, sometimes looking like a paint spill. These scums can have over 1,000 times as much algae.
“We don’t really expect there to be scums in those lakes, but we are only looking at portions of the lakes,” Harrington said.
Anderson Lake has big concentrations of scum.
“It’s still really green,” Harrington said. “It seems to be holding pretty steady.”
The lake was first closed because of toxins in summer 2006, after two dogs ingested the lake water and died.
Since then, Anderson Lake has “always gone really, really bad at the end of May and the beginning of June,” Harrington said.
The most recent water testing results from King County Environmental Labs show high concentrations of both blue-green algae and anatoxin-a in Anderson Lake.
Harrington said the results of this weeks’s water samples taken Monday should be reported Friday.
Other county lakes will be sampled if they appear to be undergoing a blue-green algae bloom.
Jefferson County Public Health maintains an updated database of lake monitoring information at www.jeffersoncountypublic health.org/. The department can be reached at 360-385-9400.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
