County warns of toxic algae at Lacamas Lake

Clark County Public Health is warning Lacamas Lake users that elevated levels of cyanotoxins from harmful algae have been found in the Camas lake.

Public Health reported that water samples collected Monday, July 1, showed “cyanotoxins above the threshold levels recommended by the Washington Department of Health.”

The county has posted warning signs at public access points around the lake to remind people that cyanotoxins can be harmful to humans and can be deadly for small pets that drink the water.

During the public health warning, county officials recommend people avoid swimming and water skiing in the lake; keep animals away from the lake water; avoid areas with scum while boating, kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding on the lake; avoid drinking the lake water; and make sure to thoroughly clean all fish caught in the lake.

Public Health will monitor the lake and take weekly water samples during the toxic algal bloom.

County officials said “algal blooms can pose a significant health risk if the cyanobacteria or toxins are ingested, inhaled or contact skin. Inhaled bacteria or toxins could cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Skin contact could lead to rash, itching, blisters and eye irritation.”

City holds off on lake treatment; says lake ‘still looking good from lake-wide standpoint’

The city of Camas was expected to begin chemically treating Lacamas Lake in the springtime with a chemical known as EutroSORB, which binds phosphorus in the water and makes it unavailable as a nutrient-source for the harmful algae, preventing toxic algal blooms, but Camas Public Works Director Steve Wall said this week that monitoring has shown levels of free phosphorus in the lake are not yet high enough to warrant using the pricey chemical treatment.

Though the Public Health warning notes the presence of toxic algae in the lake, Wall said the county’s testing mainly shows algae along the shoreline, where water can be warmer and perhaps more favorable to phosphorus and algal blooms.

The majority of the lake, Wall said, still looks good when it comes to algae.

“The lake is still looking good from a lake-wide standpoint,” Wall said, adding that the City tests the water in the main body of the lake, not just along the shoreline.

“The conditions for treatment, based on free phosphorus levels in the lake … are not high enough to make (chemical treatment) worthwhile,” Wall said.

The City still plans to treat the lake with EutroSORB when free phosphorus levels rise, and Wall said the City and its water-treatment contractor are considering the best approach to treat the entire lake, including the more algae-prone areas along the shoreline.

“We’re trying to adjust and figure out the best way to do that,” Wall said. “If we end up treating the water column, how far does that reach? We’ll go as far as the boats and the booms can reach, which gets close to the shoreline.”

In a Facebook post published July 4, the City said it has been monitoring Lacamas Lake water quality conditions since spring and added that, “to date, conditions in the main body of the Lake have not been favorable for chemical treatment and the City has not wanted to spend limited funding on a treatment that would provide very little, if any, benefit.”

The City was expected to apply the initial EutroSORB application in May or June, then reapply in August or September.

For more information about Camas’ Lake Management Plan, visit EngageCamas.com. To learn more about the county’s water testing and to see current algal bloom conditions in Clark County, visit the clark.wa.gov/public-health/public-beaches.