Camas to treat Lacamas Lake this week to help prevent algal blooms

Consultants say spate of warm weather could cause algal blooms to hit area lakes in late July, early August

By Kelly Moyer
July 18, 2024 1:12 pm
Camas, Latest News, News, Outdoors

A sign posted outside Lacamas Lake Lodge in Camas, near the shores of Lacamas Lake, Monday, July 15, 2024, warns visitors that toxic algae has been found in the lake and that people who plan to recreate in or near the lake should take precautions to avoid the harmful algal bloom. (Kelly Moyer/Post-Record)

The city of Camas is expected to begin treating Lacamas Lake this week in an effort to stave off future toxic algal blooms.

Camas Public Works Director Steve Wall told Camas City Council members Monday, during the Council’s workshop, that the City would likely add “a light dose” of a chemical that binds phosphorus in the water — making it unavailable to stimulate excess growth of toxic algae — this Friday, despite the fact that the lake has had lower-than-expected levels of phosphorus so far this summer.

“The conditions in the lake are different than they have been in the past,” Wall said. “Oftentimes, it depends on the weather. It sounds like maybe milder weather in the spring has pushed conditions you might see earlier to, probably, later in the season.”

Wall said other water professionals he’s spoken to have reported similar scenarios in Washington and Oregon this year, with lower levels of phosphorus in the water making the need for a springtime application of a phosphorus-binding chemical unnecessary.

“It’s not uncommon,” Wall said. “A lot of lakes in Washington are acting very similar. They haven’t seen the need yet. Lake Oswego (Lake in Oregon) is one of those. Typically, they’d be treating (the lake) a little earlier.”

Wall said city staff and consultants are “trying to figure out how to adjust to this change in conditions.”

Though Clark County Public Health posted warning signs around Lacamas Lake earlier this month, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday and a spate of hot weather, Wall said the algal blooms have been limited areas near the shoreline, “where the water’s not really moving, it’s warm and conditions are different than from a broad, lake-wide standpoint.”

Testing of the entire lake, Wall told The Post-Record last week, has not revealed any widespread algal blooms.

In fact, there was not enough phosphorus in the lake to warrant the City’s planned chemical treatment in mid-June, Wall said.

“The phosphorus levels have to be at a point where (the chemical treatment) can attach to the phosphorus,” Wall explained Monday during the Council workshop. “When we looked at it twice (in June), it wasn’t anywhere near where it needed to be.”

Now, however, following a couple weeks of hot weather, phosphorus levels are beginning to bump up again, Wall said.

“So we can apply (the chemical treatment),” he added. “The idea right now is to get out and get treatment on the water to help prevent blooms from happening. The contractor told me they anticipate the end of July, beginning of August might be pretty ugly from an algal bloom standpoint, due to the heat we’ve been seeing.”

Wall added that the treatment would be applied using boats with “booms that spray, essentially, down into the water.”

“It’s mixed on the boat and sprayed onto the surface of the water,” Wall said of the chemical treatment, which is considered safe for the water, plants, humans and animals. “The lake treatment is still a little bit different than the backwater cove areas you see if you’re headed toward the boat ramp in Heritage Park (where the County tests water for possible algal blooms.)”

Wall said the City is talking to its lake-treatment contractor to see if there are ways to treat the water closer to the shore.

“We need to figure out not only messaging (about algal blooms that may be restricted to the shoreline), but also (see if) there are different times we can run out and test with Clark County Public Health,” Wall told Council members. “The idea right now is to get treatment on the water to help prevent blooms from happening.”

During the most recent algal bloom warning, Public Health recommended people avoid swimming and water skiing in the lake; keeping animals away from the lake water; avoiding areas with scum while boating, kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding on the lake; avoiding drinking the lake water; and making sure to thoroughly clean fish caught in the lake.

The county is monitoring the lake and will take weekly water samples during the toxic algal bloom.

County officials have warned that “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.”

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