Toxic algae bloom found at Potholes

POTHOLES RESER?VOIR - Local businesses near the Potholes Reservoir want signs warning of toxic algae blooms changed.

The Grant County Health District reported Tuesday that they found toxic blue-green algae in Potholes Reservoir about a half mile west of the Lind Coulee boat launch and at the Job Corps Dike, said health district administrator Jeff Ketchel. The algae at the boat launch was tested and confirmed to be more than six parts per billion, exceeding state thresholds. The algae at the dike was not tested, he said.

The algae is actually a bacteria that grows rapidly in fresh water when adequate sunlight, high temperatures and nutrients are in the water. It's common for Grant County waters to have blue-green algae in the summer and fall. Not all blue-green blooms are toxic, but some can produce toxins that can cause serious illness in people, pets and livestock.

Local business owners are concerned over the wording on signs the health district put up at the lake in response to the algae.

Marilyn Meseberg, who owns MarDon Resort with her husband Mike, thinks the signs have adversely affected business at the resort.

The signs warn that toxic algae are present in the lake and that it is unsafe for people and pets. The signs read, "Until further notice: Do not swim or water ski. Do not drink lake water. Keep pets and livestock away. Clean fish well and discard guts. Avoid areas of scum when boating."

A more cautionary sign stating which sites have algae, with a photograph of the algae bloom and warning people to swim at their own risk, would be more appropriate, said Meseberg.

The alga is "what I would consider something easy to avoid, as it is very visual" she said. "There's 28,000 acres of water here. It's only in a portion of the Lind Coulee, which is a tributary to the main lake. There's lots and lots of places for people to recreate. But the signs are very threatening and the state park has taken a very aggressive stance as they are actually telling people to not go in the water. We are all for alerting our customers and keeping our customers safe. We know our customers, many of them by first name. We care about them. We would never jeopardize them, but we've had our beach tested and it is safe. We have driven the entire lake and sand dune area that is accessible by boat and have not found algae except at the Lind Coulee site. We would like to see the Lind Coulee area be warned and let the rest of the lake be cautioned so that there's not such an aggressive stance to scare business away from our area and take people's vacation opportunities away from them."

MarDon Resort purchased a testing kit with another Potholes business, H20 Watercraft Rentals, so they can continue to test their beach for toxic algae.

H20 Watercraft owner Steven Mitchell has also lost business because of the algae warnings, he said. He's had less walk-in business and had several people call to cancel their reservations.

"It's been a tough economic year anyway, just to have this bombshell rain on us is not a good way to end the year," he said.

When toxic algae are found, the health district's policy is to put up a preliminary warning sign at the lake, said Ketchel. Because the lab results from the samples taken at the Lind Coulee boat launch exceeded the action threshold of six parts per billion, the district was required to put up "second level" signs, he said.

The third level would result in the lake's closure. That would result if the district confirmed a human illness caused by exposure to the algae, or a confirmed dead animal.

Because of the way the district's policies are written, any algae discovery affects the entire lake, he said.

"With the data we have and the way our policy is, we don't know where to draw the line saying 'this side of the line is not okay,'" he said.

The health district received results from additional testing on Friday. They collected samples from the water at the Lind Coulee boat launch, Mardon Resort, and Potholes State Park. Lind Coulee still exceeded six parts per billion, while Mardon Resort was below the threshold, he said. The bottle containing the sample from Potholes State Park broke in the mail. All three sites will be tested again today, he said.

"We'll be probably testing every week until this resolves," he said.

The Grant County Health District recommends that when a warning is posted on the shoreline, people should not drink lake water; avoid swimming, wading or other activities in the water; keep pets from having contact with or drinking water; clean fish well and discard guts; and avoid areas of algae scum when boating. If people see blue-green algae, they should avoid all contact with the water, keep pets and livestock away from the water and call the Grant County Health District at 509-754-6060 to report the location.

The Washington State Department of Ecology maintains a toxic algae database here.