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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 22, 2004 Storms erase pesky lake algae By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune SELMA — Recent storm fronts appear finally to have killed off the toxic algae-like bacteria that has gripped Lake Selmac since mid-summer, leading to recreational closures there. Now gone from Lake Selmac’s shallow waters is the pea-green hue from microcystis bacteria that exploded in the lake in mid-August, triggering the highest concentrations of microcystis ever recorded in Oregon. Microcystis is a bacteria commonly called blue-green algae. It produces a toxin called microsystin that in high doses can cause liver and nervous-system damage in people, pets, wildlife and fish. "Isn’t it crazy?" said Steve Schalk of the Josephine County Parks Department. "Even before these recent storms, I had algae blooming in the lake. "I think we’re finally over it," he said. "Now we have to prove it." Advertisement Schalk said he plans to take water samples Tuesday and ship them to an Ohio lab for testing. The results should be available by the end of next week. If the tests show bacteria levels have dropped dramatically, then normal activities will return to the popular lake off Highway 199. "If it shows good levels, we’ll open the lake to recreation," said Schalk, who serves as the park’s ranger. People are allowed to boat and fish at the lake outside of Selma, but eating any of the lake’s fish remains banned. People and pets also cannot make contact with the water. The Osprey Loop county campground was opened after parks officials earlier this month set up alternate drinking-water stations. The facilities had been closed because they were all fed by a system that relies on filtered Lake Selmac water. This summer was the first time Lake Selmac water was tested for microcystis. Though no illnesses have been reported in connection with the lake, parks officials have said it is likely that algae outbreaks occurred in past summers. Lake Selmac is shallow and often gets warm and algae-friendly in the summer. The outbreak is similar to those occurring in past years at Diamond Lake, where a tui chub explosion has altered the lake’s ecosystem to make it more prone to algae outbreaks. However, the toxic algae found as recently as last year at Diamond Lake and this year at Crane Prairie Reservoir is a different, less-deadly strain. The algae outbreak at Lake Selmac is very similar to a huge bloom that struck in the fall of 1997 at Tenmile Lakes near Reedsport on the Southern Oregon coast, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services, which tracks such events. Ingestion of the toxins in Lake Selmac can cause numbness, tingling sensations and nausea in people, but no known deaths have been attributed to it. It can, however, kill pets that ingest it. The toxin can also produce liver problems that appear similar to cirrhosis. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers