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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 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 How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People 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 August 20, 2004 ‘Hellacious’ algae closes Lake Selmac By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune SELMA — Josephine County parks officials closed Lake Selmac to the public Thursday after tests revealed it contains the highest levels of a toxic algae ever found in Oregon. No one has reported any sickness caused by the bloom of blue-green algae called Anabaena flos aquae, which was first discovered last week in the shallow lake near Selma. "We have a hellacious bloom out there," Josephine County Parks Superintendent Michael Strahan said. "We closed the lake as of 9 a.m. (Thursday)." The algae typically blooms to unhealthy levels in some lakes under hot, stagnant summer skies, and it usually generates the unhealthy toxins when it dies out. Exposure to the toxins can cause liver or nervous-system damage in humans and can be fatal to pets that ingest it. Advertisement The state Department of Human Services advised against anyone having contact with the water or eating fish caught from the lake until the algae level dissipates. Such closures have remained anywhere from two weeks to six months in Oregon, DHS health officials said. Tests of water sampled late last week revealed 2 million algae cells per milliliter of water — the highest ever chronicled since tests on Oregon lakes began, said Ken Kauffman, an environmental health specialist in the DHS’s environmental toxicology program. A similar algae outbreak last year that closed Diamond Lake in eastern Douglas County for three weeks had a peak algae count of 255,000 cells per milliliter of lake water. It is the sixth Oregon lake stricken with unhealthy levels of the blue-green toxin this year and the first time health officials have issued such an alert anywhere in Josephine County, Kauffman said. Crane Prairie Reservoir, and Lava and Odell lakes in Central Oregon also have had algae-related health advisories this summer, Kauffman said. Algae outbreaks typically are caused by hot, stagnant air warming shallow water rich with nitrates and other chemicals. The algae typically dies off during cool, overcast days with wind to churn the lake. In some instances, the lake will cast an eerie, almost fluorescent glow. "Usually, it looks bad enough that folks aren’t inclined to go in the water or drink it," Kauffman said. Selmac was not tested for toxin levels, just the algae’s presence, Kauffman said. Ingestion of the toxins from the algae can cause numbness, tingling sensations and nausea in people, but no known deaths have been attributed to it. Strahan said the lake will lose about 400 campers each week. The parks department uses treated Selmac water for irrigation, showers and drinking water at its three campgrounds, Strahan said. The use of that water will also be halted until the closure is lifted, Strahan said. 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 © 1997-2004 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