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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, October 9, 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 Menu Guide 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 September 28, 2004 Lake Selmac may re-open next week By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune SELMA — Josephine County parks officials hope to re-open Lake Selmac to the public next week, six weeks after an enormous algae bloom took a toxic grip on the lake and refused to let go. Despite cooler weather that appears to have killed off some of the algae, the lake still sports the pea-green hue from microcystis algae that exploded in the lake in mid-August. The lake had the highest levels ever recorded in Oregon for microcystis, which produces a toxin called microcystin. Microcystin can cause liver and nervous-system damage in people, pets, wildlife and fish. The algae also permeated the county’s drinking water system, which is filtered lake water that serves bathrooms and three campgrounds. The problems forced county officials on Aug. 19 to shut down all public access to the lake as well as the facilities. Advertisement "We were all excited about the bad weather and the lake is better now, but the algae’s still there," county Parks Superintendent Michael Strahan said Friday. "The lake just won’t let it go." Park Ranger Steve Schalk said the algae appears to remain mainly on the surface, and subsurface water appears to be clearing. Schalk shipped the latest round of water samples Thursday to a lab in Ohio for analysis. However, test results received Friday show there are still too many algae organisms in the water to allow even boating at the lake, Schalk said. Other tests done Aug. 31 showed the lake had 13.5 micrograms of microcystis per liter, and levels must drop to 5 micrograms per liter for the lake to be re-opened, Schalk said. The area’s drinking-water supply had 2.9 micrograms per liter on Aug. 31, and those levels must drop to 1 microgram per liter before the water can be used, he said. Between testing and lost revenues, the algae outbreak has cost the county parks system about $10,000, or 20 percent of what it budgets for Lake Selmac, Strahan said. "What makes it worse is knowing that we’re going to go through this next year," Strahan said. This summer was the first time Lake Selmac water was tested for toxic algae, Strahan said. Though no illnesses have been reported in connection with the lake, it is likely algae outbreaks occurred in past summers, Strahan said. Lake Selmac is very shallow and often gets extremely warm and algae-friendly in the summer, he said. "The lake is a perfect incubator site for this stuff," Strahan said. 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, Schalk said. 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, Schalk 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