Document text
Lake closed to swimmers due to toxic algae bloom DIAMOND LAKE - Swimming areas at Diamond Lake were closed because of a potentially toxic algae bloom. Officials say drinking water in U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and resort facilities near the lake is safe, and other facilities will remain open. But on the advice of health officials, the Umpqua National Forest office has put swimming off-limits for people and pets due to the "unusually dense" algae bloom. The presence of a particular blue-green algae Anabaena flos-aquae makes swimming and drinking lake water potentially dangerous. Symptoms of toxic-algae poisoning can include skin irritation or rash, diarrhea, nausea, cramps or general tiredness, said Dave Bussen of the Douglas County Health Department. Depending on the amount of harmful algae consumed and other health factors, reactions can vary. There have been fatal cases recorded from other bodies of water. Mikeal Jones, a forest hydrologist with the Umpqua National Forest, said algae blooms were nothing new at Diamond Lake. The state Department of Environmental Quality and the Umpqua National Forest will continue to monitor lake-water conditions through the summer, and the swimming restriction may be lifted if testing does not reveal the presence of toxins, Bussen said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.