PORT TOWNSEND — Anderson Lake reopened for fishing and other recreation this weekend after having been closed since May 3 — but no one showed up Saturday morning.
That perplexed Mike Zimmerman, the state parks ranger in charge of the lake, who had expected a busy weekend at the usually popular trout-fishing lake.
“I’m real surprised that we didn’t get a bunch of fishermen and boaters out there,” Zimmerman said at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Maybe the word just needs to get around.”
Zimmerman also thought that perhaps the overcast weather had dampened enthusiasm for a day on the water in Anderson Lake State Park, which is west of Chimacum.
Fishing should be good, Zimmerman said.
Since there has been no fishing in the lake for several months, “the fish should be nicely sized,” he said Friday.
The lake was reopened for all recreation on Friday. Hours are from 8 a.m. to dusk.
It will continue to be tested for toxin levels until it closes for the season at the end of October.
State Parks rangers closed the lake just a few days after the start of the statewide lowland fishing season at the end of April because of elevated levels of anatoxin-a, a quick-acting nerve poison created by blue-green algae.
Two consecutive weekly tests this month showed the level of the toxin — which can cause paralysis and stop breathing — had fallen to safe levels.
That prompted a recommendation on Friday from Greg Thomason, Jefferson County environmental health specialist, that the state reopen the lake in Anderson Lake State Park.
Zimmerman, who is the park manager for the Fort Flagler area and who oversees Anderson Lake State Park, concurred.
“We’re both very comfortable with this,” Zimmerman said Friday.
“It’s been low for two weeks now.”
Test results are “surprising given the warm weather,” Zimmerman said.
Warm weather generally fuels algae growth. But nutrients such as phosphates also must be present.
“We haven’t had much rain,” Zimmerman noted, adding that rain washes nutrients into the lake.
“The lack of nutrients due to the lack of rain is probably starving the algae,” Zimmerman said.
Results of tests received Friday of a sample taken Monday found the level of anatoxin-a to be 0.87 micrograms per liter of water in Anderson Lake.
“That’s down from last week,” said Thomason, referring to the results of the preceding week’s test, which found the level of the toxin at 0.95 micrograms per liter.
“We’d like to see it at zero, but it’s still below” 1 microgram per liter, which is the warning level for the poison, Thomason said.
Microcystin, another toxin created by blue-green algae, was measured at 0.39 micrograms per liter, way below the safety threshold of 6 micrograms per liter.
Visitors will see “caution” signs at Anderson Lake.
That’s because the type of algae that can produce toxins remains in the lake, and the status of the lake can change quickly.
“We want folks to be aware that the algae is still there,” Zimmerman said.
Researchers are mystified as to why some species of blue-green algae suddenly begin pumping out toxins.
A caution sign suggests lake users wash their hands, clean fish well, try to keep pets and livestock from drinking the water and stay away from scum.
The other two lakes sampled in East Jefferson County last week — Leland and Gibbs — are safe, Thomason said.
A trace of anatoxin-a was found in Leland, north of Quilcene, and none in Gibbs, a popular swimming hole south of Port Townsend.
No microcystin was found in Leland. The level in Gibbs remained near 2 micrograms per liter, a level found there for several weeks.
The safety threshold for microcystin is 6 micrograms per liter.
Microcystin can cause liver damage if ingested over a long period of time. In the short-term, it can cause skin irritation and nausea.
Zimmerman reminded visitors that a Discover Pass is required to park in a state park such as Anderson Lake State Park.
Daily passes can be purchased at the park for $10.
The $30 annual pass is available online at www.discoverpass.wa.gov/, at major state park offices and places that also sell fishing licenses.
Weekly test results are announced Fridays after samples are taken Mondays.
No toxic blue-green algae has been reported in Clallam County, where health officers do not test for toxins; instead, they visually monitor lakes for signs of algae bloom.
Report algae blooms in Clallam County by phoning 360-417-2258.
Report algae blooms in Jefferson County by phoning 360-385-9444.
For more information about lake quality in Jefferson County, visit the environmental health website at http://tinyurl.com/6z64ofy.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or at leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.