Clark County Public Health issued a warning Thursday for Vancouver Lake after elevated cyanotoxin levels from blue-green algae were found in the water. The lake previously had been under caution.
Vancouver Lake Regional Park remains open. Water in park restrooms and shelters is safe to drink. The toxins, which are produced by a bloom of cyanobacteria, can be harmful to people, especially young children, and deadly to animals that drink it, according to a Clark County Public Health news release.
Health officials urged people not to swim in or drink water from the lake, and to keep animals out of the water. They said people should avoid areas of scum when boating, and clean caught fish well and discard the organs, the press release states.
Clark County Public Health Information Officer Marissa Armstrong said the difference between being under caution and being under warning is the presence of elevated toxin levels.
When blooms are present but there are no test results for elevated toxins, the lake is under caution, like it had been. Clark County Public Health places signs up stating the blooms are present and that there could be toxins. To be placed under a warning, there has to be test results positive for elevated toxin levels.
That’s what happened Thursday when Clark County Public Health received results of toxin levels exceeding Washington Department of Health thresholds at the Burnt Bridge Creek inlet. Warning signs were posted at the lake Thursday.
There are also blooms at the flushing channel and the swim beach, but that doesn’t mean toxins are present. Clark County Public Health is awaiting test results for those areas.
Armstrong said the pending test results could possibly return today. If there are more toxins detected, that could lead to extra restrictions being placed on the lake, and potentially a closure.
“There’s no clear-cut yes or no on what happens next,” Armstrong said.
Updates and information are available at the public beaches website: www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/public-beaches
The algae blooms feed on warm temperatures and sunlight, so a change in weather could signal a shift for the lake, too.
“Hopefully, as we get into more fall-like weather, we’ll see the conditions improve,” Armstrong said.
