LYNDEN, Wash. — Whatcom County Department of Health issued a press release yesterday, August 12th, reminding residents to avoid contact with the water at Wiser Lake and not allow pets to swim in or drink the lake water. Wiser Lake is 1 of 6 Washington lakes with toxin levels currently above state standards.
Caution signage has been posted at Wiser Lake since 2019 due to consistently elevated toxin levels and recent test results indicate an ongoing health risk according to the press release.
Ingestion of lake water poses the primary human health concern. Limited contact from boating or fishing is not a significant risk to people, but waterskiing, swimming or riding personal watercraft poses a greater risk since water may be accidentally ingested.
Pet owners are advised not to let their pets swim in the lake. Pets often lick their fur after swimming and may ingest toxins while grooming.
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Anatoxin is a potent toxin that affects the nervous system. This and other algal toxins are naturally occurring, although human and animal activity can impact the severity of freshwater algal blooms. Nutrients in fertilizer, pet waste, agricultural runoff and wildlife waste provide food for algal growth. WCHD Environmental Health press release (August 12, 2022)
Water samples taken from Wiser Lake since 2014 have exceeded state recreation guidelines for anatoxin-a (1 micrograms per liter) and microcystin (6 micrograms per liter) multiple times as detailed below.
Collection Date Toxin Sample Concentration (µg/L) Above State Guideline 08/09/2022 Anatoxin-a 21.900 Yes 08/02/2022 Anatoxin-a 9.630 Yes 07/05/2022 Microcystin 13.000 Yes 05/25/2022 Microcystin 124.000 Yes 11/29/2021 Microcystin 109.000 Yes 09/07/2021 Anatoxin-a 2.900 Yes 09/07/2021 Microcystin 23.600 Yes 06/08/2021 Microcystin 177.000 Yes 09/01/2020 Microcystin 431.000 Yes 07/17/2018 Microcystin 19.400 Yes 09/06/2016 Microcystin 165.000 Yes 08/03/2016 Microcystin 19.800 Yes 09/21/2015 Microcystin 192.000 Yes 09/14/2015 Anatoxin-a 2.320 Yes 09/14/2015 Microcystin 325.000 Yes 09/02/2015 Anatoxin-a 22.000 Yes 09/02/2015 Microcystin 48.600 Yes 08/22/2014 Microcystin 204.000 Yes
There is no way to tell if an algae bloom is toxic by looking at it according to experts. Only a laboratory toxin analysis can confirm if a bloom is toxic or non-toxic.
In 2005, the Washington State Legislature established funding for an algae control program. The Freshwater Algae Control Program targets blue-green algae (also known as cyanobacteria) because these algae can produce toxins that pose a health risk to humans, pets, and livestock.
Other Whatcom County lakes from which water samples have been collected and tested over recent years include Lake Padden, Thunderbird Lake, Dickenson Lake, Silver Lake, Toad Lake and Lake Terrell. Besides Wiser Lake, lakes with samples that exceeded maximum toxin guidelines were Lake Terrell (2019) and Toad Lake (2015, 2017) according to the Washington State Freshwater Algae Control Program database.