PORT TOWNSEND — Anderson Lake has been closed after testing found high levels of a neurotoxin that can kill within minutes of ingestion.
The Peninsula Daily News reported that Washington State Parks closed the lake Thursday to all recreation, including swimming, fishing and boating. Pets should also be kept out of the water.
The Jefferson County Water Quality Program says the lake has a heavy bloom of toxin-producing blue-green algae. These algae occur naturally and will sometimes produce toxins in a process researchers still don’t fully understand.
A sample taken from the lake Monday showed anatoxin-a levels far above the state limit for recreational areas. That toxin can cause death within four minutes of being ingested.
Toxins have shown up intermittently at Anderson Lake since two dogs died from drinking its water in 2006.
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