Toxic algae health advisory in effect for Lake Lawrence and Offut Lake

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services has reported toxic algae blooms for Offut Lake and Lake Lawrence, a news release from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services stated.

Lab results taken from Offut Lake on Oct. 22 detected microcystin toxin levels at 41.7 µg/L (micrograms per liter), and results taken from Lake Lawrence on Oct. 21 detected microcystin toxin levels at 10.9 µg/L, which are both above the state recreation guideline of 8.0 µg/L.

Microcystins are a liver toxin and a possible human carcinogen, according to the release. Microcystins can also cause illness in livestock and pets that drink affected water. Staff will continue to collect weekly samples until they receive two consecutive weeks of samples with microcystin levels below state recreational guidelines. Even if the lake is visibly clear of algae, toxins may still be present.

When an algae bloom is present, health officials recommend taking extra precautions to avoid the health risks posed by potential toxins, such as not drinking the lake water; avoiding contact with water containing algae; avoiding swimming, wading, windsurfing, and water-skiing in waterbodies where algae blooms are present; keeping pets and livestock away from where algae blooms are present; not eating fish that come from the lake during an algae bloom; and avoiding areas of scum when boating.

For more information about toxic algae blooms and health risks, and to see all Thurston County Algae Alerts, visit thurstoncountywa.gov/lake-alerts.