No improvement in Henrys Lake's toxic water - East Idaho News
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No improvement in Henrys Lake’s toxic water

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Three weeks after several kinds of blue-green algae were documented on Henrys Lake, the toxicity of the water has not improved.

“We have been taking samples weekly and we have not seen the water quality improve,” Troy Saffle, surface water manager at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said earlier this week. “We’re just learning about the algaes and hope to keep everyone informed so they can make their own decisions about using the lake.”

The algae were identified as Microsystis, Anabaena and Aphanizomenon in the first sampling, and another kind, Gloetrichia, was found last week.

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The algae can be dangerous to humans and pets. Saffle said the toxins also may be dangerous to other animals and birds, but the only dead things officials have found near the algae are juvenile chubs.

“People recreating near Henrys Lake are advised to avoid swallowing or inhaling water and to avoid direct contact with water containing visible algae,” according to a DEQ flier. “Drinking water from the lake is especially dangerous, and the toxins cannot be removed by boiling or filtering the water.”

Officials are advising people not to eat fish from the lake, but if they want to eat the fish, they should remove all skin, fat and organs before cooking as these are the areas where toxins are stored. Children and dogs are more susceptible to these poisons than adults.

This year was the first year Henrys Lake has been tested for toxic algae, even though the famed trout lake has experienced major algae blooms in the past. The DEQ first tested the lake in August after receiving a complaint of a stench and sight from visitors to the lake who were familiar with blue-green algae.

“We test when we get complaints about water quality, and we had never received any complaints in the past,” Saffle said. “We will be testing the lake in the future so we can identify what happens to cause it.”

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The testing is being done in areas that hold stagnant water like marinas and areas like Staley Springs and the north shore of the lake. There are not random samples taken from other parts of the lake. Other area lakes have not been tested, as the DEQ has not received any complaints from them.

The stocking of fish at Henrys Lake usually happens in late September, and although there are concerns the planting will be delayed or cancelled, Saffle is leaving that decision to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

“We always plant the fish according to water quality and water temperature,” said Damon Keen, manager for the Henrys Lake Hatchery, last week. “I don’t think it will change as a couple of good frosts should clear up the toxins.”

“Even though it is up to the Fish and Game of when to plant, we will have some input about it,” Saffle said. “We don’t think it will have any impact fishing activities this fall.”

Keen also expects good fishing.

“Hopefully it will all clear up, and we will have good water quality to plant and see a lot of successful fishing after it gets cold,” Keen said.

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