BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The current hot weather is blamed for fueling an algae bloom on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham that has led to mandatory water restrictions.
Residents were told to curtail lawn watering, take shorter showers and such, and they responded by cutting use by 900,000 gallons in the just one afternoon.
But algae continues to plug the water treatment center reviving a nagging question: Is an urban lake a dependable supply of drinking water?
Lake Whatcom is one of the few cities that has people wading, swimming and motor boating on it.
The lake's heavily developed shoreline gets some of the blame for a rising phosphorus and algae problem.
But City Public Works Director Ted Carlson says Lake Whatcom is a clean, dependable water source that requires very little treatment to meet drinking water standards.
He explained the algae bloom doesn't threaten the quality of the water, but it does plug the filters at the treatment facility slowing down the process at a time when overheated residents need water more than ever.
If residents continue to conserve, Carlson says the algae bloom should fade with the high temperatures and the system will return to normal.

1 Comments

Andrea said:

We recently bought a cottage at a lake. We are at the "corner" of the lake. The lake has become overcome with algae. I would like to know if it's safe to be in the water with all that green stuff all around. Can one get a disease or bacterial infection from it? I worry about children in it.
I would appreciate any info you can give me. Thank You kindly,
Andrea
Lake Sheridan, Pa.

August 18, 2009 5:28 AM

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