“This is a sensational photo taken in June, June 1st. Thank you,” Fisher said, adding, “We’re a small county. We’re small. There’s no way we can fight back against this kind of brand defamation.”
“It’s just not fair,” said Ed, the state parks assistant director. “If it’s not safe, we won’t allow people on the lake.”
She looked around the sparsely populated campground, but most of the 147 campsites were empty. “It was busy this time last year,” she said.
Given the role tourism and outdoor recreation play in Lake County’s economy, Clear Lake and its algae have become a constant public relations and public safety challenge for Lake County.
The lake is rich in plant and algae, due in large part to nutrients that have accumulated over thousands of years in what is believed to be the oldest lake in North America, at over 480,000 years old.
The lake has only one outlet, Cache Creek, which is dammed to release limited amounts of water for Yolo County agriculture only when the lake level reaches a certain level. Otherwise, all the nutrients that flow into the lake each year stay there, promoting lush growth that feeds the lake’s prized bass fishery, producing oxygen, and contributing to the food chain that supports other wildlife.
“It’s naturally rich in nutrients,” says Angela De Palma Dow, Lake County’s invasive species coordinator, “and it’s home to some of the oldest living organisms on Earth, higher algae and cyanobacteria.”
Losing balance
Most of the wetland plants that once lined the lake’s edges have been destroyed by lakeside development — plants like thule and cattails helped filter the water. Now, “the lake is out of balance,” De Palma Dow says.
The lake is relatively shallow and gets warmer as the summer progresses. As the sunlight penetrates the water, life thrives.
But many of the headlines accompanying NASA’s images – which play on the lake’s name, such as “The lake is so polluted it can be seen from space” – don’t tell the whole story, De Palma-Dau said.
The satellite data, managed by the San Francisco Estuarine Institute, analyzes chlorophyll levels in phytoplankton and pigment concentrations in cyanobacteria separately, but shows that chlorophyll levels were extremely high on May 15, the day the NASA data was collected, De Palma Dow said.
“The science has been forgotten in the sensationalism,” she said.
But the flowers aren’t without their problems: A severe drought in 2021 caused toxin levels to spike, reaching 200,000 times the safe level in some cases, Ryan said. The stench of rotting flowers can be extremely strong.
The Big Valley Water Quality Testing Program was initiated a decade ago by coastal tribal interest groups and developed in response to concerns that cyanobacterial blooms were becoming increasingly frequent and could expose some tribal members to liver and neurotoxins produced by certain types of cyanobacteria.
The rise in algae everywhere has led to a local and statewide emphasis on education, situational awareness and practicing healthy water habits, such as avoiding water that looks like spilled paint, has stains or films on the surface, greenish-blue mats or has a foul odor.
Monitoring also allows for the posting of “danger” signs if toxins are detected, “warning” signs if cyanobacteria are detected, and “caution” signs if harmful algae are suspected.
Locals are well aware of this and, despite recent reports, were still boating and swimming in swimming areas off Lakeport and at state parks last week to escape the nearly 100-degree heat.
“If it’s going to be a big problem, I won’t let my daughters in the lake,” said Shelley Littleton of Kelseyville, whose two young daughters were playing at the edge of the state park’s gravel swimming beach, which was bustling with families and other visitors.
In Lakeport, Derrick Fisk was in a speedboat after an outing with his wife and two kids when he noticed some green, stagnant water pooling at a pier close to shore. Underwater life tends to be better visible where there’s no wind or movement, Fisk said. The middle of the lake is clear and crisp, he said.
“We’ve had a bad reputation,” Fisk said, “but they (tourists) come, stay on our lake for a few days and find out what a great place it is.”
Staff writer Mary Callahan (she/her) can be reached at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. X (On Twitter): @MaryCallahanB.
