By DEBORRA CLAYTON
and TIM RIOS -
Siskiyou Daily News
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SISKIYOU COUNTY – Controversy
continues over the effects of blue-green algae detected in parts of the Klamath
River – and what, if anything, ought to be done.
After high levels of a blue-green algae species known as microcystis aeruginosa
were found in samples taken from
State and local agencies, Indian tribes, and community groups voiced their
concerns.
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In additional to possible health
risks associated with the algae, the conversation about this embattled subject
grew to include dam relicensing, testing protocol and media coverage issues.
This month PacifiCorp will hear from a
The 50-year dam licenses have come under scrutiny as the area’s fishing
industry has declined.
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Several Indian tribes,
conservationists and fisherman, among others, have called for the removal of the
dams as a solution to what they call the declining health of the salmon and
steelhead, and ultimately to the fishing industry as well.
“It’s time to ask after 50 years: do these dams provide a net benefit or
does the cost, economical and environmental, outweigh the benefits?” Karuk
Tribe department of natural resources Klamath campaign coordinator Craig Tucker
has said. “We think the cost outweighs the benefit.”
Copco and Irongate residents said that they believe having the Karuk Tribe
collecting the Klamath water samples to determine blue green algae levels
involves a conflict of interest.
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“I think it’s all a political
thing to get the dams removed,” said Copco resident K.C. Walden.
Herman Diaz added, “I think we are fighting a horrendous public relations
battle.”
They even say the dams are doing lower
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“They should be thankful,”
said Jeanne Diaz. “My husband was in a drift boat below the dams and the water
was clean.”
Diaz goes on to say her husband reported that the fish he saw down river were
already “pretty beat up,” questioning how they would even make it all the
way up the Klamath river if the dams were removed.
Karuk Tribe vice-chairman Leaf Hillman feels that accusing the tribe of using
the toxic blue-green algae’s presence to have the dams removed is “over the
top.”
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“This tribe is a government
just like any other government. We are responsible for our people’s health. We
should be erring on the side of safety,” he said.
In a letter published in the Daily News, however, Tucker raised a point of
intersection between the dam removal and the algae issues.
“PacifiCorp’s dams create shallow, warm, and stagnant reservoirs in a river
system already rich in nutrients. In essence, the dams create the ideal habitat
for the toxic algae,” he wrote.
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From the standpoint of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, according to senior policy advisor Maria Rea,
the blue-green algae and its possible toxic effect is not necessarily tied to
the dam removal issue.
She declined to comment on whether the EPA thinks the Klamath dams play a part
in the recently recorded high levels of blue-green algae found in the
reservoirs.
Rea said that although it can’t be counted out, dam removal may not solve the
problem anyway.
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“We just don’t know,” she
said.
Rea said that many factors could affect the issue: from nutrient loads to
stagnant waters that could aid in the bloom’s growth, to mixing waters to
break up algae blooms.
Tucker’s letter stated his assessment that “Until PacifiCorp’s dams are
removed, this human health risk will remain, our fisheries will decline, and
property values in the area will suffer. It’s time we hold PacifiCorp
accountable for their impacts on our water quality and economy.”
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Though PacifiCorp is lobbying for
the dam license renewals, they say they are willing to give up the fight - under
the right circumstances.
In a press statement PacifiCorp president Bill Fehrman said, “We have heard
the Tribes’ concerns. We are not opposed to dam removal or other settlement
opportunities as long as our customers are not harmed and our property rights
are respected.”
Copco resident Ruth Waltner stated, “A PacifiCorp representative spoke to us
here some months ago and explained how dam removal would lower our property
values, which would then lower revenue to the county (tax base), which would
then lower allocations of county monies for fire, law enforcement, libraries and
a plethora or social programs, which the folks who want the dams removed, also
depend on. It would hurt us all.”
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Waltner also stated that power
for some 70,000 county customers would be cut if the dams were removed.
He said that before retiring from the East Bay Regional Park District a few
years ago, he developed the water quality monitoring program for that park
system.
He also said he had worked at the S.F. Bay RWQCB for six years prior to that.
“I think a more appropriate sampling technique that characterizes the lake
would include plankton tows — vertical — to characterize the water column
and the lake in general not the “worst case” scenario of wind driven
accumulations of algae along the shoreline,” he said.
Rae said that samples were taken along the shores as well as at mid-reservoir to
test deeper waters.
She also said sampling techniques and protocols used by the Karuk Tribe met the
EPA’s quality assurance and quality control standards.
Rae said efforts are being made to assess the possible problem posed by human
contact with the toxic algae and find any necessary solutions.
After the elevated algae levels were detected, she reported, a workgroup
consisting of the EPA, Siskiyou County Public Health, the Karuk Tribe, the Yaruk
Tribe, the Department of Health Services and
Rae said that the workgroup is putting together scientific hypotheses and water
management strategies to best address the situation.
“We’re just getting started,” Rea said. “We want to be as open to the
public as possible during the process.”
Her concern, she added, is to make sure the community is safe while the group
works towards a solution to the algae problem.
Rea said that the blue-green algae is a worldwide issue and not just a problem
in
She feels that the fact that the Klamath is recording high levels at this time
does not necessarily mean it is the water source most affected by the algae.
Other sites just may not have been tested yet.
Siskiyou County Public Health Director David Herfindahl concurred.
He stated in a press release that although $750,000 in state money was allocated
last year to help assess the potential health issue statewide, he is “not
aware of any work that has occurred this season at any of the water bodies in
Since the initial testing, microcystis aeruginosa toxins have been detected in
the lower Klamath, according to Yurok Tribe environmental program water division
assistant director Ken Fetcho.
Fetcho said that the Yurok now will continue to monitor the lower river every
two weeks, checking for elevated levels of toxins.
Though no conclusive evidence on the long-term effects of exposure to blue-green
algae exists, Tucker’s letter stated that microcystis aeruginosa toxin causes
liver damage and liver tumors in laboratory mice.
That claim is validated by university studies conducted at Jichi Medical School
Department of Microbiology in 1981. Several other universities conducted the
same tests and got the same results.
None, however, have conducted any long-term testing on human subjects.
Copco and Irongate residents said that they will continue to get the word out
and fight against the removal of the dams, which would effectively end their way
of lake life.
“Papers from
The residents said that what they find to be “bad press” is affecting their
lifestyles. They say tourism is down at the lake and visitors are fewer than in
recent years.
“The Sacramento Bee has characterized the lake as a ‘radioactive putting
green’ with ‘algae concentrations 3900 times greater than the WHO
standard’ without qualifying that the sample only represented a very near
shore sample or worst case,” Burger reported.
Hillman said that he isn’t satisfied with how the press has handled the
blue-green algae issue.
“As far as I’m concerned, the media coverage up until now has been
irresponsible,” Hillman said.
His complaint, he explained, is that the blue-green algae issue is not getting
enough press.
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Source: http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/articles/2006/09/14/news/doc