A Klamath River tribe asked state water quality regulators on Wednesday to set limits on the toxic algae that blooms every summer in the river's reservoirs.

Craig Tucker, a spokesman for the Karuk Tribe, said he requested that the State Water Resources Control Board develop a standard at which the reservoirs, created by power company Pacificorp's dams, would be deemed out of compliance. The algae contains a toxin called mycrocystin that can be harmful to human health. Some of the worst spots in the reservoirs during the summer have been found to have algae counts thousands of times higher than levels the World Health Organization considers a moderate health risk.

Tucker suggested that the WHO standard be applied while a specific blue-green algae limit is developed for reservoirs in the state. It should be started before the water board makes a decision on Pacificorp's application for a water quality certification for its hydropower project, he said.

”It's really important that we go ahead and describe by a numerical standard how much mycrocystin is bad for you,” Tucker said in an interview.

Pacificorp is trying to get another federal license to operate its projects, and also needs the water quality certification. Tribes and many fishermen and coastal interests are pushing the company to remove the dams, which block salmon from spawning grounds.

A Siskiyou County press release in August said that there have been no cases of human illness from blue-green algae in California, but “recreational exposures to toxic blue-green algae might result in eye irritation, allergic skin rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting and diarrhea, and hay-fever like symptoms. There is little information available about the potential human health effects of long-term exposure to blue-green algae.”

The algae, which also blooms in other slow-moving water bodies in the area, has been known to kill pets as well.

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