October 26, 2006
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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