LAKEPORT >> In the wake of toxic algae blooms and fish die-offs in Clear Lake this summer, the regional water board wants to delay for up to 20 years its plans to clean up lake pollution caused primarily by fertilizers.
That delay is scheduled to be discussed at a public outreach meeting conducted by Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board members and staff Monday afternoon in Lakeport.
The meeting is to get public comments on extending the compliance date for the Clear Lake Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Waste Load Allocations to reduce harmful phosphorus runoff into the lake.
Phosphorus is a common ingredient in fertilizers and promotes toxic blue-green algae blooms (cyanobacteria) and fish die-offs in Clear Lake.
The proposal for an extension seems somewhat of a moot point since the water board has already failed to meet it’s original deadline of June 19, 2017, to reduce phosphorus discharge into the lake — without any penalty or consequences.
This extension request comes despite an evaluation of the phosphorus waste reduction program five yeas ago from water board staff that the TMDL was “…still appropriate and phosphorus reductions should continue.”
Now after 10 years of studying the problem, the water board wants another 10 or 20 years to do more studies along with seeking project proposals on reducing the amount of phosphorus-containing fertilizer runoff that flows into Clear Lake each year.
In 2007, the water board adopted the Clear Lake Nutrient Control Program to decrease the incidence of lake algae bloom that the board called a “nuisance.”
Actually, toxic algae bloom is more than a nuisance as it can be deadly to pets and humans, especially children, who come in contact with it, according to the state Department of Public Health.
The effects from exposure to the algae can include rashes, skin and eye irritation and severe allergic reactions, according to the state health department. In extreme cases, exposure can result in serious illness or death.
The Nutrient Control Program has at least one possible flaw: it is based partly on “modeling studies” which in plain English are guesses, often generated by computer programs. So using those studies, board staff and members predicted that a 40 percent reduction of phosphorus entering the lake would “significantly reduce the incidence of algae blooms.”
Again, with the primary source being modeling studies, the water board set maximum levels of phosphorus discharge into the lake at about 192,000 pounds a year. Most of this is from irrigated agriculture, especially vineyards and illegal marijuana grows.
The main reason for requesting the compliance extension is because the water board has been unable to get funding to complete the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, according to the water board’s Notice of Public Outreach Meeting.
About half of the properties needed for the project have not been acquired, states the notice.
Completion of the project will restore an area that was historically wetland where about half of the runoff from the Clear Lake watershed enters the lake, according to the water board.
“The restoration project is expected to accomplish the majority of the Clear Lake’s nutrient load reduction goal,” the notice states. That is, if it’s ever completed. The water board could just ignore any deadline in 2027 or 2037 as it did the 2017 deadline in June.
Linda Shields is a Lakeport resident and Lake County Realtor who grew up spending much of her time on the lake with her father, fishing, boating and enjoying other water activities. She is concerned about lake quality, especially the toxic algae blooms, both personally and professionally.
“Over the years I have always understood the algae and the natural occurrence of algae in Clear Lake,” she said in an email to a water board official. “However, in the last three years there has been an extreme difference in this type of algae and it makes it very hard to take our boat on the lake now.”
For example, she said that when she pulls her boat out of the lake, it takes a full waxing of the exterior to get rid of the stain the lake leaves.
As a local Realtor, Shields said Lake County home sales are trending up and that it’s a sellers market, with “pretty strong” lakefront home sales. “However, I also have some buyers requesting not to be too close to the lake, something I never experienced in the past.”
She added that lakefront property listings normally show up from May through October but she is now considering recommending that lakefront sellers list their properties from April to mid-July to get the “best showing experience” — one without the stench of dead fish and blue-green algae blooms.
In the 10 years since the TMDL was adopted, about two dozen projects and programs to improve the Clear Lake watershed have been monitored by the water board. Most were instituted by other state and local government agencies. Some consisted of conducting studies while others took more direct action, including several watershed restoration efforts.
Three of the projects were conducted by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), three by Lake County, five by the U.S Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and four by the U.S. Forest Service, according to the water board.
About half of the projects have been completed while the rest are planned or under way.
One of the Caltrans projects developed a statewide stormwater management plan. A BLM project was for annual trail maintenance at South Cow Mountain.
Other completed projects include the Tule Lake Wetland Restoration project by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service and development of a soil and water conservation handbook by the Forest Service.
Keep in mind, the specific goal of these programs was to reduce the amount of phosphorus that flows into the lake.
At the public hearing, water board staff will consider several preliminary alternative amendments to the Nutrient Control Program, including extending the compliance date to either 2027 or 2037; developing milestones to track progress of the program should the compliance date be extended; and not amending the compliance date that the board is already not in compliance with.
The meeting is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 28, at the Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St. in Lakeport.
