LAKE COUNTY— A Public Health advisory warning against drinking tap water directly piped or pumped in from Clear Lake remains in effect for homes with private systems in the Oaks and Lower Lake arms of the lake.
Water drawn from those locations should not be consumed, used for cooking, making ice cubes, or brushing teeth. The water, however, can be used for laundry, showering and bathing, but should not be swallowed while showering or bathing, according to health experts.
The alert went out to some 280 properties in mid-September after test results from water samples taken from those areas showed high levels of cyanotoxins.
Cyanotoxins are produced by cyanobacteria or-blue-green algae capable of photosynthesis, creating their own energy from the sun. These organisms occur naturally in surface water such as lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
According to the county Department of Water Resources: “When conditions are right — excess nutrients, warm temperatures and sunshine — they can rapidly form blooms of Harmful Algal Blooms characterized by the presence of toxins produced by the bacteria. Cyanotoxins can cause skin irritation such as rashes, hives, swelling or blisters. Consuming raw water that contains these toxins can cause liver damage. This may occur during recreational activities such as swimming. Due to their smaller size and tendency to drink lake water, pets can suffer more detrimental effects, including death. Children, too, should be cautioned not to drink water out of the lake.”
Water with cyanotoxins is not treatable by boiling or with chemicals.
“Through Big Valley’s lake shoreline cyanotoxin monitoring program and the CalWATCH project, we know there are extremely elevated mycrocystin cyanotoxins in Clear Lake, and there are also very vulnerable private water systems,” said Sarah Ryan, Environmental Director/Emergency Management Director for Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians. ”We know these homes are vulnerable because we found E Coli and cyanotoxins in their tap water. We reached out to county Public Health to alert them of these conditions and the need to alert the public.”
“The advisory does not impact private water companies,” Ryan said. “It’s impacting only those homes that pump their own water from Clear Lake. These are called Private Water Systems, as opposed to State Small Systems that serve 5 to 14 households and Public Water Systems that service 15 or more households.”
The monitoring project is specific to the Private Water Systems. “The water from these systems does not need to meet the Safe Drinking Water Act,” Ryan explained. “They are not monitored and not inspected and are under no one’s jurisdiction.”
Ryan continued: “The State Small Systems has to meet some basic requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. There’s yearly testing they are required to do. They are under the jurisdiction of the county Environmental Health, which has some obligations to stay on top of the water quality. The state Water Resources Control Board has some oversight over how the county Environmental Health is doing. The county has one State Small System that supplies water to 5 to 14 households.
Public Water Systems, on the other hand, have to meet all requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. “Their monitoring schedule is set by the state Water Resources Control Board Drinking Water Division,” Ryan said. “There are 18 Public Water Systems, which pull surface water from the lake and treat the water they supply to thousands of households (more than 60% of the county). These systems have extensive treatment (processes) to reduce or eliminate cyanotoxins and other contaminants. Public Water Systems are required to provide Consumer Confidence Reports to their customers.”
Where to get drinking water
Until lake location conditions change, residents of the impacted homes on the Oaks and Lower Lake arms of the lake have an alternate access to drinkable water. Each household is allotted 25 gallons of water per week for drinking and cooking, at no cost, at one of two fill stations:
Fill station for houses in the Blue Zone on the map: Golden State Water Company, 10680 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, 1-800-999-4033.
Fill station for houses in the Red Zone on the map: Mt. Konocti MWC, 4980 Hawaina Way, Kelseyville, 1-707-277-7466.
Those who plan to get water from either fill station are advised to bring their own clean containers.
How will I be alerted about a bloom?
Watch for public information releases from the County, monitor the Water Resources Facebook page and pay attention to Nixle announcements. If a toxic bloom is occurring the County or City will post signs stating whether there is a water contact WARNING or a water contact DANGER.
During the warm seasons, water quality testing is conducted about every two weeks at over 20 locations throughout Clear Lake. This testing is provided by the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and the Elem Indian Colony. To find out if a bloom is occurring, visit The Clear Lake Cyanotoxin page by visiting https://www.bvrancheria.com/clearlakecyanotoxins
Information on recent occurrences in Lake County, and other locations in the state can be found on the California Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Portal located by visiting https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/index.html. The Portal is an informational resource for the public and also functions as a tool to support coordination with statewide partners to address HABs. The content is developed by the CA Cyanobacteria and HAB Network and participating state agencies.
Fill Station for Houses in the Blue Zone: 10680 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake: provided by Golden State Water Company, 1-800-999-4033,
Fill Station for Houses in the Red Zone: 4980 Hawaina Way, Kelseyville*: provided by Mt. Konocti MWC, (707) 277-7466, * There will be a sign that reads, “POTABLE WATER”.
How will I be alerted about a bloom?
Watch for public information releases from the County, monitor the Water Resources Facebook page and pay attention to Nixle announcements. If a toxic bloom is occurring the County or City will post signs stating whether there is a water contact WARNING or a water contact DANGER.
During the warm seasons, water quality testing is conducted about every two weeks at over 20 locations throughout Clear Lake. This testing is provided by the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and the Elem Indian Colony. To find out if a bloom is occurring, visit The Clear Lake Cyanotoxin page by clicking here.
Information on recent occurrences in Lake County, and other locations in the state can be found on the California Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Portal located by clicking here. The Portal is an informational resource for the public and also functions as a tool to support coordination with statewide partners to address HABs. The content is developed by the CA Cyanobacteria and HAB Network and participating state agencies.
Fill Station for Houses in the Blue Zone: 10680 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake: provided by Golden State Water Company, 1-800-999-4033,
Fill Station for Houses in the Red Zone: 4980 Hawaina Way, Kelseyville*: provided by Mt. Konocti MWC, (707) 277-7466, * There will be a sign that reads, “POTABLE WATER”.
