SILVER LAKE— An algae bloom at shallow, warm-water Silver Lake last week didn’t come as a big surprise to many residents, since algae is such a common occurrence. However, 13-year Silver Lake resident Elmer Nofziger says he has never seen anything like the recent outbreak.

The “blue-green algae” was first reported last week as the 100-plus-degree days scorched the region. Nofziger said the algae made the lake look like it was iced over earlier this week.

Conditions got so bad that on Friday the Cowlitz Health Department advised people to avoid the water since the algae — known as a cyanobacteria — can contain harmful toxins. The health department recommends no swimming and limited contact with the water until tests confirm the water is safe again.

There have been four reports of illness that may be associated with contact with lake water. Officials say some algae can contain toxins that if swallowed can lead to nausea, vomiting, skin irritation, rashes and blisters.

Despite the warnings, many people still rode wave-runners, were pulled behind boats on water skis and inter-tubes and swam in the murky lake Saturday.

Nofziger thinks the bloom has been caused by leaking septic systems, clear cutting around the lake, too many boats using the water, and a lack of vegetation on the bottom of the lake. He plans to bring up some of those issues at the next Cowlitz County commissioners meeting.

Don Leask, a Portland resident, has been visiting Silver Lake since the ‘70s and says algae is nothing new for the lake. However, when he saw the blue-green algae near a public fishing dock, he said “that’s nasty.”

Leask has noticed an unusual number of dead fish, but didn’t think much about it until he saw the “pond scum” Saturday afternoon. He had not heard the health department’s recommendation to stay out of the water, and was planning on water skiing in the afternoon.

Leask hopes county officials will consider dredging the lake to get rid of unwanted debris, which he said would allow natural springs to flow into the lake once again.

Matt Robbins, of Longview, was out fishing Saturday morning when he saw the blue-green algae all over the lake.

“It’s funky stuff,” he said, “I’ve been fishing up here for 20-years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Robbins saw a south Silver Lake resident shoveling the algae out of the lake, into a trash can— to keep it away from the dock.

Nancy Morgen, owner of Silver Lake Resort, said Saturday no business has been lost because of the algae.

“The resort books out a year in advance, so everybody still comes down,” Morgen said.

The water was much cleaner Saturday than it was a week ago, she reported. She said nobody swam in the lake last week when the algae was in full bloom. However, the wind picked up later in the week, blowing the algae out of sight. She says it’s “swim at your own risk,” but the algae didn’t stop her from taking a swim in the lake Saturday afternoon.

More information about algae can be found at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/algae