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Department of Ecology News Release - January 11, 2002
02-010
SPOKANE - Preliminary information about the water quality of Moses Lake and plans to improve it will be presented at a public meeting next week.
The meeting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Moses Lake Fire Station, 701 E. Third Ave.
In addition to receiving information, organizations and citizens can express their interest in participating on an advisory group that will help to develop management practices to protect Moses Lake.
The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has been working on Moses Lake and its tributaries to establish a water cleanup plan for phosphorus.
A water cleanup plan includes an assessment of the water quality problem and a technical analysis to determine how much pollution must be reduced to meet state water quality standards. The cleanup plan also will include measures to control the sources of phosphorous to the lake.
"The selection and use of control measures requires input from people who are living and working in this watershed," said Carl Nuechterlein of Ecology's water-quality program. "This meeting will give people a good chance to get involved in this process."
Phosphorus is a nutrient that has caused excessive growth of algae in Moses Lake. Blooms of blue-green algae can interfere with recreational uses of the lake several times each summer. On warm days, the algae floats, forms into unsightly mats, and can blow onto the beach, where it decomposes and causes odor problems.
Large algal blooms are associated with fish kills and potential toxicity problems. Several beaches have been closed to swimming due to poor visibility in the water.
The excess phosphorus may come from many sources, including septic systems, farms, fish hatcheries, underground water and more.
Ecology determined that additional research needed to be done to augment existing historical research and data for Moses Lake in order to adequately assess the problem. The formal results of this research will be contained in a technical report due out this spring.
CONTACT: Jani Gilbert, public information manager, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-622-1289
Ecology's Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/
Information on water cleanup plans (total maximum daily loads): http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
