Tri-Cities drinking water comes from the Columbia River. So what about that toxic algae?

A toxic algae bloom that shut down Columbia River shoreline in Richland appears to be sticking around.

Of the 17 sites along the river tested so far, just the Howard Amon boat launch shows dangerous levels of neurotoxin A, said Rick Dawson, senior manager for the Benton Franklin Health District.

While 11 of the samples, including those from Chiawana Park, showed some level of toxic algae, they didn’t rise to dangerous levels in any other location.

The shoreline between the Howard Amon boat launch and the Yakima River delta remains closed as the health district continues to monitor the situation.

“We are having discussions about whether we can shrink that or not, but we’ve found no reason to expand that area,” he told the Herald.

Yellow warning signs have been put up along the river where the toxins have been detected. And information has been posted anywhere people can get into the water, Dawson said.

Drinking water testing

Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and West Richland announced that drinking water hasn’t been affected by the neurotoxin.

Kennewick, Richland and Pasco all draw the city’s drinking water directly from the Columbia River, and West Richland relies on Richland to supply 40 percent of its drinking water. Once the toxin was discovered in the river, the cities increased their testing, according to a joint news release from the cities on Thursday.

The results from the King County Environmental Lab show the toxin reached the treatment plants, but it’s greatly reduced or eliminated once the water is treated.

“The cities are working closely with (the Washington State Department of Health) to continuously analyze and optimize their treatment process for maximum removal of any toxin that may be present,” according to the statement.

City officials will continue testing the drinking water twice a week for the toxins for as long as there are advisories for the area.

Monitoring the river

Health officials plan to continue monitoring the river to make sure the algae bloom doesn’t move or spread to other areas.

Then, over the winter they will develop a plan for watching the waterways during the spring and summer.

The health district found toxic algae in the river last week after four dogs died and two more became sick after they came in contact with the water. Dawson said he’s not aware of any other animals getting sick from the water.

Toxic algae has become a common occurrence in the Scooteney Reservior in Franklin County. It was closed earlier this summer because of a bloom.

It’s rare, but not unheard of, for toxic algae to show up in river systems. This summer four dogs died in the Spokane area after swimming in the Little Spokane River and the Spokane River, both of which have had warm, slow moving and stagnant water this summer.

State health officials don’t have answers about why the toxic algae bloom showed up in the Columbia River. The number of blooms has been increasing though.

Dawson said in this 35 years in public health, the first time he encountered a bloom was five years ago. Now, it is a regular occurrence.

“This just happens to be the first time we found it in the Columbia River,” he said.

People can follow test results at nwtoxicalgae.com and clicking on “Find Lake.”