No Surprise, People! Oakdale Lake Has A Toxic Algae Problem. (I Won't Say I Warned You!)

Eight days after HUDseen ran an article about the algae situation at Oakdale Lake and how poorly the Youth Department was handling the problem, the city has closed down the lake to humans and pets.  I do not know who determined that there is a problem with the algae or if the water was tested, but this is a very concerning development and quite the bummer for the summer. 

2 or 3 days after my disappointing and concerning discussion with Calvin Lewis at Oakdale, I returned to notice that the outlet pipe had been unclogged by the previous day's deluge of rain, allowing a whole lot of algae to exit the lake.  I asked Calvin a question about the algae while he was seated in his office at the bathhouse.  He refused to speak to me, saying, "We're done here, Bill.  Please leave."  I guess he didn't appreciate the HUDseen article critical of his, and his department's, mishandling of the algae situation.

Yesterday, for the first time, I sat on the beach in the shade of an umbrella and watched others -- mothers (one very pregnant), children (some infants), fathers and all sorts of people enjoying the water.  There were two dogs on the beach (boy do I wish that were prohibited!), with one of them in the water frolicking with its owner.  Yes, there was algae on the lake - most of it trapped in the swimming area, of course -- but it was not nearly as bad as it was early last week and previous weeks.  Since it wasn't very hot, I didn't feel the need to take a swim.  Lucky me, maybe.  The situation yesterday with the algae was certainly no different or less toxic than the situation today, that's for sure.

Empty in August!

With this closing, my point from last week is more pronounced:  If the city can't figure out how to monitor the outlet pipe for Oakdale so that algae is always able to exit the lake, then the lake will continue to have problems.  Depending on who is in charge of the lake, this should be a simple task.  The closing, which may last weeks, is another sign that allowing the Youth Department to handle things at Oakdale is a huge mistake and, frankly, just dumb.  (I have been saying this for years.)  If they can't even get the benches and tables painted for two straight years, how can we expect them to maintain and keep an eye on the lake so that it is safe to swim in?

Read more about the Oakdale Lake closing on the city website in the announcement section of the main page.