COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Officials and community members are working to help make sure one of North Idaho’s lakes stays clean and safe for years to come.
At this time of year, Fernan Lake, just east of Coeur d’Alene is covered in ice and snow, but come summertime, it is full of green algae.
For decades, the lake has been home to dangerous levels of algae and phosphorus, which can produce toxins that cause health problems to humans and wildlife.
“Fernan Lake has excess phosphorus that pops up in the summertime, and it’s a very critical nutrient for algae growth. But, when you have too much of it in an system, the toxic cyanobacteria that causes these blooms you hear about, they like that excess phosphorus,” said Water Specialist at EutroPHIX, Ryan Van Goethem.
Dustin Stetson grew up near Fernan Lake and said the lake’s condition is worrisome for families.
“I would hate to have my son, at a young age, not be able to go to the lake and be fearful that he’s going to get sick from touching the water,” he said.
In 2023, the community around Fernan Lake enlisted water quality restoration company, EutroPHIX to create a plan to cleanup the lake.
Van Goethem is the project lead and said there are a couple different options for how to go about managing the phosphorus levels.
“What we can do is actually permanently bind up hat phosphorus so it’s not releasable and not impacting the water quality. So, it’s about working on some things in the lake, but then also reducing how much phosphorus comes into the lake long-term,” Van Goethem said.
He also said it’s important for the community to start seeking funding to kickstart and maintain the cleanup effort.
For more information on the cleanup project at Fernan Lake click here.
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