Canyon Lake alum treatment starts Monday

Doses of alum will be applied to Canyon Lake in the main body, east bay and the area north of the causeway beginning Monday and continuing daily through Friday, the Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watersheds Authority said. The lake will remain open during the application process.

Alum binds with phosphorus in the lake water, drops the nutrient to the lake bottom and thereby reduces algae growth in the lake, Mark Norton of the authority, said. Canyon Lake water mostly comes from stormwater runoff from the upper watershed each year that has high levels of nutrients that hurt water quality and threaten aquatic life. This dose will be the 15th Canyon Lake alum application that has taken place.

“Alum, the method selected to provide the best results for Canyon Lake, has a proven track record of success and is safe to both humans and aquatic life,” Mark said. “Drinking water quality will not be affected by any of the treatment options. Recreational users will experience little disruption during treatment application and implementation.”

The application schedule, which is subject to change and takes place between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., is Monday – Main Body, Tuesday – Main Body, Wednesday – Main Body, Thursday – East Ramp/North Causeway and Friday – Clean-up.

In order to comply with water quality regulations enforced by the state, through the local Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Lake Elsinore & Canyon Lake Nutrient Total Maximum Daily Load Task Force utilizes local stakeholder funding to continue alum water treatments in Canyon Lake. The task force evaluated several options during the CEQA process and determined that alum application provides the best option as a step to effectively treat the entire lake in a timely manner with minimal impact to Canyon Lake residents, Mark said.

A Canyon Lake Alum Application video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/D0iUtkTVGnc and daily operational updates are available at http://www.canyonlakealum.wordpress.com.