Lake alum treatment to take place next week

Streaks of wavy green alum treatment will be seen being applied next week to most of the lake by the Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authority (LESJWA). Beginning Monday and ending by Friday, the alum treatments will be applied to Main Lake, East Bay and the area north of the causeway.

Canyon Lake will remain open during the entire treatment process. Recreational users will experience little disruption while the alum treatment is applied.

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, Authority Administrator of the Santa Ana Watershed Project 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, he said. This dose will be the 16th Canyon Lake alum application that has taken place.

Technicians like these two men will be on the lake surface next week applying alum to the Main Lake, East Bay and North Causeway area to help treat algae in the lake. The lake will not be closed at any point during the application process and recreational activities will not be interrupted.

The alum treatments will be applied Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Friday will be a “Clean Up” day for the crews. The Main Lake will have its alum applied the first three days and the East Bay and North Causeway will be serviced on Thursday.

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.

Funding is provided for these alum water treatments in Canyon Lake and is not financed by the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association or the City of Canyon Lake.

The Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake Nutrient Total Maximum Daily Load 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.