North Ski Area was green with duckweed, not algae

Two weeks ago, the North Ski Area was covered with a layer of bright green duckweed, not algae as was reported in The Friday Flyer. Duckweed is not dangerous at all to humans or animals, according to the Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watersheds Authority which oversees the monitoring of water quality in the area.

“Duckweed happens up there every few years and it doesn’t last long,” Canyon Lake POA General Manager Eric Kazakoff said. “It’s almost completely gone now.”

The Canyon Lake POA plays a different role than the watershed authority, as mentioned in the article two weeks ago. The POA is more hands-on and is responsible for managing recreational aspects of the lake, overseeing lake warnings and closures, if necessary, and prioritizing public safety.

Because those at the Canyon Lake POA were aware that the green layer was Duckweed and not algae, there were no warning signs posted or other action taken.

“We have standard yellow caution signs up year round,” Eric said. “There have only been two occasions in the last couple of years at limited locations where we escalated to the warning level. A few times we have had to post orange signs. We test before every big weekend and post notices if we are above the yellow level.”

The duckweed in the North Ski Area occurred because of high nitrogen concentrations.

“Duckweed can multiply quickly due to high nitrogen concentrations in the water column,” Rachel M. Gray, LESJWA Administrator, said. “Recent tropical summer storms likely increased nitrogen levels in the lake.”