Lake San Antonio in Monterey county, just north of lake Nacimiento, will be reopening today.
The closure went into effect after parks staff noticed an exceptionally large amount of dead baitfish, mostly shad, washed up on the shore. After the die off grew, parks closed lake San Antonio on July 10th.
An official release by the county’s facilities & parks public works says that testing and analysis has not yielded a definitive reason for the fish die off. However, due to the water quality of the lake testing normal, the presence of an algae bloom, and the consumption of fish by local wildlife not leading to their death, the release says the prevailing belief is the death was caused by the algae bloom.
The release says that the heat wave caused algae to dramatically grow in the lake, which can lower the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Due to the low oxygen levels, it is believed that the fish suffocated and caused the massive die off.
While this theory is not definitive, chief of parks Bryan Flores does say they can “affirmatively state that it was not caused by bacteria, toxins, or pollutants, which could pose a risk to human health.”
He encourages the public to use their best judgment, heed cautionary signage, and be aware of their surroundings if they enjoy the lake after its reopening.
