A day after the warmest temperatures of the year arrived in Western Washington, the Kitsap Public Health District issued a warning to avoid Kitsap Lake in Bremerton due to potentially toxic cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
Cyanobacteria had been a regular issue in the lake just west of Highway 3, though conditions have improved as the city of Bremerton has worked to clean up the lake over the past five years. A contractor, AquaTechnex LLC, treated the water chemically and removed some plant matter to address the consistent blue-green algae blooms, which would close the lake for weeks at a time. The city contract for $525,000 over three years ran from May 2023 through December 2025, according to Kitsap Sun archives. The lake was subject to a cyanobacteria closure last August.
The Bremerton City Council is currently looking at a contract to continuing working with AquaTechnex for the same services at Kitsap Lake, and extended the work through 2028. The council could approve a new contract for approximately $596,000 as soon as April 15. The pending contract calls for chemical treatment this spring, and vegetation harvesting to start in summer…