Pinto Lake in Watsonville has long had blooms of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, but researchers are trying to come up with a solution. A meeting will be held at Padres Hall in Corralitos this evening, presenting the findings of a 2 year study conducted on the lake. The state requires signs to be posted when bacteria levels reach 5 parts per billion, as the algae can cause rashes and sickness, and has been linked to the deaths of sea otters. Levels are currently around 3 to 4 parts per billion, but warm weather may cause that to rise. Researchers say the task of cleaning up the lake will be arduous, but they have some ideas, including removing nutrient rich silt from the bottom of the lake, and treating the water before it flows into the Monterey Bay.
