Jefferson County leaders, businesses call for more transparency from OHA over algae bloom advisories

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Jefferson County leaders and tourism advocates are calling on the Oregon Health Authority to provide clearer communication and greater transparency regarding recreational advisories for harmful algae blooms, arguing the warnings are creating confusion and hurting the local economy. 

The concerns center around advisories issued for Lake Billy Chinook and other Oregon waterways. While local officials say they support efforts to protect public health, they believe current messaging is discouraging visitors from recreating in the area. 

"We're not against public health in any way, shape, or form," said Jefferson County Commissioner Kelly Simmelink. "We want our recreators to come here and feel safe and be safe and have a great time and make memories. It's just almost becoming impossible at this point." 

Tourism officials report economic impacts

Debbie Taylor, executive director of the Madras-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, said the county has already seen economic impacts tied to confusion surrounding algae bloom advisories. 

"As the Chamber of Commerce, we're all about events, information, and tourism," Taylor said. "We see tourists enter our office every day, coming through town and asking questions, whether it's an email inquiry or it's over the phone, asking about what's happening. We are seeing a lot of confusion and a lot of information that is not clear." 

Taylor said lodging numbers have declined compared to previous years and there was a 1.5 million dollar drop in overall travel spending from 2024 to 2025. 

"I talked to one of our predominant lodging partners in the community, and they let me know they were consistently down 5% for boating visitors who would normally stay overnight,” she said. 

• Overall travel spending (not just lodging spend) from visitors that stay in campgrounds and RV parks in Jefferson County was down 6.3% from '24 to '25, equating to a drop of $1.5mil 

• Overnight Stays in Jefferson County for “other” property types, which includes camping and RVs, decreased by 32,000 person nights from '24 to '25. 

According to Taylor, visitors and even residents often assume the lake is closed when advisories are issued. 

"Two days ago, my husband and I were driving home and we saw some kids that we knew playing in a body of water," she said. "We said, 'What are you guys doing here?' And they said, 'Well, Lake Billy Chinook's closed.'" 

Taylor said that misconception is becoming increasingly common. 

"That is the information that we need to get out there," she said. "Jefferson County is open for business. Tourism is still happening. Understand what the precautions are that are out there. Take the necessary steps to protect yourself." 

Commissioner: Tourism-dependent businesses are struggling 

Commissioner Simmelink said tourism is a critical part of Jefferson County's economy, and advisories can have ripple effects throughout the community. 

"At the end of the day, to me, in representing my constituents here, it's about the economics of things," Simmelink said. "We have kids that have summer jobs down there that are now not working full time. We have businesses that have a lot at stake, and these cancellations are really killing them." 

He said the impacts extend far beyond resorts and marinas. 

"Not to mention the local gas stations and grocery stores and everybody else that relies on these tourism dollars coming into this community," he said. "This is a community that's already one of the most distressed in the state." 

Taylor echoed those concerns, noting Lake Billy Chinook attracts more than a million visitors annually. 

"We're feeling it here because we get over a million visitors to Lake Billy Chinook every year," she said. "Whether it's the generational families that come every year to recreate or those that are just discovering it, there's a million people that come every year." 

She said the economic effects spread throughout the county. 

"That affects everything from our state park reservations to our cabins, to our restaurants, to our gas stations. It affects everybody all the way down." 

Questions about advisory process 

Jim Cyr, a spokesperson for Oregon Recreational Providers, said his concerns began after an advisory was issued last year. 

"We had an advisory come out last year in June, and we're like, 'What in the world is going on?'" Cyr said. "We hadn't had an advisory in five years." 

He said he spent hundreds of hours researching the issue. 

"I probably have 400 to 500 hours worth of research in this, and the more I dug into it, the more I'm like, nothing makes sense." 

Cyr argues that Oregon is relying on guidance that has not been updated in years. 

According to Cyr, the World Health Organization updated its recommendations in 2021 based on newer research, while Oregon continues to use standards originally established in 2007 by the EPA. 

Dating back years 

Simmelink and Cyr say this algae has always been around but believe these advisories have been picking up in recent years without the data to back them up. 

"This is not new," Simmelink said. "Blue-green algae is not new. The toxins are not new. We've been involved in this for years with the recreational provider group as well as other commissioners around the state." 

Simmelink said local officials became increasingly concerned after discussions with OHA began ramping up again late last year. 

"We were a number of years without any kind of advisories," he said. "Then all of a sudden we're talking about a protocol and how they're going to do things going forward." 

According to Cyr, advisories were issued annually between 2015 and 2019 before largely disappearing for several years. 

"From 2015 to 2019, we had alerts every single year," Cyr said. "Then from 2020 through most of 2024, there were zero advisories until late 2024." 

Debate over testing and scientific guidance 

Cyr said part of his concern centers on what he believes are outdated standards being used to trigger advisories. 

"The World Health Organization revamped the limits and put all the new studies together," Cyr said. "The Oregon Health Authority is currently using a standard that they originally established in 2007, and it's never changed since then." 

Cyr believes those updates should be considered as OHA evaluates future advisories. 

He also questioned how advisories are issued when water sampling results differ across locations. 

Referring to a recent Lake Billy Chinook advisory, Cyr said he requested testing data from OHA and found that some locations passed while others exceeded advisory thresholds. 

"I wanted to know what the test results were," he said. "They did four tests on Lake Billy Chinook. Two passed and two failed." 

Cyr also questioned OHA's use of satellite imagery to help identify potential algae blooms and said he would like more information about how those decisions are made. 

"There needs to be some transparency," Cyr said. "We've asked a lot of questions and we'd love to get answers." 

Local officials point to lack of reported illnesses 

Simmelink said one factor driving local concerns is the absence of reported illnesses associated with Lake Billy Chinook. 

"I'll come back to the point that there are zero reported cases," he said. "I'm the Public Health Liaison for Jefferson County. I know that we have had zero cases reported." 

Cyr made a similar argument, saying local stakeholders have repeatedly asked OHA for documented cases connected to the area.

"If this was what they say it is, there'd be all kinds of documented illnesses," Cyr said. "There are zero confirmed (human) illnesses that they have shown us for Lake Billy Chinook." 

The Oregon Health Authority maintains that advisories are intended to help prevent potential exposure to harmful algae and cyanotoxins before illnesses occur. 

While Jefferson County has not seen any reported human illnesses from these algae blooms, there have been reports of dogs getting sick from exposure. 

Visitors often mistake advisories for closures 

Taylor said one of the biggest challenges is the way information spreads online. 

"In the digital era, that information comes out and gives a perception," she said. "Not everybody's going to scroll to the bottom to get that information." 

She said many visitors see alarming language in advisories and conclude the lake is closed entirely. 

"We want to see the line of cars through town," she said. "We want to see people asking questions about where they can go and what they can explore." 

Recreation continues despite advisories 

Taylor said many residents continue to recreate at Lake Billy Chinook while following common-sense precautions. 

She pointed to a tourism promotional video shoot that recently took place at the reservoir. 

"We had talent that was in the water for that," Taylor said. "They were splashing in the water and going off a slide into the water. None of my talent has gotten sick." 

Taylor said local residents generally understand how to avoid visible algae accumulations and take additional precautions when necessary. 

"Those of us that have been here for years know that if you're sensitive or have a compromised immune system, take a shower, avoid getting water in your face, and understand the precautions," she said. 

Simmelink agreed. 

“If you're on the dock and you see a big bunch of green goop, yeah, probably not a great idea to stick your nose into it, you know?” he said. 

Calls for local control 

Simmelink said he would like to see local governments play a larger role in how advisories are communicated to the public. 

"I believe that if we were able to handle this locally with signage and information to make sure citizens knew, that would be huge," he said. 

He emphasized that local leaders are not opposed to testing or monitoring waterways. 

"We're not against testing," Simmelink said. "There are things they need to test for, and we understand that's going to continue to happen." 

Instead, he said local officials would like greater involvement in determining how information is shared with visitors. 

"I'd like to see a little more local control, especially in the messaging," he said. 

Simmelink also questioned why only a small percentage of Oregon waterways are routinely monitored. 

"One of the biggest things that sticks to me is that 97% of the lakes aren't even checked," he said. "For us, that is really not a good message to be sending out to the public. That, 'There’s no advisories there, so it’s probably safe.' They have the same water. Throughout this whole region, we have the same water."

Taylor agreed that clearer statewide communication would benefit both visitors and local communities. 

"If you're going to have a precaution and an advisory, you need to make that signage identifiable," she said. "It needs to be a unified message. It needs to have the same statement for every body of water." 

Calls for more transparency 

Cyr said local stakeholders have attended meetings with OHA but feel their concerns have not been fully addressed. 

"We asked a lot of tough questions and we didn't get any answers," Cyr said. "The transparency is kind of the issue that we see." 

Simmelink said he would prefer a system that relies more heavily on local notification and signage rather than broad public advisories. 

"I believe that if we were able to handle this locally with signage and information to make sure that citizens knew, that would be huge," he said. "We want people to be healthy. We want people to have fun. We want people to create memories and come back." 

Looking ahead 

Local officials and business leaders are not asking the state to stop monitoring waterways or issuing health guidance. 

The Oregon Health Authority has said recreational advisories are intended to inform the public about potential exposure to harmful algae and cyanotoxins so people can make informed decisions about water recreation. 

For Jefferson County leaders and business owners, the goal is finding a balance between public safety and protecting a tourism economy that many local families depend on. 

OHA’S response 

KTVZ News reached out to the Oregon Health Authority in regard to this story, requesting an interview or a statement. It provided the following statement: 

• Ensuring the health and safety of people recreating in Oregon’s many lakes, reservoirs, streams, rivers is Oregon Health Authority’s top priority. 

• OHA recognizes that Oregon’s many water bodies provide opportunities for people to have fun with family and friends, and to stay cool during periods of high temperatures. 

• OHA acknowledges the critical importance of businesses near Lake Billy Chinook in supporting the local economy. 

• OHA does not have the authority or interest in “closing” a water body when issuing a recreational advisory. An advisory is just that – advice for people to take certain actions to protect their health. But we also know that issuing an advisory may result in some people foregoing a visit to a water body, or prompt difficult questions from visitors, business owners and community members. 

• That’s why, when issuing a recreational advisory due to the presence of a cyanobacteria (harmful algae) bloom (cyanoHAB) at a water body, OHA always encourages people to still visit the water body and enjoy activities such as fishing, bird watching and canoeing. OHA also explains that boating is OK as long as boat speeds don’t create excessive water spray, which can increase risk of inhaling cyanotoxins. 

• But to protect people’s health, OHA must issue an advisory when it knows about the presence of a toxin-producing cyanoHAB at a river, lake or reservoir, and give people information on how they can protect themselves, such as avoiding swimming and other water activities with a high risk of swallowing water or inhaling water droplets in areas of the water body where blooms are present. 

• The risks of not warning the public about the presence of cyanoHABs at water bodies are too great: OHA does receive reports from people who have been exposed to cyanotoxin blooms in water bodies and gotten sick. We also know that dogs and children are at particularly high risk of severe illness because of their size and type of activity in the water. And, sadly, each year OHA does receive reports of dog deaths. 

• The Recreational HAB Advisory Program is a joint effort between OHA and DEQ, the status of OHA’s advisories and precautions are continually assessed throughout the bloom season, and these advisories and precautions are updated as soon as actionable information becomes available. For the most up-to-date information on the status of advisories and precautions, people can visit www.healthoregon.org/hab. 

• We want the people of Oregon to have a safe, healthy and happy summer while recreating at Oregon’s many rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but to stay vigilant in watching for cyanoHABs and avoiding areas of these water bodies that are foamy, scummy, thick like pea-green or blue-green paint, or where brownish-red mats are present. As we say at OHA: When in doubt, stay out!