Lake Poisoned by State Still Tainted 8 Months Later

PORTOLA, Calif. —  Lake Davis, poisoned and shut down eight months ago to kill the predatory northern pike, will have to remain closed because a contaminant lingers at one tip of the seven-mile-long azure Alpine lake, state authorities said Wednesday.

There was no indication when the lake, the principal source of drinking water for the town of Portola six miles away, would be reopened, authorities told a gathering of 200 residents at a meeting called by the state Health Services Department.

Although levels of the poison-linked chemical piperonyl butoxide had declined sharply to barely detectable levels, the chemical remains in the water, officials said. Until its level drops further, the state will not certify the water as drinkable, said David Spath, head of the state health department’s drinking water section.