Another several months, another twist in the ongoing saga of Haseko’s Ewa Beach lagoon.

A petition has been launched, urging that the enclosed 52-acre Wai Kai lagoon be opened up to the ocean due to concerns of water stagnation that could breed toxic algae blooms and disease-spreading mosquitoes. The effort comes on the heels of a May finding by the state Health Department that the lagoon — while clear of any feared algae or mosquito growth — is technically a swimming pool and as such, needs to meet pool circulation standards. Failing that, Haseko was told to ban swimming in the lagoon or risk up to $1,000 daily in fines.

The petitioners say that opening the lagoon to the ocean would solve the water circulation problem. A top Haseko executive, however, said that after studying options, the best course is to keep things as is for now. That means allowing activities such as kayaking and paddleboarding in Wai Kai, but not swimming, by residents of Ocean Pointe and Hoakalei Resort.

That also involves relying on a natural underwater ecosystem to keep the potential of algae and mosquito growth at bay: Chara zeylanica, a freshwater stream plant, now covers the floor of the 20-foot-deep lagoon. The Chara, say algae and ocean experts monitoring Wai Kai, are doing a “perfect” job in keeping water quality good and stable. Let’s hope so.

The lagoon, of course, was also central in an earlier controversy, when it was created by the developer instead of an originally promised marina. A 2013 lawsuit filed by homeowners wanting the marina has seen multiple twists and turns: most recently, a January ruling ordered Haseko to pay homeowners $20 million for the marina-to- lagoon switch.

Haseko vowed to appeal, even as it moves forward with more development around Wai Kai — which some residents fret might disrupt water quality. Like the lagoon itself, murkier would not be good at all.