Blue-green algae are blooming in Lac La Biche Lake, and locals are advised to avoid contact with water where algae blooms are visible.
Blue-green algae are blooming in Lac La Biche Lake, and locals are advised to avoid contact with water where algae blooms are visible.
According to an Alberta Health Services warning issued today, a blue-green algae bloom has been identified in Lac La Biche Lake. These blooms, a common occurrence in mid to late summer, often look like "scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs" that are blue-green, green, brown or pinkish red, and they can smell musty or grassy. It is potentially dangerous to contact, swim in or ingest lake water contaminated with blue-green algae.
Alberta Health Services advises avoiding contaminated lake water and washing with tap water as soon as possible if contact happens. Pets should be kept away from water with visible algae, and whole lake fish should not be fed to pets.
People are advised to avoid eating whole fish from the lake, as fish can store toxins in their livers. Properly cleaned fish fillets are still safe to eat.
Drinking or cooking with untreated lake water is always unsafe, AHS warns, and boiling untreated lake water does not remove blue-green algae's toxins.
Contact with or ingestion of contaminated water can cause rashes and skin irritation, sore throats and eyes, as well as fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Usually, these symptoms start one to three hours after exposure and clear up in one to two days. As with other health risks, children are more susceptible to more severe symptoms.
Algae blooms are unpredictable, and could appear in any part of Lac La Biche Lake. Areas of the lake without algae blooms are still safe for swimming.
This is an ongoing story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.
