Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued two advisories last week regarding blue-green algae blooms in Peanut Lake and Lac La Nonne.
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is a naturally-occurring photosynthetic organism that often becomes visible when weather conditions are calm.
Appearing as scum, fuzz, grass clippings or globs on the surface of water, blue-green algae (which can also be brown, greenish-brown or pinkish-red) often smells very musty or grassy.
People who come into contact with visible blue-green algae or who ingest water containing blue-green algae may experience skin irritation, rashes, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days, but symptoms in children can be even more pronounced.
Peanut Lake is located in the County of Barrhead about 14 kilometres southeast of the town of Barrhead, while Lac La Nonne is directly south of Peanut Lake on the border between the County of Barrhead and Lac Ste. Anne County.
Residents living near the shores of both lakes, as well as visitors, are advised to take the following precautions:
Avoid all contact with blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms. If contact occurs, you should wash the affected area with tap water as soon as possible.
Do not swim or wade (or allow your pets to swim or wade) in any areas where blue-green algae is visible.
Do not feed whole fish or fish trimmings from either lake to your pets, and consider limiting human consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from either lake. Fish may sometimes store toxins in their liver.
An alternate source of drinking water should also be provided for pets and livestock while these advisories are in effect.
In both cases, areas where the blue-green algae bloom is not visible can still be used for recreational purposes.
However, it should be stressed that weather and wind conditions can cause algae blooms to move around a lake. As such, this advisory will remain in effect for both lakes until further notice.
Even when an advisory is not in effect, you should not drink any untreated water from a recreational body of water. Boiling the water will not remove the toxins produced by blue-green algae.
If you suspect a health concern related to blue-green algae or simply need more information, please call Health Link at 811. Additional information is also available online at: www.ahs.ca/bga
