Beach weather finally arrives in Alberta — but the water advisories got here first
It's a blooming shame.
The long-awaited summer-like weather in Alberta has arrived hand-in-hand with a far less beach-friendly companion: algae and bacteria warnings for area lakes.
Alberta Health Services has issued advisories for five lakes in the Edmonton region:
Lac Ste. Anne, 80 kilometres west of the city.
Islet Lake, 50 kilometres southeast.
Buck Lake, 150 kilometres southwest.
Lac la Biche, 215 kilometres northeast.
Cold Lake, 300 kilometres northeast.
Advisories against swimming or wading have been issued for three of the lakes after regular water testing found elevated levels of fecal bacteria in the water. If ingested, the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness.
The warning was issued on July 10 for Cold Lake's Kinosoo Beach.
AHS posted water-quality warnings Friday for Kacikewin Campground Beach and Sunset Point Camp Beach at Lac Ste. Anne, and the McArthur and Golden Sands beach areas of Lac la Biche.
Lac Ste. Anne and Lac la Biche have been hit with the double whammy of summer scourges. Blue-green algae blooms were confirmed for both lakes earlier this month.
Naturally occurring algae becomes visible in calm weather conditions. It can look like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of the water. Its colour can have a range of hues from blue and green to brown or pinkish-red. It often smells musty or grassy.
Because wind and weather can move the blooms around, the entire body of water is subject to the advisory, AHS said.
Coming in contact with the algae can cause skin irritation, sore throats and eyes. If ingested, symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Other lakes experiencing blue-green algae blooms are Buck Lake, Islet Lake and Wadlin Lake, which is about 600 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
More information on active health advisories is here.
