Alberta Health Services (AHS) has identified blue-green algae blooms in areas of Cold Lake.
The cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, has been spotted at the Cold Lake Marina.
The algae blooms are naturally occurring, and look like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of the water. It can be blue-green, greenish-brown, brown, or pinkish-red in colour, and often smells musty or grassy.
AHS is advising residents and visitors to use caution in areas where blooms have been identified. Weather and wind conditions can cause the algae to move from one location to another.
The public is being asked to avoid contact with the bacteria. If contact does occur, AHS recommends washing the area with tap water as soon as possible. Symptoms of blue-green algae contact or ingestion usually occur within one to three hours. They can include skin irritation, sore throat, red eyes, swollen lips, rash, fever, nausea, and vomiting or diarrhea, and can last up to two days.
Swimming or wading in any of the areas where algae blooms have been seen is not recommended. However, areas of Cold Lake where the algae bloom is not visible can still be used for recreational purposes.
AHS is asking residents to not drink or cook with untreated water directly from any recreational body of water. Boiling blue-green algae infected water won't remove toxins produced by the bacteria. Pets and livestock should also be drinking water from an alternate source while the advisory is active.
Don't feed whole fish or fish trimmings from the lake to pets, and consider limiting human consumption, as it's known that fish may store toxins in the liver. Humans can still safely consume fish fillets regardless of the advisory.
AHS will notify the public when the advisory is lifted.
Anyone looking for more information, or suffering from symptoms related to blue-green algae ingestion or contact, can visit AHS website, or call Health Link at 811.
