Blue-green algae has now been reportedĀ on Kehewin Lake as well after being spotted on Moose Lake earlier this month.
AHS advises everyone to avoid contact with the blooms at all costs. If contact occurs, wash the area with tap water as soon as possible. Also make sure to not feed your pets anything that comes from the lake and if you want to eat something yourself, AHS says only fish fillets are still safe. It is known that fish may store toxins in their liver.
Blue-green algae is naturally occurring, and often become visible when weather conditions are calm. Appearing like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of water, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) can be blue-green, greenish-brown, brown, and/or pinkish-red, and often smell musty or grassy.
People who come in contact with visible blue-green algae or who ingest water containing it, may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days. Symptoms in children are often more pronounced; however, all humans are at risk of these symptoms.
Weather and wind conditions can cause algae blooms to move from one location in the lake to another, but AHS is reminding everyone that areas where it is not visible are still safe for recreational purposes.