Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
A team of experts is working to better understand the spread of blue-green algae in Alberta lakes by combining satellite technology with near-simultaneous water sampling. The project, funded through Alberta Innovates, is a collaboration between several groups, including Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS), the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), and researcher Rolf Vinebrooke from the University of Alberta.
Two advisories, one for blue-green algae and another for fecal bacteria levels, have now been issued for the waters of Lac La Biche lake in the days leading up to the Canada Day weekend. Alberta Health Services (AHS) officials issued a blue-green algae advisory on Thursday, warning that areas of the lake were affected by an outbreak of the naturally-occurring bacteria that can appear on the surface as a green, blue, pink or brown-tinged "scum" or "glob". Human contact with blue-green algae can cause irritation to skin and the eyes. It can also cause nausea and diarrhea. The symptoms are more prominent in children, and can appear within a few hours of water contact. Ingestion of water with the bacteria can be fatal to pets.
