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.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is warning of a blue-green algae bloom at Penhorn Beach in Dartmouth. The city is warning people not to swim in the lake and to keep pets out as well. Lake users are urged to take the following precautions: Avoid water contact. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible. Do not swim or wade (or allow your pets to swim or wade) in the water. Avoid consuming water from the lake. Avoid consuming fish from the lake.
Swimmers are being asked to avoid Dartmouth's popular Lake Banook due to a possible blue-green algae bloom. A release from the Halifax Regional Municipality Sunday afternoon announced a risk advisory was in effect for Birch Cove Beach, and people were asked to avoid swimming there until further notice. City staff are currently investigating whether or not it is a toxin-producing algae, the release said. Blue-green algae naturally occurs in freshwater environments and can multiply rapidly during the summer, leading to extensive growth called a bloom. Some types of this algae produce toxins during blooms and those toxins may leak into the water when the bloom fades, the release said.
