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.
Jordan Eleniak, a Métis student who grew up in Lac La Biche, doesn't recall a summer without a blue-green algae bloom. He designed a bacterial fuel cell to help communities forecast them. Blue-green algae are also known as cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae blooms are a natural phenomenon, but when they reach excessive levels, they can become toxic to the environment and to aquatic animals.
The tap water in the Regina and Moose Jaw areas might smell funky and taste a little off these days, but the people responsible for the water say it's still safe to drink. There has been a prolonged and severe bloom of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) at Buffalo Pound Lake, which is where the tap water comes from, "These organisms produce some compounds, chemical compounds, that produce the taste and odours that people describe as algae or musty," said Blair Kardash, who is the laboratory manager at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.
Mooney's Bay beach has been closed as the city investigates a potentially harmful blue-green algae bloom on the water. Blue-green algae are a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that can form large blooms on water, said Emily Morrison, program manager of the healthy environments team at Ottawa Public Health (OPH).
It's part of the city's monitoring for cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, in the water supply for the province's largest metro area. The photosynthetic bacteria can be found in many waterways and isn't necessarily harmful, but some types can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. The discovery of cyanobacteria in the reservoir six years ago triggered a multimillion-dollar research and upgrade effort that's ongoing.
It happens every summer: blue-green algae bloom into vast blankets of colourful scum in lakes, disrupting ecosystems and potentially exposing people to toxins. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, act as single-celled microscopic plants fuelled by high temperatures and nutrients often found in chemical runoff.
Edmonton resident Jill Hunter was surprised to find visible blooms of blue-green algae along the shore when she arrived at Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park on Wednesday. "This seems really early," Hunter said, after canoeing at the popular swimming and recreation area 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Rolf Vinebrooke, a professor of fresh water ecology at the University of Alberta, agrees.
It was widely believed that cyanobacteria wasn't in lakes far north in Saskatchewan because the water was too cold, but a Grade 11 student at the Clearwater River Dene School is disproving those theories. Ava Haynes' research on cyanobacteria — also known as blue-green algae — in lakes near her home community in northwestern Saskatchewan earned her a Bronze Excellence Award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton last month.
Although it isn't quite summer yet, blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is already showing up in New Brunswick waterways. Meghann Bruce, a researcher and instructor with the University of New Brunswick Canadian Rivers Institute, said as soon as the ice went out in early May, there was a "bloom" in Blue Bell Lake near Grand Falls.
Chances are high that you saw it over the summer at your favourite lake: thick scum on the water’s surface, often resembling pea soup. Blue-green algae (also called cyanobacteria) can render water unsafe for swimming and often makes people, pets, livestock, and wildlife sick. In July, Nova Scotia listed 26 waterways suspected to have blue-green algae blooms. Officials with Alberta Health Services identified blue-green algae in areas of Camp Lake, east of Edmonton, and Haunted Lake (an ironic name for a place fouled by the sinister sludge), east of Red Deer. The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued a blue-green algae warning for Little Manitou Lake, southeast of Saskatoon. British Columbia’s Capital Regional District saw toxic algae blooms in three different lakes across two regional parks in August.
Halifax Regional Municipality is warning people to avoid swimming at Cunard Lake Beach in Halifax due to a possible blue-green algae bloom. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are microscopic bacteria that live in surface water like lakes, ponds, rivers and streams that can be dangerous to people and pets. The organisms can multiply rapidly during the hot summer months and may release toxins into the water when the blooms die.
As glorious as Alberta summers can be, they come with their own set of problems, like blue-green algae. Unfortunately for eager campers and swimmers, the blooms — which happen every year — can effectively shut down lakes. So, what exactly is blue-green algae? Blue-green algae or cyanobacteria forms in slow-moving, shallow waters and is usually the result of an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are essential for plant growth, but big blooms of the bacteria are largely caused by human activity like agriculture or residential development.
A new public education campaign will help Nova Scotians become more aware of blue-green algae when enjoying the province’s outdoors with the arrival of warmer weather. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are naturally occurring in fresh water like lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. They can flourish in water high in nutrients, especially during hot, dry conditions. The bacteria can be harmful to people and fatal for animals, so it is important that Nova Scotians know what to look for and how to protect themselves, their families and pets.
A blue-green algae risk advisory previously in effect for Birch Cove Beach at Dartmouth's Lake Banook has been lifted, according to a release Wednesday from the Halifax Regional Municipality. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, occurs in freshwater environments and can multiply rapidly during the summer. Some types of blue-green algae produce toxins during blooms. Toxins may be released into the water when the blooms decay. However, test results showed no toxin-producing blue-green algae in samples collected.
An associate professor of biology at the University of New Brunswick is warning residents about blue-green algae popping up along the St. John River this summer. Janice Lawrence says mats of cyanobacteria will probably start lifting off the river bottom and washing ashore any day now. "That's when they become dangerous," said Lawrence, who has been studying blue-green algae along the St. John River for the past three years.
Tri Nguyen-Quang, an engineering professor whose research includes water quality and management, collected samples of the lake water around the shoreline last week. "I think there is some very harmful substance, chemical substance in the water. But that I don't know yet," Nguyen-Quang said Monday. "So far, just the impression that … something is not normal there."
The Department of Environment and local veterinarians are pointing to blue-green algae as one of the most likely causes of contamination at Grand Lake, N.S., that led to the death of two dogs and one person being hospitalized this week. An alert was issued early Thursday morning warning all residents who take water directly from Grand Lake to stop using the water immediately. Residents near Grand Lake who don't receive water from a municipal utility are advised not to consume their water, or use it for cooking, bathing, swimming or boating, until told otherwise.
A bacteria blamed in previous years for killing dogs that consumed it will be investigated as a potential cause of a mystery neurological brain disease observed in New Brunswick that has killed six people, says a researcher involved in the work. Researchers studying the disease plan on looking at cyanobacteria — also known as blue-green algae — and another toxin present in the region to see if there's a link between them and the disease, said Dr. Neil Cashman, a professor in the University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine, who's helping investigate the illness.
A small Indigenous community based in the South Coast community of Kingcome Inlet, B.C., has been evacuated after blue-green algae was found in its well water. Chief Willie Moon of the Dzawada'enuxw First Nation says the decision was made last Thursday, Feb. 13, to evacuate around 60 people after tests from the First Nations Health Authority confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria. "Last summer people were complaining about the smell of the water," said Moon. "We don't know how long we've been exposed to this bacteria."
Moncton plans to spend $6 million this winter to upgrade its water treatment plant, the first phase of a plan to deal with cyanobacteria in the municipal water supply. Cyanobacteria was found in 2017 in the Turtle Creek watershed, the drinking water source for Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can form blooms and produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. The water remains safe to drink and the multimillion dollar upgrades are meant to keep it that way.
