Alberta Health’s toxic water advisory shutting down Gull Lake has left at least one person somewhat perplexed about the validity of the report stating the lake is contaminated with algae.
Alberta Health Services issued the advisory Aug. 21 and residents living near the shores of the lake, as well as visitors, are advised to not drink the water, nor swim or wade in the lake and avoid contact with algae on the shoreline.
Craig MacLeod, president of the Alberta Lake Management Society, who has a summer home at Meridian Beach on Gull Lake, is not convinced the numbers are correct.
“There is no evidence of any blooms,” he said. “The water is shining. It is better than ever.”
While MacLeod is not ready to swallow the report hook, line and sinker, he is not discrediting Alberta Health, but simply wants more clarification.
“We need to get our head around this, the numbers seem odd as there is no evidence of any blooms on the lake.”
But Deena Hinshaw, medical officer of health for the central zone of Alberta Health Services, said the algae in Gull Lake is more than two million cells per ml, 20 times over the acceptable level of 100,000 cells per ml as set out in the Canadian Guidelines for Recreational Water.
“The algae blooms don’t have to be on top to cause a problem,” she said. “While there is no surface blooms, the water is cloudy below the surface.”
The extremely high algae count prompted Alberta Health Services to issue the advisory, she said.
“It is our duty to provide the information and an advisory. We are not closing the lake, but making recommendations so the public can make safe choices.”
Hinshaw expects the advisory to be in effect for the rest of the summer.
Ice fishermen can still enjoy the sport without risk, she added. Fish caught in the winter should not be affected.
Margaret Glasford, a director of the Alberta Lake Management Society, said no blue-green algae advisory has been issued in the past regarding Gull Lake, but she recalled water skiing in the lake several years ago during a summer when the water was pea green, a sure sign algae was present, although perhaps not in numbers that exceeded the threshold.
Glasford said the report is sad news for all the families who use Gull Lake in the summer. “I am not super surprised, as it is happening (in other lakes) around us, but I am devastated. It is sad times.”
Glasford talked to one young mother with four children and the family dog who had come to the beach equipped with all sorts of water toys.
“I talked to her when I was walking on the beach. It such a downer and so sad for them; all those families with children.”
Gull Lake health concerns
With a blue-green algae advisory issued by Alberta Health Services for Gull Lake, residents living near the shores of Gull Lake, as well as visitors, are advised to take the following precautions
• Do not drink the water or allow pets to drink water. Boiling contaminated water does not remove toxins from the water.
• Do not swim or wade or allow pets to swim or wade in the lake.
• Avoid contact with blue-green algae along the shoreline.
• People may wish to limit their consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from this lake, as it is known that fish may store toxins in their liver.
• People can safely consume fish fillets from the lake
• People who come in contact with or ingest water containing toxic blue-green algae 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. For further information on blue-green algae, call Health Link Alberta at 1-866-408-5465.