With a long weekend coming up, a lot of families will have trips to the beach on the agenda. Some of those trips may need to be re-thought, however, including to a beach in WestMan due to an update from the provincial government.
In a social media post, the Government of Manitoba said testing for algal blooms had “exceeded recreational water quality objectives” at several beaches around the province. One of those was Sandy Lake Beach.
“When algal blooms are visible, avoid swimming and prevent pets from drinking water along these shorelines,” reads a social media post from the province.
According to the province’s website, E. coli levels at the beach are acceptable as of the last test on July 8, and microcystins are acceptable as of more recent testing on July 28. Cyanobacteria levels, however (also tested on July 28) exceeded the objective, leading to an algae advisory.
Blue green algae limits have also been exceeded at Brereton Lake South Beach, Hoopers Lake Beach, Lake Minnedosa Beach, Plum Coulee Beach, Rivers Reservoir Beach, and Stephenfield Reservoir Beach.
On their website, the province notes that during algal blooms, the water sometimes looks like thick pea soup and may emit a strong, unpleasant odour. Swimming is not advisable in lakes with algal blooms because the toxins from these blooms can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, skin and eye irritation, fever, and allergic reactions. In addition, it’s also possible for exposure or consumption to be fatal to pets. Drinking the water is certainly not recommended, even after boiling.
