N.S. government says blue-green algae toxins detected in Grand Lake
Eric and Ellen Levin have lived on the shore of Nova Scotia’s Grand Lake for 13 years.
The recent advisory warning against using water from the lake for any purpose, means they’ve been using bottled water for everything from making tea to washing dishes for the past five days.
The couple have been getting their bottled water and taking showers at the East Hants Aquatic Centre.
“It’s like camping out”, laughs Ellen.
“You don’t realize how much water you use, until you’re restricted,” says Eric.
While they are managing, they've been concerned about the long wait for information as to just what is causing the problem.
“This is the problem, the lack of information that’s getting to us,” says Eric.
“We were told to shut down, we did that straight away, and then we’re waiting to hear, we’re hearing nothing.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the province provided an update on its investigation.
“The National Research Council lab did confirm that there are the microorganisms, the toxins associated with blue-green algae that were collected on Friday,” said Julie Towers, deputy minister of the provincial Department of Environment and Climate Change.
“At least at this point in time, we do know that blue-green algae did occur, there was a bloom.”
Towers said staff tested the actual algae material found at the lake.
The Department also said in a news release that the samples showed “evidence of blue-green algae consistent with levels found to be dangerous to dogs.”
Last Thursday the province told residents to stop using water from Grand Lake for any activities - including drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing, and swimming - for both people and pets.
The advisory was issued after a woman was sent to hospital and her two dogs died after coming into contact with the water at Grand Lake in the Oakfield, N.S. area.
But Towers stopped short of making a direct connection between those incidents and the blue-green algae bloom, saying the province was awaiting further test results looking for the presence of any chemicals in the lake. She also said the department is waiting for necropsy results on the dead dogs.
Towers said those results should be back soon.
“That will let us know what other requirements may or may not be needed, but knowing that there has been blue-green algae confirmed, that means people should be cautious,” Towers said.
Residents on municipal water in both Halifax and East Hants have been told their water supply is safe.
But those who draw water from the lake, or who have shallow wells within 60 metres of it, can get clean drinking water and use of shower facilities at the East Hants Aquatic Center.
According to the municipality’s Director of Infrastructure and Operations, more than 160 people have used that service so far.
“And right now, our plan looks very sustainable for at least the coming week,” says Jesse Hulsman.
On Monday, algae researcher Tri Nguyen-Quang of Dalhousie University’s Biofluids and Biosystems Modeling Lab told CTV News he took water samples from Grand Lake and nearby Fish Lake late Friday afternoon, and found “there was no presence of cyanotoxins in the water sample.”
Those toxins are normally created by the exponential cyanobacteria growth characteristic of an algae bloom.
But Tuesday, he says that only means the water was clear at that particular location at that particular moment on a very large lake.
“What would be the source of contamination for Grand Lake?” he asks. “We should take more samples, we should take more surveys, regularly.”
Towers asked residents who spot any kind of algae bloom in Grand Lake to notify the Department of Environment. She also said the department is putting together a plan to monitor the lake’s water quality moving forward.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.