Municipal water available at filling station
9:30 a.m. on June 21
Residents of Sunnyside Road who have recently been advised to avoid drawing household water from a section of Long Lake are reminded that municipally treated drinking water is available free of charge at a filling station, located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Countryside Drive and the entrance to the Countryside Sports Complex, 235 Countryside Dr., according to a news release from the City of Greater Sudbury.
Residents must supply their own containers.
The City of Greater Sudbury continues to work in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, the Nickel District Conservation Authority and the Sudbury and District Health Unit to monitor Long Lake and other municipal waterways for the presence of blue green algae.
For more information regarding the Long Lake algal bloom, please visit the Sudbury and District Health Unit website at www.sdhu.com
Original story
The Ministry of the Environment has advised the Sudbury & District Health Unit that test results from Long Lake are positive for cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae.
Samples were taken in the area of 1200 to 1400 Sunnyside Road, and have been shown to contain a species of cyanobacteria that can produce toxins.
Blue-green algal blooms could also appear in other parts of the lake. Because blooms are not anchored, they can move from one location to another through wind and water action. New blooms can also form. All residents on the lake should look for blooms in their area, the Health Unit advised.
Blue-green algal blooms have an unsightly pea soup appearance and foul smell, and can produce toxins. Because the algae can produce toxins, residents should avoid using or drinking water from areas where bloom are visible.
The highest concentrations of toxins are usually found in blooms and scum on the shoreline. These dense accumulations pose the greatest potential risks to people and pets.
Algae toxins can irritate a person’s skin and, if ingested, cause diarrhea and vomiting. If a person ingests high levels of toxin, they could suffer liver and nervous system damage.
The Health Unit advises people using lakes and rivers to be on the lookout for algal blooms. If you see a bloom near your property or water intake line:
-Avoid using the water for drinking, bathing, or showering, and do not allow children, pets, or livestock to drink or swim in the bloom.
-Be aware that shallow drinking water intake pipes can pump in blue-green algae.
-Do not boil the water or treat it with a disinfectant, like bleach, because it breaks open the algae cells, which releases more toxins into the water.
-Avoid cooking with the water because food may absorb toxins from the water during cooking.
-Exercise caution with respect to eating fish caught in water where blue-green algal blooms occur. Residents should not eat the liver, kidneys, and other organs of fish caught in the water.
-Do not rely on water jug filtration systems as they may not protect against the toxins.
On lakes and rivers where blue-green algal blooms are confirmed, people who use the surface water for their private drinking water supply may wish to consider an alternate, protected source of water.
For more information, please call the Sudbury & District Health Unit at 705.522.9200, ext. 398 or visit our website at sdhu.com.
Posted by Mark Gentili
