Omemee Pigeon eFlyer: water safety

Showing posts with label water safety. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Water Safe: Health Unit Lifts Advisory

Health Unit Lifts Sturgeon Lake Water Advisory

(CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES) – Sturgeon Lake residents, near Fenelon Falls, have the go ahead to start using their water again.

Water samples collected by the Ministry of the Environment show blue-green algae present in the Ellery Bay section of Sturgeon Lake no longer produces the toxin which poses human health risks.

Today,Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit lifted an advisory that urged people drawing water from the Ellery Bay section of Sturgeon Lake to find an alternate source of water. The precaution was issued a June 21st, after a blue-green algae bloom was detected in a bay called ‘The Lagoon,’ which fronts onto Wychwood Drive East in Fenelon.

Flue-green algae naturally-occurs in fresh water lakes. However, it can produce toxins harmful to people and animals,when it is dying, or disturbed.

‘The test results show the water is safe to use again for all purposes, including drinking, cooking, washing, bathing and swimming,’says Anne Alexander, Director of Environmental Health with the HKPR District Health Unit.

The Health Unit’s original water-use warning for this section of Sturgeon Lake did not affect people who use municipal water systems, or those residents who draw water from drilled wells that are not impacted by surface water.
While the danger of the blue-green algae may be over, Alexander reminds people about the importance of using a proper water treatment system when taking surface water from a lake, river or stream.

‘Surface water can be contaminated by viruses, bacteria and parasites that are invisible to the eye,’ Alexander warns, adding, ‘that is why it is essential that people always use the proper water treatment systems, that include filtration and disinfection, to ensure contaminants are removed before drinking the water.’

For more information, contact the Health Unit at 1-866-888-4577 or visit www.hkpr.on.ca.