CRD warns of toxic algae blooms in 3 local lakes
The Capital Regional District is reminding would-be lake users that toxic algae blooms are ongoing in three different lakes across two regional parks.
As of Aug. 6, there were blue-green algae blooms at Prior Lake and Lower Thetis Lake in Thetis Lake Regional Park, as well as at Wrigglesworth Lake in Wrigglesworth Lake Regional Park.
"These algae are known toxin producers," the CRD said in an updated advisory on its website Saturday.
"Ingesting water containing these cyanotoxins may cause a range of symptoms – including headaches and abdominal pain in humans – and can lead to lethal liver damage in dogs."
The CRD advises park visitors to avoid swimming in the specified lakes, and to keep animals on leash to prevent them from drinking or swimming in the lakes.
Blue-green algae typically appears as a visible sheen on the water, but not all blooms are easy to see, and toxins can still be present even if a bloom is not visible, the CRD said.
Algae blooms have been a recurring problem in Elk and Beaver lakes in recent years, to the point that the CRD has launched a remediation project aimed at oxygenating the lakes.
The most recent updates on the project website suggest the system will be operational by next summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.