Blue-green algae advisory issued at Long and Black Nugget lakes

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued blue-green algae advisories for two lakes ahead of the long weekend.

AHS said algae had been discovered at Long Lake and Black Nugget Lake.

AHS is advising people to avoid all contact with cyanobacterial blooms and if contact occurs, to wash with tap water as soon as possible.

It is not recommended to allow your pets to swim or wade in any areas where cyanobacteria is visible and do feed whole fish or fish trimmings from these lakes to your pets.

People can still safely consume fish fillets from the lakes.

People who come in contact with visible cyanobacteria or who ingest water containing cyanobacteria may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days.

The waters of Long Lake and Black Nugget Lake in which the cyanobacterial bloom is not visible can still be used for recreational purposes.

Weather and wind conditions can cause algae blooms to move from one location to another. As such, the advisories will remain in effect at the lakes until further notice.