Keep pets out of Wood Lake in Lake Country as algae bloom continues: IH

Interior Health continues to warn residents to stay out of the water where an algae bloom is visible on Wood Lake in Lake Country.

Lake Country residents have continuously reported the smelly algae bloom through social media since April.

The health authority said via email the bloom is still active and the public should avoid contact with it, as well as avoiding drinking from the lake and to keep pets and livestock from drinking from the lake.

Interior Health said it was conducting tests and will provide an update when it has the results.

READ MORE: Interior Health warns of potentially harmful algae bloom on Wood Lake

The District of Lake Country will be posting signage at the beaches, the health authority said. The District of Lake Country has yet to return a request for comment.

The Ministry of Environment said in an emailed statement algae blooms are common phenomenon that occur in lakes across the province during summer and early fall and the ministry is monitoring the event. The Ministry of Natural Resource Operations is also monitoring the event.

The province recently launched a website to help identify algae blooms on lakes.

The Algae Watch website has a submission tool that helps to identify a possible algae bloom, while aiding the province in keeping tabs on lake health.

READ MORE: New reporting tool to identify potentially harmful algae in B.C. lakes

The new reporting tool is an effort to engage people to help limnologists track when blooms occur and what the causes might be, according to the ministry.

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