An algae bloom has washed up on the show of the Williams Lake.
Interior Health was notified in early September of the bloom and conducted field tests to determine the level of algal toxin produced by the bloom.
All field tests came back “non-detect,” meaning that the algae were not producing any toxin.
Interior Health also sent algae samples to the lab for testing, and the results confirmed that the toxin levels were below the established provincial and federal guidelines for drinking water and recreational water.
Jennifer Jacobson, a team leader with Environmental Health, says that people should still be cautious of the bloom.
“We just advise people not to swim or drink the water in the areas weather the toxin is active,” she said. “The amount of toxin production in the algae bloom can fluctuate over time.”
Jacobson said that algae blooms could take quite a while before disappearing.
“They can last quite a while. It really varies on the number of nutrients in the water body, and what’s available to the bloom, it is also determined by temperature,” she said. “We would expect that this one will start to dissipate pretty soon.”
Interior Health said it would continue to monitor the bloom until it dissipates.