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Interior Health is warning of a potentially harmful algae bloom on Wood Lake.
"While most algal blooms are harmless, some species have the potential to produce toxins that can be harmful to humans," IH says.
Residents and visitors to Wood Lake are advised to avoid all direct contact with the bloom, not consume drinking water directly from the lake, or to swim or wade in any areas where the bloom is visible.
Owners should provide pets and livestock with a safe alternative source of drinking water.
Algal blooms containing cyanobacteria may produce harmful toxins.
Consuming or coming into contact with water contaminated with cyanotoxins can cause a range of symptoms including: headaches, nausea, fever, sore throat, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle aches, mouth ulcers, blistering of the lips, skin rashes and irritation of the ears and eyes. It is important that you rinse your body with clean water immediately after exposure to contaminated water. Rinsing is recommended even without symptoms.
If you are showing any of the symptoms listed above and believe they may be from exposure to cyanobacteria, see your health care provider, IH advises.
The condition of Wood Lake has had many locals scratching their heads for days.
The popular lake between Oyama and Winfield in Lake Country has turned a murky pea soup green in many areas around the shore.
"What is going on with Wood Lake? This goes around the whole perimeter," Mel Farrell posted in the Lake Country One Community Facebook group. "It’s just thick, you can’t see through it ... it's disgusting."
"Wood Lake in Oyama more resembles green pea soup. It is thoroughly disgusting along the shorelines," Russ Bennett said in an email to Castanet.
Bennett, whose home overlooks the lake and who walks his dogs along the rail trail beside the lake, said his dogs "went for a dip the other day and came out covered in slime."
"It doesn't seem to be at the north end by the beach area, but it's along both sides of lake," he added.
District of Lake Country spokesperson Karen Miller confirms the cause is a naturally occurring algae bloom.
Drinking water sampling/testing is done by the District of Lake Country water quality technician in conjunction with Interior Health, Miller adds.
Corinne Jackson with the Okanagan Basin Water Board says microscopic blue-green algae or cyanobacteria are a natural part of the ecology of our lakes.
The conditions that trigger the blooms are forecast to become a more-frequent occurrence due to climate change, but she notes only about 5% of such algal blooms produce toxins.
Increased development, and the resulting nutrients are one of the causes of sudden excessive algae growth, which occurs under the right conditions of light, temperature, nutrients and pH.
If you see an algal bloom, contact the provincial RAPP line toll-free at 1-877-952-7277.
