Severn Dam Lake, normally a picturesque prairie lake, has a Health Advisory in effect. Alberta Health Services has identified blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, in the lake. Though naturally occurring, blue-green algae can cause irritation, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps,liver damage, severe illness, or even death.

   Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued a Health Advisory for Severn Dam Lake, located between the villages of Rosebud and Standard.
    Recently, AHS identified a high concentration of blue-green algae, otherwise known as cyanobacteria, in the lake.
    As of this time AHS cannot say when the lake will be clear again.
    “There are very different types of algae, so we can’t say for certain how long that condition will persist in a lake. Once we notice a bloom, we leave an advisory on the lake for the rest of the year,” said Dr. Ifeoma Achebe, a medical officer with AHS Central Zone. “Sometimes it takes weeks to clear and other times months.”
    Residents living close to the lake and visitors are being cautioned to avoid swimming in or drinking from the lake and to keep children, pets, and livestock away from the water. Residents are advised to avoid any contact with algal blooms that have washed up on the shoreline.
    Blue-green algae can produce a potent toxin with can present a health risk to humans and animals.
    “The toxin can be harmful to health. When they come into contact with the skin, they can cause rashes, irritation, redness in the eye, and allergic reactions,” said Dr. Achebe. “When it’s ingested it can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, headache, muscle pain, and prolonged exposure can cause liver damage or death. It’s harmful to animals that drink from it, too.”
    Boiling the water does not remove or destroy the toxins produced by blue-green algae.
    Blue-green algae is occurs naturally in lakes and ponds. Algae blooms appear as a bluish-green scum, the consistency of pea soup, on the water surface and have a musty odour. Normally the algae occurs in small concentrations, but multiply rapidly under the right conditions.
    “Blue-green algae are found naturally in many lakes and ponds, but given the right conditions, they start to multiply and form blooms. Some of the conditions might be hot weather, a chemical imbalance, such as too much phosphorous or nitrogen. So many things contribute to make conditions favourable for blooms to form,” said Dr. Achebe. “It’s not just a problem in Severn Lake. We have a few others that are under an advisory,”
    If contact occurs, wash with clean water as soon as possible. Anyone experiencing illness after contact or ingestion is advised to seek immediate medical attention.
    AHS is asking residents to contact them should they suspect blue-green algae blooms in other lakes.
    “If you suspect a lake has an algae bloom problem, stay away from the lake and do not drink the water. Then call the Health Link number and we can send someone out to see if there is a problem,” said Dr. Achebe.
    Health Link can be contact at 1-866-408-5465.

Mayor Terry Yemen, right, and Dr. Richard Starke, Minister of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation meet during the flood in June. After lobbying the provincial government, Yemen has received word from Starke that the Chair of the Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force, Andre Corbould, will be conducting an assessment of Drumheller.

   The Town of Drumheller continues to lobby the province to reconsider a province-wide development ban in areas it considers floodways or redraw Drumheller’s flood hazard map.
    Some headway has been made, the province is reported to be sending Andre Corbould, Chief Assistant Deputy Minister of the Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force, to perform an assessment of Drumheller.
    Mayor Terry Yemen was informed of the visit after a conversation with Dr. Richard Starke, Minister of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation.
    “He advised that Andre Corbould, Chairperson for the Recovery Task Force, would be in Drumheller within the next couple of weeks to do an onsite assessment,” said Yemen. “The one-size isn’t going to fit all, so hopefully we’ll get some common sense out of the government,” said Yemen.
    Corbould, a retired brigadier-general in the Canadian Armed Forces, was appointed to chair the Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force following the floods in June. Corbould, then with the military, was deployed to assist with Winnipeg’s flood response in 1997.
    Corbould could not be reached for comment.
    Drumheller isn’t the only municipality demanding the province change its proposal. The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) met in Okotoks on August 7.
    “They wanted to give everyone a little bit of an overview and talk about the issues,” said Yemen. “We spoke loudly about our issues. I think as a result, because I told them I wasn’t having any luck getting a hold of the government, Minister Starke called me that night and told me Corbould was coming.”
    Though the AUMA will lobby on behalf of the province’s municipalities, the Town of Drumheller will continue its own efforts.
    “They’re (the AUMA) going to take the issues forward, but that’s not to say we’re going to sit back either. I’m going to push our own agenda and not wait for the AUMA,” said Yemen.
    The Town has been lobbying the province since Municipal Affairs Minister Dough Griffiths proposed several policies to help reduce flood damage in the future. One of the proposals would ban new developments in areas marked as floodways. Large parts of the Drumheller Valley are considered to be in floodways.
    “The vast majority of houses in Drumheller didn’t flood, a lot not even in 2005, so why put them in a floodway?” said Yemen. “Help the people who need it, the ones who flooded, and leave the rest of us alone.”
    To see if your property is in the floodway, visit www.envinfo.gov.ab.ca/floodhazard.