Still no swimming at Squamish's Alice Lake this weekend due to algae bloom

A blue-green algae bloom is seen at Alice Lake in this image handed out by Vancouver Coastal Health.

While warm and sunny weather is in the forecast over the Labour Day long weekend, people looking to cool off in a local swimming spot are being warned not to do so at Alice Lake in Squamish, B.C.

In an information bulletin Friday, Vancouver Coastal Health said a “not suitable for swimming” advisory remains in place at the lake within the popular provincial park of the same name. That’s due to a bloom of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria.

Officials say the advisory, which has been in place since Aug. 20, is the first ever issued in the region due to blue-green algae.

The microscopic organisms naturally pop up in lakes, ponds and streams, and some produce cyanotoxins, which can harm humans and animals, the health authority explains.

“With conditions that include calm water, high temperatures and an increase in nutrients such as phosphorus, populations of cyanobacteria can rapidly increase to form a large mass or scum, called a bloom,” VCH wrote. “Scientists believe increasing temperatures and more intense storms due to climate change are causing an increase in algal blooms.”

Exposure to cyanobacteria can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever in humans and pets. Anyone who comes into contact with the algae is advised to rinse off with clean water.

Officials say drinking water in Alice Lake Provincial Park is safe to drink as it comes from wells unaffected by the algae.

And while Alice Lake is closed to swimming, the health authority says there’s no evidence to date of blooms at the other lakes in and around the park. Alternative swimming spots in the provincial park include Stump, Fawn and Edith lakes.

Elsewhere in the VCH region, a no-swimming advisory has been in place since Aug. 15 at Trout Lake in East Vancouver due to high E.coli.