H2O: Ideas & Action for Canada's Water

I’m always interested in learning what is happening regarding blue-green algae blooms in other parts of the world. It is a growing concern in many areas and I think we may be able to learn about effective interventions from others who have experienced similar challenges.

Blue-green algae at Pine Dock on Lake Winnipeg, photo courtesy of EICD

I was encouraged to see a new Facebook page that just started recently, https://www.facebook.com/toxicbluegreenalgae/timeline which is featuring news items from many different locales, including USA, Australia, Great Britain. It is easy to get a snapshot from this page of the extent of the concerns. One of the most striking is the reference to the hazards of bioaccumulation of the toxin, BMAA, which is now thought to be one of the contributors to motor neuron disease, ALS. I have not been able to ascertain whether BMAA has been found to be present in any of the blue-green algae blooms in Manitoba or elsewhere in Canada. It may be that no one is testing for that yet . I will make enquiries and report any findings.

So if you are interested in learning more about the world wide experience with blue-green algae blooms check out the Toxic Blue Green Algae Awareness page on Facebook.