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Cottagers heading to lake are in luck

Cottagers heading to the lake this long weekend are in luck — there’s nothing lurking in the water.

Provincial officials said most beaches tested for E.coli this week were within recreational water quality guidelines and are safe to swim in. E.coli counts were briefly above the guidelines at Winnipeg and Patricia beaches on Aug. 30, but returned to normal levels on Sept. 1.

The number of blue-green algae cells was above the water quality guideline at Pelican Lake on Aug. 30, but the concentration of the toxin microcystin-LR was below guidelines at both the north and south beaches.

Algae blooms are difficult to predict, and can form or disperse quickly or last several weeks. Warm, calm weather combined with high nutrient loads provide ideal conditions for the blooms to develop.

Officials say swimmers should avoid water where severe algae blooms are visible and prevent pets from drinking water along the shoreline.

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