The NWT government says it’s installing updated warning signs to deter residents from swimming or fishing in Yellowknife’s Jackfish Lake over arsenic and algae concerns.
Neither of those concerns is new. The lake, on which the city’s diesel power plant is based, has long been considered unsafe for recreational use.
Blue-green algae, which can be toxic, has been a known issue in the lake since at least 2013, causing algal blooms in some conditions during warm summer months like August and September.
“If you see a bloom, assume it contains toxins,” the territorial government stated in a Thursday news release. The overarching message of that news release was to avoid the lake, particularly drinking or swimming in untreated water, and keep children and pets well away. (You also cannot boil water containing algal bloom to solve the problem, the GNWT said. Doing so “will not remove toxins and may make them more concentrated.”)
The impetus for the news release was not immediately clear – such as whether anyone had been recently discovered swimming or fishing in the lake – but the territory said “updated warning signage will be installed around Jackfish Lake within the next couple of weeks.”
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Jackfish is just one of a number of Yellowknife-area lakes considered to have elevated arsenic levels through historical gold mining activities.
The GNWT says you should avoid swimming, fishing or harvesting berries, mushrooms or other edible plants in and around:
- Jackfish Lake
- David Lake
- Fox Lake
- Frame Lake
- Gar Lake
- Handle Lake
- Kam Lake
- Niven Lake
- Peg Lake
- Meg Lake
- Rat Lake
More information can be found on the GNWT’s website.
