CENTRE WELLINGTON – The beach at the Belwood Lake Conservation Area has been closed due to the presence of blue-green algae.
“The closure is expected to be in effect until after the algae bloom has dispersed,” stated an Aug. 27 press release from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).
The announcement comes one week after the GRCA closed the beach at Conestogo Lake Conservation Area in Mapleton for the remainder of the summer due to a blue-green algae bloom and reduced water levels.
GRCA officials say they closed the Belwood Lake beach, part of a one-acre spring-fed quarry within the conservation area, on the recommendation of public health officials.
A late-July notice of a blue-green algae bloom in the Belwood Lake reservoir remains in effect, the GRCA added.
Blue-green algae is discovered pretty much every summer at Belwood Lake, Conestogo Lake and/or Guelph Lake, as hot weather creates “the perfect conditions” for it to grow in large bodies of water, officials say.
Officials say visitors, recreational users and cottagers on Belwood Lake and Conestogo Lake should take the following precautions:
- keep children and pets away from the algae;
- avoid contact with the algae;
- don’t eat fish from the lake; and
- don’t use the water for drinking or any other purpose.
Anyone with health-related questions can contact public health.
For more information visit the GRCA website.
