HALIFAX -- Many residents of the Halifax area may have been startled awake early Thursday morning by an emergency alert informing them of an unknown issue with a local water supply.
A drinking water alert from the province's emergency alerting system appeared on many residents’ cellphones and televisions at 12:43 a.m. on June 10.
“There is an unknown issue with the water in Grand Lake that has caused animals to die and has sent one citizen to hospital,” read the alert.
“Right now we want people to be careful and avoid contact with the water until we can find out exactly what is going on,” Julie Towers, Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of environment and climate change, told CTV News.
“Don’t swim, don’t boat, don’t let your pets run in there.”
The city says the cause of the issue is currently under investigation by the province.
In a release Thursday evening, the province says it is testing water samples taken from Grand Lake and Fish Lake, near the Wellington and Enfield areas, for two types of toxins produced by blue-green algae.
The samples will be sent to a private lab to test for pesticides, organic and inorganic materials, as well as petroleum hydrocarbons.
About 9,000 people in Halifax, Enfield, Elmsdale, Lantz and East Hants are supplied with water from the Grand Lake watershed through the East Hants Regional Water Utility.
Halifax Water issued a statement Thursday morning informing their tap water consumers that their water continues to be safe for normal use and consumption.
Halifax warns residents of 'unknown issue' with Grand Lake drinking water that sent one person to hospital | CTV News
A drinking water alert from the province's emergency alerting system appeared on many residents’ cellphones and televisions at 12:43 a.m. on June 10.
“There is an unknown issue with the water in Grand Lake that has caused animals to die and has sent one citizen to hospital,” read the alert.
“Right now we want people to be careful and avoid contact with the water until we can find out exactly what is going on,” Julie Towers, Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of environment and climate change, told CTV News.
“Don’t swim, don’t boat, don’t let your pets run in there.”
The city says the cause of the issue is currently under investigation by the province.
In a release Thursday evening, the province says it is testing water samples taken from Grand Lake and Fish Lake, near the Wellington and Enfield areas, for two types of toxins produced by blue-green algae.
The samples will be sent to a private lab to test for pesticides, organic and inorganic materials, as well as petroleum hydrocarbons.
About 9,000 people in Halifax, Enfield, Elmsdale, Lantz and East Hants are supplied with water from the Grand Lake watershed through the East Hants Regional Water Utility.
Halifax Water issued a statement Thursday morning informing their tap water consumers that their water continues to be safe for normal use and consumption.
Halifax warns residents of 'unknown issue' with Grand Lake drinking water that sent one person to hospital | CTV News
