PEOPLE have been advised to avoid Deep Lake near Derrinallum after tests confirmed blue-green algae at the lake.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The lake is a popular boating and fishing spot and had provided an alternative to Lake Bullen Merri, where blue-green algae levels remain high.
Corangamite Shire environment officer Kristie King urged people to observe the warning signs now installed at Deep Lake and Lake Bullen Merri.
“Contact with the water at Lake Bullen Merri and Deep Lake can cause a range of health impacts including skin irritation, vomiting and asthma-like symptoms,” she said.
“The bloom at Lake Bullen Merri is of particular concern, with tests revealing very high levels of Nodularia spumigena. This species produces toxins which may cause liver damage and can be fatal to stock.”
Council advises people to avoid swimming, fishing and jet-skiing at Lake Bullen Merri and Deep Lake and to prevent pets and stock from drinking the water. Ms King said it was difficult to predict when blue-green algae concentrations would return to safe levels.
Meanwhile, Corang-amite Shire Council has removed warning signs Cobden Lake after testing this week confirmed blue- green algae levels had dropped and contact with the water was now safe.
