Moira Lake (sampled on Oct 6 2015)

Ministry of the Environment
and Climate Change
Ministère de l'Environnement et de
l’Action en matière de changement
climatique
Environmental Monitoring and
Reporting Branch
Direction de la Surveillance
Environnmentale
125 Resources Road
Etobicoke ON M9P 3V6
Tel.: 416 235-6300
Fax: 416 235-6235
125, chemin Resources
Etobicoke ON M9P 3V6
Tél. : 416 235-6300
Téléc. : 416 235-6235
October 7, 2015
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Shannon M. Kelly
Belleville District Office
Eastern Region
FROM:
Kaoru Utsumi
Phytoplankton Specialist
RE:
Algal identification of sample collected on 06-Oct-15 from Moira Lake (ML01)
Analysis of the sample indicated the presence of a bloom of blue-green algae, specifically
Anabaena and Microcystis. This determination was based on the amount of algal material
present in the submitted sample.
Many species of blue-green algae have the potential to produce toxins that are harmful to
the health of humans and animals.
The sample was submitted to Laboratory Services Branch for algal toxin analysis. Requests
for product code MCYST3469 will return ELISA results and MCYST3450 will return mass
spectrophoteometry results. ELISA is a screening test for total microcystins, a group of
algal toxins. Mass spectrophotometry measures individual variants of common algal toxins,
including microcystin-LR. The Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standard for microcystin-LR
is a maximum acceptable concentration of 1.5 micrograms per litre.
For more information, please contact Kaoru Utsumi at 416-327-2837 or
[email protected].
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