Lake Winnipeg taken over by blue green algae bloom [Video]

People who were hoping to enjoy some time in Lake Winnipeg were hit with a major surprise when they arrived Monday, as an algae bloom has taken over the water.

Zach Friesen thought it was a perfect day to go for a swim at Winnipeg Beach, but that quickly changed.

“It smells like a ditch,” Friesen said.

The smell is coming from the algae. A bloom of blue green algae emerged over the weekend across the north and south basin of Lake Winnipeg, and it’s left a green line along the beach.

“Out on the lake, it’s choppy today. The wind is still blowing and stirring it up, so it doesn’t look too bad. But in (the marina) there’s no movement, so it really looks bad. It’s disgusting,” said Joe Clifton, who was fishing in Lake Winnipeg.

Alexis Kanu from Lake Winnipeg Foundation said algae conditions have been lower than average, but they jumped up in the …