The Nova Scotia government has detected blue-green algae in Oat Hill Lake in Dartmouth,&nbsp;Armstrong Lake and Lake Torment in Kings County,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Covey Lake in Lunenburg County.

The algae produces toxins that can cause illness in humans and can be fatal to pets.

Blue-green algae occurs in all parts of Nova Scotia and once it appears in a body of water, it will bloom again when the conditions are right.

Nova Scotia is likely to see more&nbsp;blooms with increasing climate change

 and incidences of extreme heat and precipitation.

How to find out about blue-green algae blooms

Nova Scotia's&nbsp;Department of Environment and Climate Change posts a&nbsp;

list of potential blue-green algae blooms

&nbsp;online and shares reports on social media

The province's website on&nbsp;blue-green algae&nbsp;says it can appear&nbsp;turquoise, green, brown, red, white or a mix&nbsp;of these colours. It says&nbsp;blooms can "look like fine grass clippings in the water, spilled paint or pea soup," and can&nbsp;sometimes appear as&nbsp;a thick scum on the surface.

Once dried, the province says&nbsp;blue-green algae can&nbsp;appear brown or grey.&nbsp;Animals are attracted to the scent&nbsp;and may try to eat it. It says to keep&nbsp;children and pets away from algae mats.

People and pets shouldn't drink, swim, bathe, shower or brush&nbsp;teeth with the water.

Anyone who has inadvertently come into contact with blue-green algae is&nbsp;advised by the province to&nbsp;wash themselves and any items that have come in contact with it.

Nova Scotia government announces plans to build 8 schools

The Tory government has released an annual capital plan for building new schools that includes eight new buildings over the next five years, although details about most of those projects remain scarce.

A man with glasses stands outside a school.

Blair Lipsett, chair of the New Germany Rural High School school advisory council, stands outside New Germany Elementary School. The provincial government announced plans Friday to build a new school that would combine the two schools.

Blair Lipsett

Officials knew of wildfire risk in Upper Tantallon for years but did nothing, say residents

The province and Halifax Regional Municipality have known for years that Westwood Hills was an extreme fire risk, and there were recommendations from earlier reports that residents say no one acted on.

A white man with a beard and blue t-shirt stands in the woods with green trees behind him

Nick Horne is a Westwood Hills resident and former vice-president of the community's residents' association. He says he's pushed for years for the city to build a bridge over existing foundations and create an emergency exit from the area.

nick horne

The view from the river bed looking up at the concrete foundations of an old bridge surrounded by trees

The remains of a former bridge across a river near Westwood Hills in Upper Tantallon. There has been a plan for years to install a new bridge and create an emergency exit to a nearby secondary road, but nothing has happened yet.

westwood hills bridge

High-risk sex offender to relocate to Pictou County area

The Mounties say Michael Russell has been released after serving his full term and plans to reside in the Scotsburn area. He was convicted of sexual interference in 2020.

A man is seen in a mug shot with downturned eyes, thinning hair and a goatee. He's wearing a blue shirt.

In 2020, Michael Russell was convicted on sexual interference and sentenced to around three-and-a-half years in a federal prison

Michael Russell high risk sex offender from Ontario

Weekend showcase aims to attract waves of kelp connoisseurs

Products made from kelp harvested in Nova Scotia will be showcased at the Halifax Brewery Market this weekend.

A man steps over some rocks at the shore with kelp in his hands. It is overcast.

Darron Hill harvests kelp in Nova Scotia for his company Scotia Kelp

Darron Hill 

Darron Hill harvests kelp in Nova Scotia for his company Scotia Kelp.

Province offers $150K reward in Cape Breton homicide case

The Nova Scotia government says it will pay a reward of up to $150,000 for information on the homicide of Debbie Ann Hutchinson, a Cape Breton woman who went missing six years ago.

Province says blue-green algae detected in 4 Nova Scotia lakes

How to find out about blue-green algae blooms

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