Residents and cottagers living on South Lake in the Township of Minden Hills are being advised not to use lake water for any household purposes following a fuel oil spill.
On Tuesday (April 20), Lakelands Public Health issued a drinking water advisory for residents of the lake after fuel oil was released from a private property over the weekend.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has responded and is working with the property owner to contain the spill.
MECP has confirmed that a sheen of fuel is present on the lake’s surface but, due to changing wind conditions, the location of the sheen is shifting and cannot be fully contained.
Lakelands Public Health is advising residents and cottagers not to use lake water for drinking, cooking or food preparation (including washing fruits and vegetables), or personal hygiene (including brushing teeth, bathing, or showering).
The health unit also advises that boiling the water will not make it safe to use, and that residents should instead use bottled water or an alternative source of safe drinking water.
Local agencies, including the Ontario Provincial Police, have received inquiries from concerned residents.
MECP, the Township of Minden Hills, and Lakelands Public Health are actively monitoring the situation and residents will be advised when it is safe to resume normal water use.
South Lake is located around three kilometres southeast of the community of Minden in Haliburton County.
