COWANSVILLE, Que. -
Close to 13,000 residents in a town southeast of Montreal have been without potable water for more than 24 hours following an algae outbreak.
Authorities imposed a ban Wednesday afternoon when alarming levels of blue-green algae were detected in a lake close to a municipal aqueduct. Officials for the town of Cowansville, Que., say they plan to hand out water rations beginning Friday.
They say the town's filtration plant is not equipped to deal with high level of algae.
It is unclear how long the ban will be in place.
Toxins in blue-green algae can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headache in humans. Boiling the water doesn't destroy the toxins.
The Quebec government announced a $12-million plan to fight blue-green algae earlier this year.
