From: Philip St. George, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — Jim Trampolini stares down at the fountain outside the Pro-Cathedral and frowns.
“I can’t see how this happens,” says Trampolini. “I really don’t know what to make of this.”
Reverend Jim Trampolini is the Priest in Residence at the North Bay Pro-Cathedral, whose fountain is now home to blue-green algae.
The algae bloom was discovered Thursday, when parishioners noticed the fountain’s water had a blue and green tint.
“Well, I think it’s quite lovely,” says congregant Jean Hewitt. “It smells like fresh grass and has such beautiful colours. It’s like a little miracle.”
Fellow parishioner Osmond Fletcher disagrees.
“They tell me I can’t touch the fountain no more. Now where am I gonna get a drink?”
When a blue-green algae burst is found, The Health Unit recommends these safety procedures:
• avoid using, drinking, bathing or swimming in the water
• if physical contact does occur, clean the area with soap and water as quickly as possible
• limit the amount of fish flesh eaten, as some toxins can build up in fish and shellfish
“It should be easy to follow their guidelines” says Reverend Trampolini. “We have lots of soap and water, and I’ve told people hundreds of times to stop drinking from the fountain, so maybe this will finally convince them.”
“We also haven’t had fish in the fountain since 2006, so no worries there.”