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Why Some P.E.I. Waterways Are Turning Colour and Smelling Like Rotten Eggs
A provincial biologist says naturally occurring sea lettuce is behind the discoloured, low-oxygen waterways reported across the Island this summer
Published: July 28, 2026
Several waterways across Prince Edward Island have been reported to provincial officials this year after residents noticed the water turning an unusual green or grey-white colour and giving off a rotten-egg smell. According to a provincial surface water biologist, the cause is a naturally occurring algae called sea lettuce, which thrives in high-nutrient conditions and depletes oxygen in the water as it decomposes.
The oxygen loss, known as an anoxic event, can be harmful to fish and other marine life that lack the ability to survive in low-oxygen conditions, forcing them to flee the area or become trapped. One of the more recent cases was reported in early July near Oyster Bed, P.E.I., prompting the province to monitor oxygen levels there alongside dozens of other estuaries it tracks annually.
The province says it is working with federal fisheries officials to review a decade of oxygen data from monitored waterways. In the meantime, biologists are urging Islanders to avoid direct contact with any water they suspect may be affected, since even brief contact can leave a lingering odour, and to report suspected anoxic events to the Department of Land and Environment.
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