On July 29th, the City of Saskatoon advised everyone to avoid Briarwood Pond, because of the possibility of blue-green algae. The City now says lab results confirm the presence of the algae, but the levels of the toxins in the algae are thirty times lower than the provincial safety guidelines established by the Healthy Beaches Program.

However, in the interest of public safety, all recreational water activities at the Briarwood Pond are still prohibited. Residents with pets are still advised to avoid the pond, because when ingested, water with blue-green algae can cause sickness and/or death in animals depending on the level of toxicity.