I hope that your summer is going well. You may have seen the numerous groups of researchers out a Sunfish Lake over the past few months. So far all of our water results have been good and at safe levels though still trending in the wrong direction (fewer good green algae and increasing bad blue-green algae). We are still getting too many nutrients (Phosphorus and Nitrogen) in the lake setting the stage for potential future issues.
Our Plantothrix Blob is exhibiting new behaviour this year that we haven’t seen before (it is more dispersed and not as dense) so our team from the University of Western Ontario is trying to figure out why and on Thursday Dr. Irina Creed, one of the foremost freshwater experts in the world will be here at Sunfish Lake to see things firsthand with the Phd student researchers.
Our water remains safe for swimming and we will continue our regular water monitoring and ecosystem research. Click here to see the latest data sheets. Data Tracking | Depth Profiling
You may have seen recent news coverage of Alder Lake – one of the few other lakes in Wilmot Township that recently has had a huge fish kill that they are trying to figure out. I’ve attached some media articles below. We hope that something like this never happens at Sunfish Lake and the DO (dissolved oxygen) measurement is one our research teams pay a lot of attention to. So far our DO numbers remain good though decreasing as we usually see at this time of year.
Here’s some links to the Alder Lake news coverage:
Please let us know any questions or ideas and we will keep you posted as our efforts continue.