“We’ve known for 40 years what makes a healthy lake!” University of Alberta professor David Schindler told the Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS) workshop in Slave Lake last Friday. “Leave the lake alone. It’s probably easier to combat prostitution than it is to change people’s mindset about lakes.”
Schindler, an Oxford graduate, Rhodes scholar, and author of more than 270 scientific publications, is an expert in eutrophication (an over abundance of nutrients in lake water) of lakes in southern boreal regions.
As a rule, people don’t get too alarmed about the state of their lakes until the fish stocks collapse or there’s a bluegreen algae bloom.
Said Schindler: “These blooms are almost certainly the result of our (human) interference.”
ALMS, the Alberta Lake Management Society, held its workshop Sept. 23 and 24 at Northern Lakes College. ALMS is a volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining the quality of Alberta’s lakes and watersheds. Water, being as important as it is to life on this planet, is rarely given the consideration it deserves when it has to compete with soaring fuel costs and leisure pursuits for the spotlight. The truth is that many lakes in Alberta are in trouble, and Lesser Slave Lake is no different.
Bluegreen algae should not be confused with green algae. While the latter is harmless and vital to a healthy lake’s ecology, bluegreens, which include oscillatoria, anabaena, and microcystis, all generate a neurotoxin that can kill humans and animals alike. When Slave Lake’s water supply experiences a bluegreen bloom, a mandatory boil order for drinking water goes into effect because of its seriousness.
According to Schindler, one of the biggest catalysts for the eutrophication of lakes comes from the sewage runoff of humans and, more importantly, the livestock they keep.
“With eight to 10 cows and hogs to every person in Alberta, there are 87 million virtual humans in this province, and the combined waste inexorably winds up in lake water,” he said. “We are the manure capital of the world. I’m not sure if that’s the Alberta advantage we should be proud of.”
Other factors play a part in lake health, or lack of it, such as the improper use of fertilizers in farming and home use. Because it’s cheap, people often use more fertilizer than they should, particularly at home. Fertilizers are chock full of nitrogen, a known bluegreen catalyst, and as much as 60% of what is used runs off into the watershed.
“Forty years ago, half of all lake pollution was due to municipal and industrial sources,” said Schindler. “Today, nearly 90% of lake pollution comes from the agricultural and residential sectors. We managed to regulate the cities, towns, and businesses, but private citizens just aren’t getting with the program.”
Farmers cut down tress and foliage on lakeshores to give their cows an easy path to water, even though restricting access to water appears to indicate less instances of foot rot and increased growth. Developers have another huge impact on lake systems. Destruction of natural shorelines erodes not only the landscape, but also the health of the lake.
“I think one way to help ensure lakes continued health is to use big stones,” said Schindler. “We should tie them around the necks of developers and send them overboard!” It’s especially frustrating for Schindler and his colleagues that when a community discovers its lake is suffering, they want to spend millions hiring analysts and conducting studies to investigate why.
“It’s not rocket science,” concludes Schindler, “Spend the money instead on education, correcting any man-made incursions, and leave the lake alone. The lake will fix itself over time.”
U of A economist Vic Adamowicz also made a presentation at the conference, speaking about the economic implications of lake health.
“It’s interesting that people as a whole are already beginning to change their driving habits as a result of high gas prices but we see little change after four decades of extolling the virtues of lakes and rivers,” he said.
Adamowicz, also Canada Research Chair for the Department of Rural Economy added: “Only when people begin to value water as they should will we see any appreciable investment in rural ecology. Canadians take pride in their natural resources but are largely unwilling to invest in them. Roughly 120 million dollars are spent each year by Alberta anglers while 600 million is spent on video lottery terminals.”
The remark drew a laugh from the audience, perhaps because it hit close to home.

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