The 2021 annual Water Quality monitoring program was carried out during the open water season and the program prime objectives remained unchanged:
- To ensure compliance with Saskatchewan Surface Water Quality Objectives for Recreation and Aesthetics and for the protection of Aquatic Life.
- To gather baseline physical and chemical parameter data that can be used for comparisons over time to determine trends and to monitor any parameter changes.
This program utilizes volunteers at each of the lakes to aid with the survey and to provide boat transportation to the sampling locations. The District of Lakeland No. 521 thanks for following individuals: Al Christensen at Anglin Lake, Wayne Bartel at Christopher Lake and Pauline Smith at McPhee Lake.
Four sampling trips were made to Christopher, and McPhee Lakes and five were made to Anglin Lake to collect physical parameter data at the baseline sites located centrally on each of the lakes. The depth integrated data collected at each site by a YSI multiparameter meter included water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity. As well, the water transparency and total depth was measured at each site using a Secchi disk.
All the data collected during the summer at Anglin, Christopher and McPhee Lakes met the provincial objectives for Recreation and Aesthetics and for the protection of Aquatic Life. In September, a water sample was obtained at the baseline site at these three lakes which was analyzed by the Saskatchewan Research Council in Saskatoon for physical and chemical parameters. The chemical analyte data collected at all of the sampling locations remained very consistent with the previous years data obtained at these sites. At all three locations, the transparency data collected was plotted along with the known historical data. It was noted that there is a downward trend in the Christopher Lake transparency over the last ten years while Anglin and McPhee Lakes show a slight increase in their transparency trends.
The regular Emma Lakes annual sampling program was also maintained with additional physical parameter, transparency measurements and nutrient sampling conducted to supplement the ongoing Ecosystem study on the three Emma Lakes initiated in 2018. The area experienced lower than average precipitation and many days with the air temperature exceeding 30 degrees Celsius that contributed to numerous algal blooms over the summer. Four members of the District Environmental Advisory Committee; Keith Dahl, Daryl Jessop, Tom Laxdal and Wayne Hyde collected the additional bi-weekly transparency readings on all three f the Emma Lakes. Three migratory bird surveys were also conducted over the summer.
Wayne Hyde Environmental Advisory Committee