Our Lake

[phasyluck]

Was at Bertram for the first time in a few years, all full of weeds now. Not very impressive I must say.

[Ken7]

Was at Bertram for the first time in a few years, all full of weeds now. Not very impressive I must say.

We go there several times a year, but boat. We retain our waste to "P" in the lake, and I find it nice on the boaters side.

[Poindexter]

The big problem with Okanagan Lake is residence time (approximated as volume divided by flow). The longer the residence time, the longer the pollutants stay in the lake. Both Kalamalka and Okanagan Lake have residence times in excess of 50 years. This compares to 10 years in BC's two deepest lakes (Quesnel and Adams), 2 years in Shuswap, 0.7 years in Chilko, and 0.2 years in Kamloops.

Wow! 50 years is surprising. Given our population numbers for the last 30 years the lake has done remarkably well. Think it'd be full of crap by now.

It is gross negligence to have so few accessible sites available for boaters. The increased numbers of cabin cruisers and pontoon boats is obvious and the thought that, if were lucky, only 30% would rather save the gas and unload in the lake means a lot of crap is being dumped in the lake. Then floats up on the beaches for the kiddies to make sandcastles out of. Not to mention the long term impacts. To overlook such an obvious public safety requirement on land would be like removing the public washrooms and asking people to use the bushes.

[coffeeFreak]

If these little buggers are introduced into BC lakes, black water will be the least of our worries.

Here is what Alberta is doing to address this serious concern:

Invasive mussels can cause heavy ecological and economic damage

Not only does Alberta strive to be rat-free, the province is also trying to stay mussels-free, the zebra and quagga species in particular.

Provincial officials say allowing these aquatic species to ever settle here would be a mistake — a multi-million dollar mistake.

"We have done economic assessments and we believe that if we do nothing, and they (mussels) became established in Alberta, we would lose about $75 million annually," says Kate Wilson, the aquatic invasive species program co-ordinator at Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

An online report, created by Wilson, details the $75-million annual cost of an invasive mussel infestation:

• Power generation: $5,938,487
• Drinking water systems: $20,839,921
• Boat maintenance: $390,600
• Recreational fishing: $21,830,892
• Water management structures: $8,841,373
• Water diversion intakes: $3,910,000
• Property value: $13,789,500

The reason invasive mussels are an economically damaging species is because of their ability to stick to things.pipe
Mussels have the ability to wreck irrigation in Alberta by clogging and corroding pipes. Here is a mussel-fouled pipe...

"Irrigation districts are major stakeholders in this issue because if we were to have an infestation that affected them they would have to potentially shut down operations, clean out their pipes and replace pipes," Wilson says.

Quagga and zebra mussels are also ecologically destructive because they are filter feeders. These species have the ability to remove nutrients in any body of water they enter, and as a result make the water sterile so fish have no food to eat.

"It is interesting that in the last couple of years people have realized that mussels are 'discriminate feeders,'" Wilson says. "They can ingest all these nutrients and excrete the bad ones including..."blue-green algae, which contributes to toxic algae blooms. We already have a problem with toxic algae blooms in Alberta."

Within the last year, Alberta has had eight close calls with mussel-infected boats almost entering the province. During summer and winter, Albertans take their boats to popular southwest U.S. lakes, including Lake Mead near Las Vegas, Lake Pleasant near Phoenix, and Lake Powell in Utah. Canadians also buy boats from the United States that may be filled with mussels.

Here is the 2014 U.S. Geological Survey map detailing where mussels are located in Canada and the U.S...

http://www.calgaryjournal.ca/index.php/news/2254-government-of-alberta-aims-to-keep-province-mussel-free

Meanwhile back in British Columbia, our beloved government is taking a more passive approach with what appears to be the "honour" system, therefore, I suspect it will only be a matter of time.

Battle continues to stop invasive mussels
Monitoring device installed at Regional Parks boat launch
Posted on 8/7/2014 10:30:00 AM by Harry Callaghan

Contributed: stateimpact.npr.org
The boat launch at the Safe Harbour Regional Park in Okanagan Centre is the location for a monitoring station for invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels on Okanagan Lake.

The station is part of a valley wide network of monitoring stations keeping a watch out for the destructive mussel species.

The idea is, if these mussels are present, they'll attach themselves to the monitor which consists of a rope with a weight and sections of PVC pipe and mesh.

Lisa Scott, of the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society, which monitors the device, says it's a good start, but compared to what Alberta has in place, like border check-points, BC could be doing more.

"We're not doing things mandatory yet, but I think that's the direction we'd like to go. We really just need to not just talk to boaters at the boat launches; that's what we're doing, that's one step; but we need to really kicks things up a huge step right now," she says.

Scott says if invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels gets a hold in our region, the results would be devastating.

"We would be in huge trouble in our pocketbooks and our natural envioronment; all our native species and our fisheries and our tourism. We've all heard the cost estimates..over 40-million dollars per year would be the fallout in the Okanagan Valley, " she says.

So if you own a boat or personal watercraft, the Society and the Okanagan Basin Water Board encourage you to 'Don't Move a Mussel' and check your vessels for signs of the invasive mussels, especially if you've been out of province.

http://www.am1150.ca/News/Kelowna/2014/08/07/battle-continues-to-stop-invasive-mussels

[Glacier]

If these little buggers are introduced into BC lakes, black water will be the least of our worries.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.1244443