Message from Columbia Lake Stewardship Society

Posted June 14, 2015

Hi Everybody,

Thank you for the interest you expressed in the Columbia Lake Stewardship Society (CLSS) at your community’s recent AGM. I appreciated the chance to speak with you and update you on our progress and accomplishments. A few things you may find of interest:

Water Quality -Water temperature on the lake was an average of 18.5 degrees C on June 6th,2015 (28 degree C air temp). This is a few degrees higher than this time last year, but the testing day was also significantly warmer this year. Warm enough for swimming?? -Lake depth has increased 0.8 -1.0 meters from early April till early June (due to spring run-off) -Water quality sampling during April – early June shows that the lake is well mixed with water temperature varying less than a degree from top to bottom and dissolved oxygen also showing little variance from top to bottom. – Attached – An Executive Summary of Water Quality Tests from 2014 – a quick one page read -Attached -A more in depth Summary of 2014 Water Quality Tests – for those of you that like the details! -Attached – pictures of the water testing boat used during April and May. A tight fit getting all the water testing equipment in!

Invasive Plants The CLSS in conjunction with the East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council (EKIPC) hosted an information booth and boat washing station at Canal Days on June 6th. This event was an attempt to raise awareness of the threat of invasive species and of the importance of ensuring all boats entering Columbia Lake are free of invasive plants and animals. An interesting side note – I learned that even native plants will spread more quickly when cut up and dispersed by boat propellers. Lesson learned – avoid the “weed” beds on Columbia Lake when power boating!

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