Moose Lake nutrients budget data to be revealed in January

Data will be used to help decide long-term how to treat the lake.

The Moose Lake Watershed Society is hoping to have a clearer picture of what’s causing the annual blue-green blooms in the popular waterbody.

After discovering the lake is internally loaded with phosphorus last year, a driver of algae blooms, MLWS and LICA pursued tests to see how much phosphorus is coming from outside sources.

Kellie Nichiporik, chair of the Moose Lake Watershed Society, said they should have the data back and compiled in January.

“It’s pulling all of that as well as the water quantity as well as the flows to really have a good picture of where the phosphorus is coming from and where most of the phosphorus is in the lake,” she said.

“We did some individual basin sampling this year as well. So instead of just doing a composite of the lake, we looked at individual basins.”

Those samples were collected at Franchere Bay, Vezeau Bay, and the main basin, Bonnyville Beach, Nichiporik said to create a fuller picture for their nutrients budget.

The goal with creating the nutrients budget is to find the best ways to treat the lake and lower the phosphorus levels.

This information would be shared at a followup meeting for residents to stay informed by the data analyst.

“She would come and present the data and kind of present the report and interpret it. Whether that’s an in-person meeting, or a virtual meeting, will be determined,” said Nichiporik.

“Probably in February, we usually have our annual meeting in February.”