Sample tests to find amount of human septic, animal fecal coming into Moose Lake

With the help of local volunteers, it is hoped that a clearer picture of how much and the source of fecal matter in Moose Lake will be uncovered. 

Is it human septic, cows, or birds that are causing a large amount of fecal matter in Moose Lake? That will be determined soon by a new study from the Moose Lake Watershed Society.

Starting this week, samples from the lake are being collected to address this question. Chair of the society and environmental program manager for Lakeland Agriculture Research Association (LARA), Kellie Nichiporik, explained that they’ve teamed up with U of A scientist Dr. Patrick Hanington to do this microbial source tracking. 

“It involves collecting water samples from along the shoreline of the lake. We’re using fecal bacteria to determine if there’s human septic coming to the lake, or if it’s from ruminants, like cows or different wildlife, or from different species of birds,” said Nichiporik, who said that this topic has been long discussed.

“It’s a really good opportunity for our lake to get this done and really have a good understanding of what’s contributing and how much, so it’s pretty exciting.”

After completing the nutrients budget of the lake, which shows the amount of phosphorus that is internally loaded in Moose and the amount that comes from outside, figures included conservative estimates of the amount of fecal matter.

This study will dive deeper into these numbers and give a clearer picture of what is actually coming into the lake.

These samples are being relied upon by volunteers and residents of the lake area, and Nichiporik is hopeful more volunteers will come forward.

“It’s very easy,” she said, explaining the process of collecting a sample. “So they can either do it from the edge of a dock, they can do it from a boat, or if they just wanted to wade into the water, they can also do it that way as well. Basically, all it is is a tiny, little 55-millilitre container, and we’re just asking for a surface sample grab.

“Then they would just have to keep it refrigerated or get it to myself because it has to be filtered within 24 hours. Then the samples are frozen to get to the lab.”

Nichiporik hopes to collect samples from 30 locations around the lake to get a comprehensive view of the entire water body.

Core testing in years past has shown that the lake is internally loaded with phosphorus, which is the driver of annual algae blooms. Treatment options such as alum have been discussed by the M.D. of Bonnyville, but have not been widely used and come at a large cost.

The timeline for the results is expected in late fall or early winter.

Residents who are wanting to help collect samples can reach out to Nichiporik at 780-812-1036 or at sustainag@laraonline.ca.

“It’ll be interesting to see because a lot of people point fingers at cows. Some people point fingers at homeowners. So it’ll be interesting to see where everything’s coming from.”