FAQS

Here you'll find commonly asked questions for the Lake Eugenia Water Quality Improvement Project

Updated as of November 11, 2024

Why Is Blue Green Algae A Problem?

Blue green algae blooms have been intensifying in Lake Eugenia for the past 10 years. The blooms are toxic and threaten animals, pets, small children, and immune system compromised adults with a non-treatable fatal outcome if the toxin is ingested in a large quantity. Healthy adults will become nauseous from exposure to these toxins.

Why Have These Blooms Intensified In The Lake?

Lake Eugenia is subject to the same stressors that are impacting lakes in the northern United States and Southern Canada. The ice on/ice off season has grown shorter due to climate change.

Lakes have been enjoyed for many years, which has led to deposits of nutrients from decaying matter, improperly treated sewage, shoreline runoff, road culvert direct drainage, and up stream nutrient inflow.

These situations have provided the nutrients that support the rapid and early growth of blue green algae.

What Is The Impact Of Blue Green Algae

In Lake Eugenia?

The impact of blue green algae is being felt in at least three different ways:

A negative impact on the ecology of the Lake. Reduced water clarity and algae toxicity is not advantageous to promote a healthy ecosystem
A direct impact on the recreational benefits that lake Eugenia offers. Grey Bruce Health has been posting warning signs in early July due to the blooms
A negative impact on economic values. Blue green algae toxicity in Lake Eugenia has been widely publicized and is frequently mentioned in social media. This, debatably, is threatening property valuations on the Lake. Please keep in mind that tax revenues from the Lake are over $2M annually and the assessed valuation of Lake properties is ¾ of a billion dollars. Lake Eugenia is a significant part of the area’s economy

Who's Completed This Research?

Hutchinson Environmental, from Bracebridge ON, has studied the Lake and issued the reports posted on the Friends of Lake Eugenia website. Hutchinson has an international reputation in lake analysis and in suggesting water quality improvement measures.

All studies have been provided to and reviewed with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.

Why Doesn't The Lake Flush Itself Out When It's Drained?

The nutrients reside on the bottom of the Lake. Water that is drained from the spillway or through the penstocks is taken from the top of the Lake, leaving the nutrients in place for another season.

Although the penstocks drain from the bottom of the small lake, the shallow channel to the small lake acts as an underwater dam that prevents withdrawing water from the deepest part of the Lake.

What Can Be Done?

There are two proven approaches to improving water quality in lakes. They are not mutually exclusive and must be done in tandem for the most effective result.

The first is to establish controls on nutrient-rich drainage to the Lake i.e. shoreline management. These include:

Mandatory septic inspection.
Control of road culvert inflow to the Lake.
Prohibition of phosphorous fertilizer use.
Establishment of buffer zones on the Lake shoreline. This is done through education.
Monitoring of upstream nutrient inflow.

The second is to actively remediate the nutrients (phosphorous in the case of Lake Eugenia) in the Lake to make them unavailable for algae growth.

What Needs To Be Done To Improve Shoreline Management?

The responsibility for establishing mandatory septic inspections and reconstruction of road culverts draining directly into the Lake rests with the Municipality of Grey Highlands.

Friends of Lake Eugenia has appeared in front of the Grey Highlands’ Council annually for the past 3 years. There has been no positive response from the Council or the Mayor currently.

Encouraging a reduction in fertilizer use and establishment of buffer zones on the shoreline is an ongoing educational effort.

Nutrient inflow from upstream sources is currently being monitored and does not seem to be a primary issue currently.

What Is Active Remediation?

Active remediation to improve water quality in a lake involves working within the lakebed to reduce the available phosphorus that supports blue green algae growth.

Remediation methods can include:

Dredging to remove phosphorous laden sediment.
Aeration to mix stratified water to encourage the natural iron/ phosphorous bond that occurs in oxygenated water. This bond makes the phosphorous unavailable for algae growth.
Use of a flocculant, such as alum, to bind with the phosphorous and precipitate the bound material to the bottom of the lake, making it unavailable for algae growth.

What Are The Selection Criteria For Choosing A Remediation Method?

Dredging is extremely disruptive to the Lake environment and has the possibility of releasing more phosphorous than the dredging removes. Consider the issue of transportation and disposal of dredged materials, classified as hazardous waste, over twenty acres at 3’ deep.

Aeration has proven to be effective in reducing phosphorus in the water column in hard-bottom lakes that can be aerated without disturbing and releasing the phosphorous in the bottom sediments. The Lake Eugenia research has indicated that introducing aeration at 30 to 35 feet of lake depth will agitate the bottom and place additional phosphorous in suspension.

The research done on Lake Eugenia supports the use of a flocculant, specifically alum, to contain the sedimentary phosphorous and remediate the Lake.

Is The Use Of Alum For Water Quality Improvement A Proven Solution?

Alum has been used to reduce phosphorus in sewage effluent for over 50 years. In fact, the wastewater treatment plant in Markdale used alum to meet governmental phosphorus discharge guidelines prior to the rebuilding of the plant.

The use of alum in lake remediation has been a proven, safe, technique for removing available phosphorus from water bodies for over 25 years. Case studies can be found on the Friends of Lake Eugenia website.

Is The Application Safe?

The alum application will be done by a certified and insured application company with extensive field experience. Ther have been a minimal number of fish kills while the application methodology was being perfected. This issue has not occurred in many years due to the proper PH adjustment of the alum solution being used.

Alum has proven to be a safe, cost-effective remediation solution.

As a sidenote, alum is available in the grocery store and is used in pickles.

How Long Does It Last?

There is no guarantee of longevity, however, the positive effect of alum remediation is expected to last years.

How Is The Alum Applied?

Research by Hutchinson Environmental indicates the there is a 10-hectare area in the deepest part of the Lake, in front of the dam, that needs to be treated.

A specialized barge with a GPS controlled applicator will be filled with aqueous alum from a tanker truck at the boat launch and will evenly inject the alum into the Lake in the target area. The process will take about a week to complete. Application is preferable in late spring.

It is still undecided, depending on further analysis, whether there will be one single application or several annual applications.

What Is The Cost?

The current estimated cost will be between $300,000 and $400,000. To put this into perspective, this amount could be collected by receiving a $1,000 donation from each of the cottages on the Lake.

Using a cost of $400,000 for the application, the expense of remediation would be .05% of the Lake Eugenia property valuation.

If property values increase by 5% as a result of improved water quality and reduced negative publicity, the return on a $400,000 investment would be over 9,000 %.

What Permits Are Needed?

Delegates from the Friends of Lake Eugenia and the Lake Eugenia Property Owner’s Association have met with Ontario Power Generation, the owner of the Lake bottom. They have given tentative approval, dependent on applicable governmental approvals.

The same group has also met with the Chief of Staff for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. They have offered assistance in permitting the remediation and are reaching out to other Federal and Provincial agencies to coordinate permitting.

At this time, the process is moving forward with in-person Lake meetings being scheduled.

Have Alternative Methods Such As Ultrasonic Technology Been Investigated?

Yes, please see detailed review below.

FoLe Alternative Remediation Report

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