Sylvan Lake seeking funding for water research

Red Deer Advocate - October 9

Lacombe County wants more information before it is willing to climb aboard a $65,000 effort to create a detailed snapshot of the state of the Sylvan Lake watershed. Several county councillors voiced support for taking a close look at the lake, but they wanted to know how new studies would mesh with similar past work before committing to the municipality’s $7,050 share of the project.

The Town of Sylvan Lake is appealing to municipalities around the lake to help fund a $40,000 project to create a State of the Watershed Report to determine the lake’s health, creating an inventory of its features and projecting impacts from future development. The information would be used later to create a watershed management report that would cost an additional $35,000.

A second initiative would see about $25,000 spent to develop a detailed water quality data collection plan, which would involve taking water samples, measuring nutrient levels and flow rates, and surveying shoreline and creek-side areas. An important part of the study would involve identifying the best ways to reduce human impact on the lake. The town wants to undertake the studies next year and to share the cost with the seven other municipalities that are part of the Sylvan Lake Management Plan Committee: Lacombe and Red Deer counties, and the summer villages of Norglenwold, Half Moon Bay, Sunbreaker Cove, Birchcliff and Jarvis Bay.  Click here to read more.