We do know that those blooms … are starting earlier. They re becoming more intense and they re lasting longer, Leavitt said, citing atmospheric warming as a leading cause.
Leavitt published a paper last year that found toxins were present in the Qu Appelle lakes during more days of the summer than 15 years earlier. Toxin levels in the lakes, at times, were above recreational advisory levels, his paper said.
Blue-green algae looks like scum, fuzz or grass clippings on the surface of water.(Bruce Johnson)
The algae blooms are also fed by phosphorus and nitrates released into the water system from municipal wastewater plants or through runoff from agricultural operations. Cabin owners sometimes also contribute to the algae by fertilizing their lawns, not having proper septic systems or letting outdoor showers drain into the lake, Leavitt said.
REGINA, SASK : May 10, 2021 Aura Lee MacPherson, left, and her husband Murdoch stand in front of images of their radiant link heat technology inside MacPherson Engineering in Regina, Sask. on Monday, May 10, 2021. TROY FLEECE / Regina Leader-Post
TROY FLEECE The professional body governing Saskatchewan engineers has awarded Regina-based firm MacPherson Engineering for its work in repurposing basement furnace heat to stop and reduce mould in homes with poor air circulation. Using the firm’s radiant heat technology, company co-founders Murdoch and Aura Lee MacPherson installed it in two homes on the Star Blanket Cree Nation, near Lebret, about 90 kilometres northeast of Regina.
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The professional body governing Saskatchewan engineers has awarded Regina-based firm MacPherson Engineering for its work in repurposing basement furnace heat to stop and reduce mould in homes with poor air circulation.
Using the firm’s radiant heat technology, company co-founders Murdoch and Aura Lee MacPherson installed it in two homes on the Star Blanket Cree Nation, near Lebret, about 90 kilometres northeast of Regina.
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“Essentially we’re warming up the surface of the walls,” Murdoch said of the technology, called radiant link, which uses radiant heat from a high-temperature liquid piping system.
STAR BLANKET CREE NATION A local engineering firm received a province-wide award for their work on a housing project on Star Blanket Cree Nation. MacPherson Engineering was honoured with a provincial Association of Professional Engineers/Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) Exceptional Engineering Award. The product they created, called RadiantLink, was based on the traditional design of the teepee, which are heated with rocks using a form of radiation. This technology is built into the concrete walls of a basement to warm it up just enough to get rid of the dampness. The project is now being called the Blanket of Warmth.