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Algae blooms becoming more intense, lasting longer in Qu Appelle Valley lakes Thursday, May 27th 2021, 2:52 pm - We re going to get hit with some wicked . algae if we don t start building policies, advocate says First Nations leaders, community activists and university scientists say they re growing increasingly worried about the Qu Appelle Valley chain of lakes, with water quality sometimes dipping below recreational use standards and toxic algae blooms increasing in severity. We re going to get hit with some wicked blue-green-purple algae if we don t start building policies and protecting our fresh water, said Aura Lee MacPherson, chair of the Calling Lakes Ecomuseum, an advocacy group that works to protect the Lower Qu Appelle River watershed, in southeastern Saskatchewan. ....
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. ....