Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Phosphates

Today there are around 360 houses/cottages on Grand Lac Rond (Lake Roddick). That represents a fairly large number of people and a fairly large risk of pollution from all sorts of sources. Everyone is rightly concerned ... it is essential that everyone reflects on this and acts accordingly. It is the health of our lake which is at stake.

As you know, the shoreline regulation (RCI 2009-206) of the MRC of the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau has stirred a lot of controversy. The objective of the regulation is to revegetate the shoreline in order to protect the water in our lake against phosphates. A petition signed by more than 400 persons was presented to the MRC asking that it be revoked and replaced by other measures to combat the direct sources of pollution in our lake. In addition, a similar resolution was proposed and adopted at the annual meeting of our Association. Everyone awaits the response of the MRC.

In the meantime, the risk of pollution continues. The worst scenario would be for the reappearance of cyanobacteria. In December 2010, samples were found under the ice and tested. Fortunately, they did not contain any toxic substance. This event suggests that phosphate levels may be high in our lake.To be better informed concerning the level of phosphates in Grand Lac Rond (Lake Roddick), our Association has joined the RSVL program (Réseau de surveillance volontaire des lacs) managed by the Quebec Department of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks. Samples of water have been taken this summer and we await the results of the analysis which should be known in a few months. Further samples of water will be taken next summer so that we can determine whether the level of phosphates has increased or decreased. We will keep you informed on this blog.

Until then what should we be doing?

One option that everyone supports is reducing the amount of phosphates that we use around the lake. There are plenty of phosphate-free products on the market - cleaning detergents, shampoos, and soaps - as well as environmentally-friendly cleaning replacements. We need to take an inventory of our stock and ensure that only phosphate-free products are being used. This link to a CAA-Québec article provides some good information about brands of products that are safe for the environment.

For information on cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), you can check the following sites:
Environment Québec website
Blue-green algae Guide for Outaouais residents 

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