As residents of an island, most of us have a love affair with the sea. There are almost as many boats on our shores as cars in our streets. Yet for all the ocean means to us, we have a freshwater resource that is almost as important. Most people don鈥檛 realize it, but there are more than 20 lakes in the capital region. Collectively, their surface area is about the same as Hornby Island.
From Beaver/Elk Lake, through Prospect and Thetis, to Langford and Matheson, lakes can be found throughout our community.
Managed properly, these freshwater bodies are a vital part of our ecology. They sustain important wildlife populations, such as mink, river otters and osprey.
They offer beaches and swimming holes for families to enjoy. Each year, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of sa国际传媒 stocks 55,000 rainbow trout in the larger lakes, so anglers have plenty of action. And Elk Lake is home to some of the best rowers in the country.
But none of this comes easily. Lakes in urban centres face multiple challenges that those in more remote settings do not. They are much more difficult to sustain.
The issue is not so much toxic pollution, though that is certainly a problem. Prospect Lake has been closed to swimming for years because of high bacterial counts. And from time to time there are beach closures at other lakes due to unsafe levels of E. coli. Goose droppings are often to blame.
The real threat comes from fertilizers that leach into groundwater from agricultural land and backyard gardens. To remain healthy, lakes need aquatic plants to oxygenate their water.
But it鈥檚 a delicate balance. Too much plant life threatens survival.
Most urban lakes are shallow. Dense weed growth along the shoreline can slowly throttle a small lake. Sediment builds up until it reaches the surface. You end up with a swamp, not a lake.
Something like that happened at Rithet鈥檚 Bog, just south of Royal Oak Drive where it intersects the Pat Bay Highway. Old photographs show an open body of water. But invasive species like broom and blackberry have largely taken over. What remains is a peat bog.
An over-rich diet of fertilizers can also generate blue-green algae blooms. These don鈥檛 threaten the survival of a lake, but they create a public health hazard. Elk Lake has repeatedly suffered these blooms in recent years.
Yet if there are challenges, there are also opportunities. As late as the 1950s, coho salmon ran the entire length of Colquitz Creek, from Portage Inlet to Beaver Lake. People fished and swam in the stream. There are stories of farmers spearing salmon and throwing them on the fields as fertilizer.
However, although about 400 coho still enter the lower reaches of the creek each year, various dams and obstructions have closed off the upper sections.
But this is reversible. The Capital Regional District has been buying up adjacent land with a view to removing barriers and eventually rehabilitating the Colquitz.
The CRD is also building a fish ladder at the outflow of the creek from Beaver Lake. The structure will allow fish to pass in both directions. While we might not see salmon that far upstream, sea-run cutthroat trout are a possibility.
Projects like this are a tough slog. It takes decades of hard work and commitment to acquire all the land and clear all the obstacles. There are always flashier schemes promising more immediate rewards.
But lakes and parks make our community more livable. They relieve tension and breathe fresh air into our lungs.
We are fortunate to have such a wonderful resource. Let鈥檚 make sure it鈥檚 still there for the next generation to enjoy.
