We had quite a lot of public interest recently in Alina Siegfried's CFQC's News at Noon talk on "Living by Water." Alina, our Water Issues Coordinator, gave tips for cabin owners who are interested in protecting water quality in our lakes. Tips include:
- Try to retain a natural shoreline. Ripping out all the vegetation and clearing it right to the shore removes that buffer zone between the land and water. This buffer is important for keeping pollutants out of the lake and also for stabilizing the lake shore and protecting from erosion.
- Pruning trees that obscure your view rather than removing them entirely will help keep banks stable.
- Avoid too much lawn area particularly close to shore -- overuse of fertilizers and pesticides on lawns is one of the causes of algae blooms on lakes.
- Don't remove all the dead fallen trees from the shoreline -- as well as providing habitat, they absorb wave action, decreasing erosion.
- Maintain septic systems
For more tips on living by water, Nature Saskatchewan has a wonderful publication called "On the Living Edge: Your Handbook for Waterfront Living" which is available by visiting their website http://www.naturesask.ca/ or phoning (306) 780-9273
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