Charlie Lake Challenges

Algal Blooms

Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are present in Charlie Lake. Sometimes we experience "cyanoblooms" that can potentially harm humans, pets, and livestock. Occasionally, we hear from lake users that the smell leaves something to be desired as the blue-green algae blooms decompose. We started monitoring cyanobacteria levels and species in 2022.

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Aquatic Vegetation

Charlie Lake is a nutrient-rich lake, sometimes called naturally eutrophic. The native aquatic plants in the lake thrive in these conditions, and the ducks love them! Typical challenges we hear include vegetation making it difficult to launch a boat. Sometimes folks have concerns about invasive "weeds," but we have yet to find any invasive aquatic species during our vegetation surveys.

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Shoreline Erosion

Another challenge property owners express is around shoreline erosion. As part of our 'restoration' priority, we run bioengineering workshops to show techniques that can help stabilize shorelines using "soft armouring." The best prevention is to leave shoreline vegetation in place. Aquatic and riparian plants absorb some of the wave energy that causes shoreline erosion.

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