Thursday, March 26, 2026
Installation of scientific test equipment has begun in Quamichan Lake located in North Cowichan, B.C. in order to assess potential solutions to ongoing cyanobacteria blooms.
Quamichan Lake, which is shallow, has experienced many decades of algae blooms, particularly in the summer due to warm, oxygen deprived water and elevated levels of phosphorus and poor water quality also contributes to fish kills, a North Cowichan release said.
The trial will run from May to August once installation is completed. The first set of trials will measure the effectiveness of using aerators, using three cylindrical enclosures measuring eight metres in diameter which will be fixed to the lake bed and will extend to just above the lake surface.
The second set of trials will test the effectiveness of adding nutrient binders to augment phosphorus removal from the water column, the release said. In the trials two of the enclosures will use different combinations of aerators and metal additions, while the third enclosure will not have any interventions and serve as a reference to contrast changes to see what effects the enclosures themselves have on the water quality.
Once the trial period is over the enclosures will be removed and results will be shared with provincial regulators, North Cowichan council and the community to guage the possibility of a lake-wise system.
Successful treatment options could also be applied to other parts of the watershed including Somenos Lake and marsh, which also experience regular algae blooms.
The $200,000 trial is funded through the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program.
