Spring is finally here and Albertans are giddy with anticipation about the summer ahead. For many this will include a trip to the lake. A trip to the lake is symbolic of a summer getaway, a refuge from the daily grind. The loon’s wail clears our minds as we relax and reconnect with the outdoors after a long winter. The intrinsic value of the lake environment is incalculable. Cottage life conjures images of serenity, tranquility and peace despite the poor water quality that our lakes are notorious for.
By mid-summer, “pea soup” is common in the vernacular of prairie lake residents. Fertilization with phosphorus results in extensive and unaesthetic algal blooms. Bloom algae dies and accumulates as sediment at the lake bottom. Decomposition then returns nutrients to the lake sustaining more algal growth throughout the summer. Years of phosphorus over-enrichment have led to the accruement of vast reserves beneath our lakes.
Warmer summer temperatures have dried the prairies and lowered lake levels. Lower water levels mean less outflow and less flushing of nutrients from lakes. Less flushing allows more time for sediments to interact with water and therefore more influence on the quality of water overlying them. In Alberta, lakes are shallow which exaggerates these effects. A lack of viable strategies for stemming the release of phosphorus from lake sediments is a crucial gap in our knowledge that hinders appropriate management.
Currently, research addressing this issue is ongoing in a study headed by Diane Orihel, a Ph.D student conducting research under Dr. David Schindler at the University of Alberta. Orihel’s research is developing strategies to control phosphorus emanating from sediments. Her preliminary results appear promising and could lead to significant improvements in water quality and accelerated recovery of lake ecosystems. However, successful remediation remains contingent on a comprehensive approach. Not surprisingly she, as do most limnologists (lake scientists), strongly advocates that the best way to rehabilitate lakes is to control the amount of phosphorus entering them in the first place.
On the other hand, mismanagement can lead to the collapse of fisheries, depressed local property values, and increasing expenses relating to public works (e.g. water treatment). Thus, how we manage freshwaters has economic implications for the communities that surround them. However, exemplifying a tragedy of the commons, these expenses are borne by the community at large rather than individual stakeholders. A focus on source protection is often in direct conflict with more tangible opportunities for private economic development. These competing interests complicate the politics surrounding water management in Alberta. Accommodation of private interests tends to shift management priorities away from a focus on source protection.
In an example of how this conflict has manifested itself in our province, a decision has recently been made to place the Alberta Water Research Institute (AWRI) under the direction of the Energy and Environment branch of Alberta Innovates. According to their website the mission of the Energy and Environment branch is “to increase the energy and environment industries’ capacity to develop and adapt innovative technologies that maximize the value of Alberta’s natural and renewable resources.” A concern among water researchers is that the Alberta Innovates’ pro-development mandate may be incompatible with source protection strategies and will likely end up stifling research not prioritized by industry.
Orihel’s research is one example of many studies funded by the AWRI. However, funding for research like hers might be harder to come by in the near future. Alberta Innovates is slated to operate under a board chaired by former Syncrude CEO Eric Newell and include several high profile representatives from the energy and agriculture industries. The board will replace a highly regarded international panel of water experts in prioritizing funding initiatives for AWRI. Further, the move was largely undertaken with little or no consultation.
The Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Greg Weadick, defended the changes. “When I looked at some of the things in energy and the environment I felt there may have been too large a focus on energy.” The Minister sees these changes as an opportunity to further integrate water research into decisions made by the energy industry.
Current AWRI panel members, many of whom are world-renown scientists, are skeptical. Many fear that the assimilation of AWRI by Energy and Environment Solutions may lead to the diversion of funds away from research that is potentially damaging to industry. Bob Sandford, chairman of the United Nations Water for Life Decade was quoted in the Edmonton Journal as saying, “I think everybody in Alberta ought to be deeply concerned by how this has been quietly, under the radar, pushed as the only solution for managing our water research in the province,” and quoted by the Lethbridge Herald, "One wonders if this isn't the way of making sure that unpopular research outcomes don't cause further grief to either the industry or the government."
As Albertans this is an issue we ignore at our peril. Water quality is first and foremost a public health concern. Harmful algal blooms can produce potent toxins (lake users should ensure that their pets and loved ones do not ingest lake water during intense algal blooms). Acute exposure to these toxins can lead to disorientation, vomiting, and diarrhea. Exposures have resulted in the deaths of family pets, fish and wildlife within Alberta and in extreme cases human deaths elsewhere in the world. Further, the effects of chronic exposure remain poorly understood.
These issues, among others, are why recent and widespread declines in water quality across the Western Prairie Provinces have alarmed the research community. While recreational use of our lakes is generally safe, the increasing frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms is an issue that Albertans need to be aware of. It is in citizens best interest to engage in and elevate the dialogue regarding water management in Alberta. If nothing else these issues could provide interesting and educational banter around the campfire. Admittedly, the energy and agricultural sectors are vital to Alberta’s economy, but is it really appropriate to have water research directed in their interests? Or is this akin to letting the fox guard the henhouse?
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