/CHA announces new research effort

CHA announces new research effort

Findings will be revealed at meeting on Sept. 10

By Darren Lum

The Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners’ Association (CHA) is investing in the future of lake health with an investment of a little more than $21,000.

Announced by the CHA’s chair Paul MacInnes at the Lake Stewards Meeting hosted at the Royal Canadian Legion in Haliburton on Saturday morning, May 14, the research initiative features enlisting Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. who were given directives to consider.

MacInnes said he was excited and over the moon about this opportunity, which is based on the question of whether the past tests did enough and how to improve the applied methodology of monitoring and testing lake health.

He said the CHA gave a list of questions to answer.

“Why do we test and monitor? What to test and monitor? And then, really, uniquely, put each factor in order of priority. Our job to do, maybe not bulletproof, but is testing for phosphorus more important than nitrogen? Where’s calcium? Where’s the turbidity, etc, etc? Also, look at new technologies and what they have. Where should the data be stored so that it’s accessible to scientists and to people around the lake?” he said.  

He added testing and monitoring were key, particularly with the various testing programs such as citizen science programs, loon watch and frog watch, in order to determine which of the programs are critical and what costs are associated with each. 

“So, what will it cost a lake association to adopt this model? Now, obviously, depending on the size of the lake, you have multiple testing sites it will cost you more than a lake, which only has one or two. So that will all be factored in,” he said.