Algae Testing
Donations to MLCA at Work
by Peter Duffey
Cyanobacteria, you may know it as blue-green algae, is a concern to anyone living on a lake.
The Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) has undertaken an algae monitoring program across Muskoka to gather information on potentially toxic algal blooms on lakes in the area. While blooms remain rare on Manitouwabing Lake, and toxic blooms even rarer, the concern of one occurring is understandable given the potential for serious health risks, and more generally the aesthetic and environmental consequences of algal blooms.
At present, there is only limited information on algae in the lakes in our area, but an army of dedicated volunteers is changing that. Extensive testing across Muskoka and right here on Manitouwabing is building a database of local algal populations that will aid in understanding cyanobactria blooms when they occur. The historical data on a lake can detect trends in phytoplankton abundance and provide management advice to lake associations.
In 2024, the MCLA approached the MWC about joining this program. The MWC agreed to expand the program to include Manitouwabing Lake and we have been actively gathering information and tracking phytoplankton in our lake for the past 2 years. A volunteer collects numerous water samples at different times, and different locations, between May and late October. This year, 28 samples were collected for testing. Those samples are subsequently frozen until they are ready to be tested. The collection of samples and the subsequent testing is a very time-consuming process and is a behind the scenes activity the MLCA is doing for you to ensure the health of our lake is properly tracked and monitored. It should be noted that the results to date on Manitouwabing have not identified any significant concerns and no blue-green algae blooms have been detected in the two years we have been participating in this program.
In 2025, the MLCA received a very generous donation of $3000 from Bruce and Brian Adams. The donation was made in memory of Bruce’s wife, Marilyn Adams. Marlilyn, along with Bruce and Brian, have a long history with Manitouwabing Lake and wanted to give back to the lake they love so much. That donation enabled the MLCA to purchase a fluorometer, the equipment required for testing these samples. Our volunteer has been trained on how to use the fluorometer, and the results are then uploaded into the MWC’s database. Over the course of the winter, an annual report is produced that allows us to compare Manitouwabing to other lakes participating in this project. The testing is a behind the scenes activity the MLCA is doing for you to ensure the health of our lake is properly tracked and monitored and the donation made by Bruce and Brian has enabled us to have our own testing equipment - the equipment will save incredible amounts of time and cost each year.
Donations are always welcome and appreciated and we strive to ensure those donations go back to activities that benefit our McKellar Lakes directly. After all, donations like the one received from Bruce and Brian are made because people love the lakes of McKellar and want to ensure they remain healthy for generations to come.
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