Following a well-attended meeting on April 21 in Elbow that focused on protecting Lake Diefenbaker from invasive species, most notably zebra mussels, a committee has been formed that is now seeking allies in the fight against these frustrating and harmful lake species.
The newly-formed ‘Lake Diefenbaker Task Force against Aquatic Invasive Mussels’ plans to ask for funding from communities that benefit from the lake, whether it’s through drinking water, recreational activities, or irrigation.
According to a committee press release, the group operates under the auspices of the WaterWolf Regional Planning Authority, and their mandate is to pursue plans for protecting Lake Diefenbaker using an at-home protection plan.
That plan includes calling for inspections at major boat launches, on-site decontamination, and a citizen’s patrol.
In order to finance their plan to protect the lake, the committee is casting a wide net by seeking hopeful funding from groups who use the waters that flow from Lake Diefenbaker into the South Saskatchewan River north to Saskatoon and into the Qu’Appelle River south to the Buffalo Pound waters used by Moose Jaw and Regina.
“Our success will depend on whether these other groups will help us defend a major source of water for our province. Next week our proposal will go out to these potential supporters. It will take a whole community of communities to protect this lake,” said committee chair, Joanne Brochu in a release.
Earlier this month, in response to ‘Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week’ from May 6-12, the provincial government said that their prevention efforts have been successful to date, with no invasive mussels found within Saskatchewan.
The Ministry of Environment announced that it will deploy six mobile watercraft decontamination units around the province to support the inspection and decontamination program. Four of the six decontamination units were purchased last year. Conservation officers, and other ministry and provincial parks employees are trained to support this initiative.
Invasive mussels and other aquatic invasive species can be impossible to eliminate if they become established in a waterbody, and can cost millions of dollars to manage. They pose significant threats to infrastructure, hydropower facilities, wastewater plants, irrigation systems, fisheries and aquatic habitat, recreational activities, tourism and property values.
