Health and future of Dauphin Lake at risk

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This article was published 28/12/2023 (833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The health of Dauphin Lake is at risk due to weed overgrowth in its south basin, according to a group determined to save the lake and keep it healthy.

The lake, which covers 520 square kilometres and is located near Dauphin, Man., 166 kilometres northwest of Brandon, is dying, says members of Friends of Dauphin Lake Bill Griffin.

“The weed growth has just taken off. We noticed it 12, 13 years ago. There were parts of it here and there, and everybody kind of knew where they were, so you were going around them,” he told the Sun. “In the last few years, it’s gotten to the point where if you live in Dauphin Beach area, you cannot get out from your house for the boat, especially a jet boat, because any watercraft that has a jet style propulsion sicks the weeds in, and then you’ve got to stop and clean those out.”

Griffin has been living full time on Dauphin Lake’s south shore for 33 years. Originally from southern Manitoba, he’s been coming up to the area since he was seven years old, because friends of his parents lived there in the 1950s.

In the late 50s, Griffin said, the Water Conservation District thought it would be better for Lake Dauphin and the surrounding farmland to get water through the lake more quickly and efficiently, so they installed drains and waterways and combined them with the Edwards Creek Drain, which comes in on the south side of Lake Dauphin, just west of the local golf course.

And because the lake is right next to the Riding Mountain National Park’s escarpment, the water comes quickly and brings with it a lot of sediment, Griffin said. The sediment load, which has been increasing since 1957, has now gotten to the point where a rapid increase in weed growth has been seen in the south basin.

A lot of people who used to use the south basin of the lake for waterskiing or tubing have had to move on to other areas due to the weed issue and the safety concerns it presents, Griffin said.

“I talked to one gentleman last year who was just furious that nothing is being done about it, because he had his two little ones out and had them on a tube, and he got caught up in a weed bed with his boat and it wouldn’t go anywhere. And the kids panicked and got off the tube and got caught up in the weeds.”

Fortunately, nobody was hurt in that situation, but Griffin says instances like this are one of the reasons why he’s such a vocal advocate for something to be done to take care of the weed problem in the south basin of the lake.

Griffin served as chairperson of the lake advisory board in the 90s, and now, he’s part of the Friends of Dauphin Lake who are looking for solutions on how to deal with the health of the lake.

“We have numerous problems with this lake. It’s dying, and it’s dying because it’s filling up on the south end with sediment. The weeds are going to take over, and it’s going to be come a marsh,” he said.

And while the north end of the lake isn’t at that point yet, it’s only a matter of time until the weeds spread and it is affected too, Griffin added.

“The lake won’t hold water anymore. If we get a normal snowfall and the snow comes in, the water comes off the Riding Mountain and the Duck Mountains in a normal way, but the lake can’t hold it because of the volume that’s there.”

As a result, what used to be seen as a tourist destination is now being avoided, Griffin said.

To fix the issue, Griffin and other members of the committee are looking at raising money to purchase a specialized weed cutter called an Aqua Marine Weed Harvester.

According to Aquamarine, the company that makes the harvesters, the machines are cutting-edge equipment used for aquatic weed harvesting and trash removal.

The group is currently fundraising to purchase one of the harvesters, which cost $200,000, Griffin said.

“We’re reaching out to individuals that live along the lake. We’ve sent flyers out; we’re doing a mail drop locally. We’re just reaching out to people to tell them what we’re doing, what we’re about, and ask for some funding.”

So far, the group has received a $15,000 grant from their local community foundation.

Along with fundraising, the group’s biggest concern is making the people of the area understand just how serious the weed issue Dauphin Lake is facing is, Griffin said.

“People in the whole area should be considered, because the loss of the use of the southern basin of Lake Dauphin is going to be tragic as far as economic benefits and tax monies are concerned.”

Although the holidays are a difficult time when it comes to fundraising, it’s more important than ever, Griffin said, because if a 40 per cent down payment can’t be made by early January, the group will not be able to purchase the harvesters in time for the summer season.

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