Our dedicated group of lake association volunteers are committed to monitoring water quality and promoting healthy lake ecosystems and environmental management. There are currently 10 lakes doing monitoring, grown from the initial 5 when our program started in 2012!
Each lake monitoring volunteer is trained and collects data biweekly prior to it being submitted to the Department of Environment and Local Government (DELG). This data, together with information on climatic events at the time will help to paint a picture of New Brunswick lakes and the impact of climate change on lake health. Many lakes have experienced increasing water temperatures and lower water levels which can and, in some incidents,
have contributed to blue-green algae colonization. The program also utilizes underwater cameras to document changes in lake vegetation along the shoreline.
Education of residents is crucial to the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program and centers around utilizing phosphate free products, promoting septic system health and mainlining shoreline vegetation to prevent run off as well as avoiding putting any additional strain on already compromised ecosystems.
The Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program was the initial focus of the NBALA, whose focus has expanded to other areas of interest in preserving the health of New Brunswick lakes.