Dear Editor,
Moose Lake, like many of the lakes in the Lakeland region, provides innumerable services. Thousands of people utilize Moose Lake for recreational activities, and call the watershed their home. Water quality and quantity are essential to the ecological value of the lake, as well as they are a large economic driver to the recreation potential and residential values.
The water levels of Moose Lake have been regulated by a weir since 1951 to maintain a suitable lake level for fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and to supply the town of Bonnyville with water. The high water levels seen in 2017 were not as high as the levels from 1956-1966. The original weir had deteriorated by 1966 and a steady fluctuating decline of lake levels was recorded for the next two decades. A new weir was installed in 1986, as lake levels continued to drop. The lowest recorded water level was in October of 2002.
It is hard to imagine a much lower lake, but there are many accounts of people taking wagons out to the islands, and haying within those areas in the 1940s. The removal of the weir, will not have as much of an impact on high water level years, as it would in low level years. The purpose of the weir is to keep the lake levels at a minimum level; with enough water for recreation, sustain fisheries and maintain ecosystem function. The weir presently is functioning properly, allowing water to pass; however beaver dams along the river are not.
The removal of the weir alone would not significantly affect water levels as there are several beaver dams and reed beds that act as barriers along the Mooselake River. These reed beds are essential for fish habitat and reproduction. If the weir, reed beds and beaver dams were all removed it would result in a decrease in peak water levels by 0.2-0.32 meters. This small level of reduction is due to the fact that the elevation change between the Mooselake River outflow and the Beaver River is roughly 1.2 meters. In high water levels, water from the Beaver River can actually enter Moose Lake through the outflow of the Mooselake River.
The Moose Lake Watershed Society is not in favor of the removal of the weir. This is due to the fact that it will not significantly lower the water levels when they are at peak lake levels. The process of removal will also increase sedimentation and lower water quality; disturb fish habitat, as well as affect the ecosystem and the wildlife that reside in the watershed. The weir maintains a minimum water levels and prevents the water from lowering past the point where it will negatively impact ecological function, as well as hamper the recreational potential. An alternative proposal would be to implement a beaver program, installing devices that allow water to flow through the dams to an appropriate level, while maintaining ecological function and fish passage.
Kellie Nichiporik
Moose Lake Watershed Society Chair
