The 68 property owners around Munro Lake, about 16 km east of Matheson on Highway 101, are trying to keep their water clean.
Cottagers association director Tommy-Vee Nelson says invasive species are damaging the spring-fed lake. They’re coming in on boats that have been in other water bodies and put into Monroe at its boat launch.
“When they enter on Munro Lake,” he explains, “the species that are hanging on to the boat itself get bumped off, dislodged, etc. and start to infest in the lake itself.”
Nelson says he’s been living on the lake for 50 years and recently, algae have bloomed.
Nelson led the project to erect a sign at the boat launch, instructing boaters how to ensure their boats are properly cleaned. He says all boaters are still welcome at Munro.
“However, when they put their boats into the water, if they haven’t done a good job of cleaning, they’re causing us a problem, as far as the lake’s starting to get polluted,” says Nelson. That’s affecting the fish population and the drinking water for several of the 68 property owners around the lake.
Nelson says the health unit says it’s still safe to drink, but should be filtered.
Twenty of the 68 property owners live at Munro year-round. The rest are cottagers from across the region.