Sylvan Lake Sub-Basin Groundwater Modeling by the AER-AGS Top Gun Team

This graphic from a recent Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) analysis of the groundwater supply in the Sylvan Lake region shows that the Sylvan Lake watershed is in a rare Red zone signifying high risk to Safe Yield of water supply. Sylvan Lake is located roughly at 52oN, 114oW: The Alberta Geological Survey groundwater modeling team …

Tools and Methods for Sylvan Lake Stewardship

The SLWSS contributed a slideshow/poster session to the AEP Alberta Recreational Lakes Forum at Pigeon Lake on May 10. The contents of the SLWSS toolbox are included in a set of reference graphics that are presented without captions or commentary except for introductions to sections of information. Send any questions to info@slwss.org. Click here for …

Quiet Enjoyment Initiative Rejected by the Town of Sylvan Lake

The Sylvan Lake News reported on a decision of the Town of Sylvan Lake council on February 12 to decline a request for funding for the Quiet Enjoyment Initiative (QEI). The  QEI project of the SLWSS champions the rights of all Sylvan Lake shoreline populations to enjoy the watershed without disturbance by inconsiderate operators of …

Who is Extracting Sylvan Lake Watershed Groundwater?

The SLWSS monitors groundwater consumption. Much of that well-water withdrawal is eventually exported from the watershed's surface and underground inventory as community wastewater. It is collected and processed by the Town of Sylvan Lake in its sewage lagoons. To help treated effluent on its way through Cygnet Lake to the Red Deer River, a comparable …

The Sylvan Lake Groundwater Situation in Perspective and Pictures

The Sylvan Lake watershed and its supply of groundwater are dependent on a fine balance between incoming and outgoing water. The net amount is absorbed and stored underground in the soil, porous and permeable geological glacial deposits, and local aquifers and becomes available for domestic and agricultural use. The following ERCB/AGS maps included in this …

Algal Blooms Reduce Property Values

The following case history for Lake Erie shows how algal blooms have reduced real estate values and recreation uses. So keep your plant nutrients on shore on your own private property. We don't need Blue/Green algae in Sylvan Lake: In a new study, researchers at The Ohio State University estimate algal blooms at two Ohio lakes …

SLWSS monitoring of Cumulative Effects shows little change in key indicators

The value of property that surrounds water bodies can be sensitive to water quality and the condition of other natural assets. For that reason the Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society (SLWSS) monitors lake water quality, land use changes, and property valuations over time. Our report compiles in-watershed municipal data in a series of charts that are useful …

Human noise pollution is disrupting parks and wild places

This article by Rachel Buxton, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Colorado State University, is reprinted with permission from the website "The Conversation". Click on this link for the original article: https://theconversation.com/human-noise-pollution-is-disrupting-parks-and-wild-places-78074 As transportation networks expand and urban areas grow, noise from sources such as vehicle engines is spreading into remote places. Human-caused noise has consequences for wildlife, …

The Biodiversity Monitoring Institute Reports on Alberta

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) has released a series of reports that can be used to observe changes in land use and environmental variables. See these web pages: Land Cover Human Footprint Map Species Some  of the map products will be useful for monitoring of the Sylvan Lake watershed, however the resolution is too …

News from the Alberta Recreational Lakes Forum 2017

Alberta Environment and Parks organized this year's forum at Lake Isle west of Edmonton. Several forum documents and presentations are filed in this online SLWSS folder. The SLWSS did not attend this year's forum as the need for input from community stewardship groups has declined. We did provide this report on our 2016 activities and projects: …