CCA has been sponsoring the work of the Trent University team from the Trent Aquatic Research Program (TARP) to sample the water quality on Catchacoma Lake. The team has been sampling lakes in our area since 2015. The TARP program is led by Dr Paul Frost, of Trent University and in all years except 2020 (COVID rules) the sampling has been carried out in collaboration with me, the CCA Lake Steward, Ted Spence.
The sampling program is focused on establishing an ongoing record of various water quality measurements to monitor the lake water quality characteristics in order to document any changes over time. The measurements also provide a basis for comparison with other lakes I our area.
We are linking to two reports from TARP for the information of Catchacoma Lake residents. We are also providing a video link to a presentation given by Dr Frost to the Cavendish Community Ratepayers Association (CCRAI) Spring Meeting in June 2021. In this presentation Dr Frost presents comparative data for lakes in our area.
The first TARP report is Catchacoma Lake Water Quality Report 2015-2020. It presents data for our lake over the past five years. The report documents that water quality measures for Catchacoma indicate a healthy lake.
The second TARP report is a background report which is a primer on what is being measured and the significance of each of the measurements: What’s in the Water at the Lake? A Brief review of water quality and limnology. This document presents a very straightforward review of what each of the measurement category means and how to interpret results.
Finally we are pleased to share with you the link to the presentation that Dr Frost made to the CCRAI meeting in June. In his presentation he discussed comparative data for lakes in our area including Catchacoma. He clearly confirms that our lake is in good condition at this point in time. The video covers the whole of the CCRAI meeting but you can fast forward to the 1:02 time point to find the water quality presentation.
Going forward, CCA will be continuing to support the Trent water quality testing program and we invite our members to also consider a possible donation to the program. There is a link in the Catchacoma Report above where you can find more information.
Ted Spence,
CCA Board Member and Lake Steward