The St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences is pleased to announce a grant of $24,970 from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment – Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund. This funding will support a project called “Algae Alert” that will involve homeowners and volunteers in the Lake St. Francis area. This project will track occurrences and causes of excess algae in the Lake St. Francis region of the St. Lawrence River.

“We need people who live along the waterfront to help us gather data and provide observations about algae in Lake St. Francis and its tributaries,” said Dr. Andy Bramburger, an algae specialist with the River Institute, “From our past work, we know that excess algae in the water can be a big problem, especially when we find species called cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which have the potential to affect human and animal health.”

Many homeowners along the St. Lawrence River draw their household drinking water directly from the St. Lawrence River. More information is needed to identify the location, frequency, and types of algae that occur in the river, as well as the factors that contribute to harmful blue-green algae blooms. The River Institute plans to measure the water properties associated with algae occurrence, and develop models and methods to help predict and control the occurrences. The River Institute plans to extend the Algae Alert program in future years to other sections of the St. Lawrence River. The results of this project and the predictive methods will be shared with management agencies of the St. Lawrence, and other waterways in Eastern Ontario.

If you are interested in participating in the Lake St. Francis Algae Alert project, please contact the River Institute at 613-936-6620, or email info@riverinstitute.ca

The province of Ontario launched the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund to support its ongoing commitment to the protection and restoration of the ecological health of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. The purpose of the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund is to provide grants to community groups and organizations to help restore ‘their own corner’ of the Great Lakes.