Advocates for revitalizing Sudbury's Simon Lake continue search for funds for skimmer

Advocates for revitalizing Simon Lake in Sudbury all say they want to see it made useable again, but some say its ongoing algae problem has become too big for money to solve.

"We will constantly be chasing the finish line," said Krishnan Venkataraman, president of the Tri-Lakes Community Stewardship that aims to conserve Simon Lake, Mud Lake and McCharles Lake.

The City of Greater Sudbury sold Meatbird Lake Park, a former swimming and recreation spot, to mining company Vale in April 2021.

$4-million dollars were gained from the sale and the money was allocated by the city for recreational development in that area.

Venkataraman said their latest petition launched earlier this month would ask the City of Greater Sudbury to give them $200,000 of the $4-million dollar recreation fund to purchase an algae skimmer.

Since last year, the group has also been attempting to crowdfund $120,000 online with donations from the community.

"It's a steep mountain to climb. Simon Lake itself is a beautiful lake with a wonderful park and beach access," Venkataraman said.

The new petition isn't the first asking for an algae skimmer with city funds - there was one back in 2016, started by the Simon Lake Stewardship committee.

The skimmer is a large piece of equipment that removes surface algae and has to be used regularly to keep water clean.

David Pearson, a professor emeritus at Laurentian University, said he has lived by Simon Lake for almost 40 years.

Despite enjoying its wildlife and summer weather, he added people should accept the way it looks with a layer of algae.

"They're going to have to live with what's there and find a way to live with it," he said.

The lake is high in phosphorus, a mineral accumulated from sewage dumping and human waste, Pearson added.

While the algae that comes from it is not always toxic to humans, advocates said it adds an unpleasant look and smell to Simon Lake.

A large bed of phosphorus at the bottom of Simon Lake has also been a fertilizer for algae to rapidly grow each year and make it unusable for outdoor recreation.

"It was like a bathtub with fertiliser made for growing algae. That's what it will continue to do for the foreseeable future," he said.

According to Pearson, much of the pollution also came from the nearby Kelly Lake and traveled downstream to Mud Lake, Simon Lake and McCharles Lake.

But both Venkataraman and Pearson said investing in a skimmer isn't the definitive answer to Simon Lake's rapid algae growth.

"It's not a one and done deal. You can remove the algae, but more will grow simply because there is an abundant amount of phosphate," Venkataraman said.

"The skimmer would certainly remove it for a day or two. But it would grow just as fast as the skimmer has left," Pearson said.

Richard Eberhardt, a member of the Lively Recreational Advisory Panel, said he also wants to see Simon Lake restored, but doesn't believe this should be a priority for funding.

"I think the problem is much bigger than skimming the algae and much more expensive than the $4 million that we have," he said.

"But by all means, I would support some city money going to finding out if this process would work. Maybe testing it out, so that we know whether or not we can have a swimable Simon Lake."

Pearson, who previously attempted to counteract the algae with rotting barley straw a decade ago, said a long term solution would be covering the bed of phosphorus to slow growth.

"It would be a monster project," he said.

"That goes beyond simply covering up the human waste. It's not a problem that will be solved with any reasonable amount of money."

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Clement is a reporter across CBC News in Ontario. Since 2018, he has also worked in various newsrooms across Toronto, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Sudbury covering current affairs. Outside, he is a resident gamer and keeps his popcorn close at the latest movie premieres. You can reach him with tips, story ideas and compliments at [email protected] and Twitter via @theinstaword