Swimming in lakes on borrowed time | Helen Baulch | TEDxUniversityofSaskatchewan

Key Concepts

• Eutrophication: The process of nutrient enrichment in a lake, leading to excessive plant and algal growth.
• Phosphorus: A key nutrient driving algal blooms; often the limiting factor in lake health.
• Algal Blooms: Rapid increases in the population of algae in a water body, some of which produce toxins.
• Microcystin: A common liver toxin produced by certain types of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) during blooms.
• Watershed Management: A holistic approach to managing land and water resources within a drainage basin.
• Non-Point Source Pollution: Pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, such as agricultural runoff and urban stormwater.
• Lake Geoengineering: Costly chemical treatment to trap new nutrients in lakes.

The State of Our Lakes: A Call to Action

This presentation details the ongoing challenges to lake health, stemming from nutrient pollution, and advocates for renewed and tailored solutions. The speaker, a water researcher, frames the issue through personal connection to lakes and a scientific understanding of their fragility.

Personal Connection & The Value of Lakes

The speaker begins by describing a deep, multi-generational connection to Lake Hiron in Saskatchewan, emphasizing the joy, peace, and health benefits derived from being near water. This personal anecdote is supported by research demonstrating the positive correlation between proximity to water and mental well-being, physical health, and stress reduction. For many Indigenous people, water is considered sacred and possesses inherent rights. The speaker highlights the intrinsic value of lakes, beyond their utilitarian function, stating, “What would you be willing to do to take care of something or someone you love?”

The History of Lake Degradation & The Phosphorus Breakthrough

The presentation traces the history of lake degradation, beginning in the 1960s with the widespread occurrence of algal blooms. Lake Erie serves as a prime example, initially labeled a “dead lake” due to severe eutrophication. A pivotal experiment – splitting a lake with an underwater curtain and adding phosphorus to one side – definitively demonstrated phosphorus as the primary driver of algal blooms. This led to policy changes, including phosphorus limits in detergents and investment in wastewater treatment. However, the speaker asserts that progress has stalled, with ongoing issues in Lake Erie, Lake Winnipeg, and even northern lakes like Lake Superior and Great Slave Lake.

The Toledo Water Crisis: A Real-World Example

The 2014 water crisis in Toledo, Ohio, serves as a stark illustration of the consequences of unchecked algal blooms. A bloom in Lake Erie’s western basin contaminated the city’s drinking water supply with microcystin, a liver toxin, forcing a “do not drink” advisory for over three days and triggering a state of emergency for a city of almost half a million people. While water utilities have since upgraded treatment facilities, these improvements come at a significant cost, impacting water affordability. The speaker notes that the most bloom-affected waters often coincide with areas having the least affordable drinking water.

The Paradox of Nutrient Management: A Systems Thinking Approach

The speaker reveals a surprising finding from her research: farmers are effectively managing nutrient flows on their fields. The problem, she argues, isn’t solely agricultural runoff, but the extreme sensitivity of lakes to even small nutrient inputs. A graph illustrating nutrient balance on farms highlights that the runoff component is minuscule. This led to the realization that “lakes are exquisitely sensitive,” responding to quantities as small as 25 kg of phosphorus – roughly the weight of an overweight suitcase – which can trigger a bloom in under 12 weeks. This illustrates the disconnect between nutrient management in upstream systems (agriculture, urban areas) and the response of downstream ecosystems (lakes).

Multiple Stressors & The Impact of Climate Change

Beyond phosphorus, the speaker acknowledges the compounding effects of other stressors on lake health, including microplastics, toxic chemicals, and salinization from road salt. Climate change exacerbates these issues, leading to altered runoff patterns, warmer water temperatures, and longer ice-free seasons, further increasing lake sensitivity and bloom frequency.

Solutions & A Call to Action

The speaker advocates for a multi-faceted approach to lake protection, emphasizing the need for both upstream investment and location-specific solutions. Key recommendations include:

• Robust Drinking Water Treatment: Advanced phosphorus removal, even in small communities.
• Agricultural Best Management Practices: Banning winter manure application, precision agriculture, and place-based phosphorus management.
• Potential for Lake Geoengineering: As a last resort, costly chemical treatment to trap nutrients.

However, the core message is a call for a shift in perspective: “We can all take a hard look at the role water plays in our lives and start treating it like something or someone we love.” The speaker emphasizes the importance of individual actions – reducing phosphorus use, maintaining septic systems, joining local lake associations – and continued scientific research. She concludes with a hopeful message: “Lakes can heal and recover. We can fix this if we reduce the nutrients that go into them.”

Notable Quote: “People care a great deal about our water but we’re swimming on borrowed time if we don’t work harder to protect it.”

Data & Statistics

• 2900 km: The distance of the speaker’s drive from Lake Euron to Saskatchewan.
• 25 kg of phosphorus: The amount of phosphorus that can trigger a bloom in a lake in less than 12 weeks.
• Hundreds of dollars per household per year: The amount people are willing to pay to fix their lakes, according to surveys.
• Over three days: The duration of the “do not drink” advisory in Toledo, Ohio, in 2014.
• Half a million people: The population affected by the Toledo water crisis.

Conclusion

The presentation delivers a compelling argument for prioritizing lake health, grounded in both scientific evidence and personal experience. It highlights the complex interplay of factors contributing to lake degradation, the limitations of past solutions, and the urgent need for a renewed commitment to comprehensive and tailored management strategies. The speaker’s final message is one of hope, emphasizing the potential for recovery and the power of collective action.