Lake Stewardship

Lakes are one of the most treasured aspects of the Alberta landscape. They have become an integral part of many lives, whether you are a long-time lake resident or someone who visits lakes occasionally for boating, fishing or wildlife watching. Unfortunately, many lakes and watersheds in Alberta have seen extensive land clearing and development, resulting in large amounts of nutrients entering lakes and lake sediments. Years of reduced rainfall coupled with excess nutrients has resulted in lakes that have many water quality issues, such as excess aquatic vegetation growth or extensive blue-green algae blooms.

The Respect Our Lakes (ROL) program was developed within the Government of Alberta and aims to support and engage Albertans in lake stewardship. The program provides the tools and resources to help lake users understand, value, and actively manage lakes through the application of relevant legislation and science.

Check out these ROL Brochures

Aquatic Vegetation and Lake Health

Cyanobacterial (Blue-green Algae) Blooms

Keeping Alberta Lakes Healthy

Responsible Lake Recreation

Understanding Lake Legislation

Understanding Lake Science

Maintaining the health of Alberta’s lakes is everyone’s responsibility. Actions of individual lakeshore residents, decision makers and land users around the lake add up to make a huge difference. Here are some examples of what you can do:

• Have your septic system inspected regularly and empty septic tanks as recommended

• Keep wheels out of the water – regulations prohibit people from using off-highway vehicles (OHVs) on the beds and shores of a permanent and naturally occurring body of water

• Leave your shoreline and aquatic vegetation in its natural condition – in fact, it is illegal to do any shoreline modifications or aquatic vegetation removal without written authorization from Alberta Environment and Parks

• Plant native plants and shrubs where shorelines have been cleared

• Refuel your boat using spill control devices or fill tanks well away from water

• Use no fertilizers or only organic, slow-release fertilizers placed well away from the shoreline

• Watch for aquatic invasive species and report or remove as appropriate