Good News about the drainage at Rainbow Ridge

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - “ If we achieve this, which I believe we're going to do, this is a model for other communities. We look at places like Salt Spring and even Quadra Island and places in northern BC where they have lost their lakes. The Process is called eutrophication. When the lakes just become too rich in nitrogen and they become swamps. It's not just our issue, it's everybody's issue and if we show a way to improve the nutrient flow into the lake while adding these extra homes, that's a model for the whole world,” said Rex Weyler, one of the scientists monitoring Hague and Gunflint Lakes.

He was talking about the potential impacts of what would soon be called Rainbow Ridge.

Weyler was also looking back to the lake’s algae bloom, and fish die off, in 2014. They were caused by the flow of nutrients from properties and streams along the shore.

Five years have passed since that interview, but it seems possible that this affordable building project may achieve its goal of decreasing the flow of nutrients into the lake.

Sandra Wood, Executive Director of the Cortes Housing Society, explained, “The thing that helps to stop algae blooms is basically keeping phosphorus out of the lake. Anybody who's living in the watershed, in the Mansons Landing core, can help. Specifically anything they can do to make sure that phosphorus is not leaving their property, entering the watershed and entering the lake, will help to protect the lake from algae blooms. Hopefully over time as people's septic systems get renovated, or as new high-tech septic systems get installed, that will help in improve the water quality as far as the runoff that's going down downstream into the lakes.”

“We have positive news about the soil on the Rainbow Ridge property. Brian French, the soil scientist that we hired, collected samples on our property and specifically around where the waste water system will be as far as the septic fields will be located. He discovered that our soil naturally is very high in iron and aluminum. Those are two naturally occurring minerals that actually attract phosphorus and bind phosphorus to the soil particles. It will not be in the water column as far as being transported in across the property during downpours or in the winter when the water table's really high on the island. Phosphorus coming out of our septic system will be trapped and held in the soil on the property and will not be flowing downstream in the watershed.”

“The other thing that it helped us confirm is that everything we're planning to do as far as stormwater management in bioswales, ditches and in our holding pond - All of that will help us to settle any sediments that are coming off of our property Especially if there are atmospheric events like atmospheric rivers and torrential downpours, that will probably happen more as climate change continues. Those suspended particles of soil will have a chance to filter out, to settle out in our stormwater system instead of being flushed into the lake. We're giving the nitrogen that is naturally occurring in the soil a chance to be absorbed by the plants and the trees that are on our property.”

“Bottom line: All of the things that we're planning to do, are going to help protect the lakes from any contamination and we're really pleased to report that.”

“Friends of Cortes Island or FOCI has been doing an ongoing water testing program in the lakes, gathering those samples and then consulting with Lake experts, limnologists. and other people who have expertise in that field.”