North Cowichan wants more work done to deal with the failing heath of Somenos Lake after the massive and sudden fish die-off there in August involving thousands of fish from a number of species.
Council unanimously passed a motion at its meeting on Sept. 4 instructing staff to prepare a report on what happened in the incident and list the ongoing steps that the municipality is taking to improve the water quality of the lake.
As well, Mayor Rob Douglas has been authorized to send letters to the province, the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Cowichan Watershed Board urging them to take the necessary actions to address the issues that cause fish-kill events in both Somenos Lake and nearby Quamichan Lake, which also has health issues.
The dead fish in Somenos Lake during the approximately two-day die off in early August were mostly pumpkinseed fish, which is an invasive species, along with several hundred coho salmon and fewer numbers of other species.
Members of the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society said that while fish kills are not uncommon in Somenos Lake, this incident is the biggest one that they had ever witnessed.
A statement from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change after the event confirmed that the reason for the fish kill was most likely the result of low oxygen and warm-water temperatures.
The dead fish were left to decompose in the lake.
Coun. Christopher Justice, who made the motion for the staff report, said the fish kill indicates how serious the lake’s health problems are, as well as the inadequacy of the solutions that are currently being applied to deal with them.
He said that, while the province is ultimately responsible for dealing with the lake’s health issues, it’s up to North Cowichan to make sure that the province is doing what it can.
“The fish kill was terrible, but it grabbed a lot of media attention and piqued some public interest, which gives us a chance to push for more support from the province to tackle some of these issues,” Justice said.
“But there are other important pieces to this as well; one of which is making the public more aware of the lake’s situation and the work that we’ve been doing.”
Justice said there’s a possibility of getting more regional support as well, and noted that the Capital Regional District has successfully advocated on behalf of many of the lakes in the CRD.
He suggested that the CVRD could do likewise and be nudged to step up on behalf of both Somenos and Quamichan lakes.
“Also, it might be a good idea to get the Cowichan Watershed Board more involved considering that the lake is an important part of the Cowichan watershed, and considering its past and potential importance as a place for salmonoid production.”
