Elk/Beaver Lake is a significant natural asset and is the most heavily-used regional park.

Water quality issues at Elk/Beaver Lake were identified in the 1960s and water quality continues to decline, having significant impacts on the environment, social, cultural and recreation values of the lake and surrounding park.

In response to declining water quality, an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) was formed to discuss the lake system and develop a strategy to improve water quality. Membership of this group include the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Island Health, the CRD, and the District of Saanich. Communications and collaboration with local interested groups, lake users and stakeholders are ongoing.

At the direction of the CRD Board, staff formed the Elk/Beaver Lake Initiative (EBLI) in 2016 to chair and coordinate actions with the IWG, and local government and interest groups that would reduce the frequency and toxicity of cyanobacteria, improve fish habitat, manage invasive weed growth and ensure continued recreational use of the lakes.

The primary cause of these issues are high nutrient levels in Elk/Beaver Lake.

This initiative aims to address the source of the issue through the development of two plans:

• The in-lake remediation plan will address internal sources of nutrients (in lake sediments), guided by expert consultants and project partners
• The watershed management plan will address external sources of nutrients in the watershed, guided by public consultation

The following environmental concerns at Elk/Beaver Lake have been identified and are being addressed through this initiative:

• Frequent cyanobacteria blooms
• Invasive growth of Eurasian Milfoil
• Poor habitat quality for native fish and other native wildlife

The cause of these environmental concerns is largely related to the high nutrient levels in the lake, particularly phosphorus.

High nutrients in the lake come from external and internal sources and significantly impact the health of the lake overall. The impact of high nutrients in Elk/Beaver Lake is summarized in the following infographic:

• Too Many Nutrients in our Lakes

The current status of the lake and vision for the future protection of Elk/Beaver Lake is summarized in the following infographic:

• Vision for a Healthy Lake

The purpose of the watershed management plan is to reduce external sources of nutrients to support environmental, social and economic values of Elk/Beaver Lake.

External nutrients are carried by water, sediments and dust particles from sources outside of the lake and deposited into the lake. External sources include human activities such as land development, road construction and farming that bring additional nutrients into the lake and alter the movement of nutrients across the landscape.

The scope of this watershed management plan is geographically focused to Elk/Beaver Lake and the surrounding sub-watershed draining into Elk/Beaver Lake, to reduce sources of external nutrients.

The development of a watershed management plan will be closely coordinated with the Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG), local government, First Nations, residents, park visitors and interest groups in our region through a public engagement process.

The purpose of the in-lake remediation plan is to investigate and select a remediation option that will reduce internal sources of nutrients to support environmental, social and cultural values of Elk/Beaver Lake.

Internal Nutrients contribute the greatest amount of nutrients in the lake overall (over 70%). Internal nutrients come from the sediment at the bottom of the lake that are recycled back into the water column. Nutrients in lake sediments have accumulated there over time from a long history of intensive agricultural, forestry and urban development around the lake. Nutrients that collect in the lake sediments are released into the water column under low oxygen conditions and negatively affect water quality.

In coordination with project partners, intergovernmental working group and technical expertise, a phased approach to data collection and analysis is currently underway to ensure a well-informed, scientifically supported in-lake remediation plan to address internal nutrients.

The project team will then make recommendations to the CRD Board on the most appropriate in-lake solution.

Why develop a watershed management plan?

The purpose of the watershed management plan is to reduce sources of nutrients within the watershed that contribute to high nutrient levels in Elk/Beaver Lake.

The management plan will include identifying values, interests and priorities at the lake. It will summarize water quality issues and sources of those issues and key management actions to address them.

What will the watershed management planning process look like?

Public engagement is a key part of developing the watershed management plan and, as a result, the CRD welcomes feedback on this work.

The planning and public engagement process for the watershed management plan includes an initial phase to gather information about the lake to support the development of the plan.

Once the watershed management plan is drafted, additional feedback will be solicited to refine and revise the plan before it is taken to the CRD Board for approval.

• Investigation of in-lake remediation options for Elk Lake (PDF)
• Review of Beaver Lake ecology and need for aeration (PDF)
• Elk/Beaver Lakes: Water Quality Assessment & Objectives (Ministry of Environment, Land and Parks, 1992) (PDF)
• Ambient Water Quality Assessment and Objectives for Elk and Beaver Lakes Saanich Peninsula, Overview Report (Ministry of Environment, Land and Parks, 1992) (PDF)
• State of Water Quality of Elk and Beaver Lakes 1986-1995 (Ministry of Environment, Land and Parks, 1996) (PDF)
• Elk Lake Sediment Analysis: a summary of results and implications for Phoslock (Nowak, 2016) (PDF)
• Evaluation of remediation options for Elk/Beaver Lake, Victoria, BC (Nurnberg and Lazerte, 2016) (PDF)
• Water Quality Sampling Program for Elk Lake 2014-15: overview, status and phosphorus budget (Nordin, 2015) (PDF)
• Elk and Beaver Lakes Fish Inventory (Hemmera Envirochem Inc, 2017) (PDF)
• Aquatic Plant Workshop and Survey Summary Results (CRD, 2016) (PDF)
• Cleaning up Elk and Beaver Lakes: what can be learned from other lakes (Environmental Law Centre, University of Victoria, 2015) (PDF)
• Bottom Sediment Analysis of Elk Lake (student project, Julio Flores and Queen Esther Nankabirwa, 2017) (PDF)
• Elk/Beaver Lake and Bear Hill Regional Parks Management Plan (CRD Parks, 2010) (PDF)
• A Preliminary Review of the BC Ministry of Environment Water Quality Data for Elk Lake (Rick Nordin, 2014) (PDF)