McArthur Lake Association

About

McArthur Lake is located in the upstream part of the Rivière Blanche watershed. The lake is currently oligotrophic, meaning that it has relatively low nutrient and high oxygen levels. It is part of a chain of lakes that eventually becomes the river downstream. The lake is in Val-Des-Monts municipality, which is an area populated by seasonal cottage dwellers and many full-time residents. Val-Des-Monts has a low population density (24 pers/km2), and it is experiencing fairly rapid population growth (+9.6% 2006-2011) due to urban sprawl from the nearby Gatineau/Ottawa cities. Adding to the environmental stress is the increasing popularity of lake-side cottages in the region. The geology is characterized by old Canadian Shield igneous and metamorphic rocks, yielding an area with relatively poor soils and little farmland. The surrounding ecosystem is boreal forest.

The McArthur Lake Association is an active member of the Val-Des-Monts Federation of Lakes. We strive to monitor and study our lake in order to make data-backed, intelligent decisions regarding the preservation of our ecosystem's integrity.

Water testing protocol

Since many lakes in our region are struggling to slow down eutrophication, we believe eutrophication will be the major long-term challenge for members of our watershed. Therefore, we track eutrophication status with secci depth and total phosphorous. We also track many more environmental variables such as precipitation, creek flow, water temperature, lake water level and ice thickness in order to explain some of the changes we might observe in eutrophication status.

Areas monitored

McArthur Lake