North Cowichan has received provincial approval to begin testing aerators in Quamichan Lake starting in 2026 as the municipality looks for new ways to address decades of poor water quality.

Mayor Rob Douglas announced the move in a Facebook post, noting the authorization follows a provincial review of water quality monitoring data collected by municipal staff.

“The upcoming trials aim to evaluate the effectiveness of aerators in increasing oxygen levels in the lake’s deeper waters,” Douglas wrote. “Improved oxygenation may help reduce the release of nutrients from lake sediments – nutrients that contribute to cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms during the summer months.”

The study will three test enclosures, each about eight metres in diameter, set up in the lake: • Oxygen-only ae

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