Nova Scotia

Lake Banook, Lake Micmac weeds to be tackled Monday

A mechanical weed harvester will be back on Lake Banook and Lake Micmac in Dartmouth, N.S., on Monday.

Heavy weed growth has interfered with paddling on the lakes in previous seasons

Weeds have plagued Lake Micmac and Lake Banook, pictured, in Dartmouth, N.S., since 2009. (Andrew Vaughn/Canadian Press)

A mechanical weed harvester will be back on Lake Banook and Lake Micmac in Dartmouth, N.S., on Monday.

Last year during a pilot project, contractors removed around 37,400 kilograms of weeds from the lakes over 10 days.

The two lakes in Dartmouth are popular for canoe and kayak athletes. (Google Maps)

Three-year contract

"We want to try this over multiple seasons to see if we can have an impact on the regrowth," said Shannon Miedema, Halifax Regional Municipality's energy and environment program manager.

"So we just issued a contract for three years."

Stantec Consulting will handle the monitoring and Natural Ocean Products will do the harvesting, she said. The cost of both services over the three years is expected to be around $573,900, the municipality said.

A mechanical weed harvester will be back on Lake Banook and Lake Micmac in Dartmouth on Monday. (Andrew Vaughn/Canadian Press)

No impact on races

Up to four weeks of harvesting is scheduled to take place on weekdays during business hours, and it's not expected to interfere with scheduled race events, Miedema said.

"That's a requirement for the contractors," she said. "The Atlantic CanoeKayak group have been subcontracted to help deal with the community because they are a major steward of the lake."

Lake Banook is part of the Shubenacadie Canal system. (The Canadian Press)

World-class paddling

Lake Banook is home to a world-class paddling course and three paddling clubs.

Rowers and dragon boats are on the lakes on a daily basis from the spring to the fall. In the past, heavy weed growth has interfered with recreational activities on the lakes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pam Berman

Reporter

Pam Berman is CBC Nova Scotia's municipal affairs reporter. She's been a journalist for almost 35 years and has covered Halifax regional council since 1997. That includes four municipal elections, 19 budgets and countless meetings. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected]