Your thoughts on bringing down ecoli levels in a lake

[big walleye]

Hey everyone. I value every ones opinions on this forum so I thought I would throw this out to you. We have a man made lake in Manitoba " Rivers" that is currently going through a rough time with extremely high Ecoli levels. People going to the beach this summer fell exremely sick. Pelicans were being found dead along the shoreline. the gov is proposing dropping the levels of the lake this winter and filling it with fresh water. I am encouraged that at least they are going to try something but does someone here have any other ideas. Have you heard of this before? Currently they are not aware of what is causing the high levels of ecoli. cider i would love to hear from you on this one. Thanks everyone.

[bobberstop]

Goose Poop?

[dachmation]

Is the area around this lake built up? heavily inhabited?
Most of our Hi e-coli readings have come from sewage problems. Thats why I bought here on Houghton Lake, mostly sewers.
Mike

[Polar]

Cut back on the sewage going into the lake.

[Tournament Drifter]

big walleye,
Don't know anything about your watershed or weather but...  High levels of nutrients (from farmland or improper sewage run-off) combined with mild winters and hot summers. Create excessive weed and algae growth, the accumulation and decaying plants promotes growth of bacteria that can include E. coli.     
Goose poop is also bad..  
 

[big walleye]

There is a town by the lake but that is about it. There are a lot of geese and seagulls including pelicans that use the lake. I thin it is the farm land that may be causing it. Prior to this year we have had mild winters and really warm summers. Everything I mentioned here is what you guy's brought up. Thanks a lot everyone. I still wonder if dropping the lake will help.

[TroutFishingBear]

Sounds like their solution of emptying it and refilling it is only temporary. Once again, environmentalists are not looking at the big picture. The water would probably go bad extremely quickly.

What they need to do is hunt down the source of the problem. Farmers should have tougher restrictions. Ranchers should not be allowed to have their cattle in any area remotely close that somehow their doodoo runoff could get in the water. Sewage my also be a factor. They need to prevent or limit these if they want a long-term solution, instead of "emptying and refilling the lake" which is a short-term solution which environmentalists only do.

[Mackdaddy21]

If there isn't sewage or livestock runoff entering the lake, the problem is caused by wildlife. Almost all animals carry e. coli and other bacterial or protozoan infections. Deer, beavers, rodents, all of them. Cattle have a large concentration, so if livestock runoff is entering the lake, that's likely it. Unless large amounts of livestock or inadequately treated wastewater are entering a lake, virtually all contaminants are naturally occuring in either the soil or ambient wildlife.

Tyler