Lakes of the Cataraqui Region

Learn more about Algae. Kingston Field Naturalists, Cataraqui Conservation and Queen’s University hosted an online cyanobacteria workshop. Resources from that workshop are available below.

Workshop Part 1 – Research & Observations Video

Identifying Blue Green Algae – Video

Algae Identification Field Guide – PDF Download

Foldscope Tutorial – Video

Understanding Algal Blooms – Information from Florida Centre from Environmental Studies

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A watershed is an area of land and water that drains to a common outlet. Everyone lives in a watershed! Rain and snowmelt flow over the land or through the ground to a stream or lake system. Homes, farms, cottages, forests, small towns, and big cities make up watersheds, with some crossing municipal, provincial and even international borders. Watershed shapes and sizes vary from millions of square kilometers, the land that drains into the Great Lakes, to a few acres draining into a small lake. The figure to the right illustrations how water moves within a watershed.

The majority of the lakes within the region are located in the Cataraqui River and Gananoque River watersheds; however, the Millhaven and Collins Creek watersheds contain lakes near their headwaters as well. Many of the Cataraqui Region Lakes were formed as a result of water becoming trapped by the rocky, rough terrain of the Canadian Shield and are valued by residents, visitors and wildlife.

Our unique landscape is constantly adapting to pressures from climate change, development, and the introduction of invasive species. To evaluate and protect our lakes, it is important to understand how a lake functions, including both natural and human influences.

Activities on upstream lakes, streams and ponds affect downstream waterbodies. Everything in a watershed is connected so that all activities have an effect on water quality and quantity. As water cycles through a watershed, it can dissolve and/or carry soil, debris and contaminants to a stream or lake. Modifications to the landscape such as paving, building constructions, and installation of other hard (impervious) surfaces changes how water flows over the land. The addition of hard surfaces limits the ability of water to soak into the ground, thereby increasing the risk of flooding since the direct path of streams has been removed. The CRCA’s area is composed of ten smaller watersheds that all drain toward the eastern end of Lake Ontario and the beginning of the St. Lawrence River.

The natural function of a like is driven by factors often described as inputs and outputs. Inputs include light (solar ultraviolet radiation), precipitation and atmospheric deposition, surface runoff (nutrients) including weathering of soils and bedrock providing calcium and other minerals, and groundwater discharge. Outputs include surface flow from the lake, evaporation from the water body and aquatic plants, and groundwater recharge.

Physical lake features, or lake morphometry, such as basin depth, surface area, and volume directly influence how the inputs are cycled and will determine the ecology of the lake environment. Processes within the lake such as mixing, heat absorption, and primary production are greatly influenced by all the above factors and together determine which community of organisms (e.g. algae) are found within the lake. Other influences on lakes include the introduction of invasive species, changes in weather patterns, and shoreline development.

Lake are dynamic systems that can reveal seasonal changes and host different communities of organisms within the local habitat. Sometimes these changes can stimulate the natural growth of algae, plants, bacteria, and microscopic organisms that may often be confused for pollution or other odd phenomena in the lake environment. Check out our fact sheet ‘What’s in the Water?’ for a summary of some common lake sightings that often raise questions in the Cataraqui Region.