Unfortunately, many people have stopped running towards the water. The condition of Lake Winnipeg has been deteriorating for years, leaving many people with fears that it will one day be deemed “un-swimmable.”
The lake at its finest. This is what I remember...
Lake Winnipeg suffers from eutrophication, a condition that occurs when nutrients accumulate and begin affecting a body of water. It can be a natural process, which is usually very slow and gradual, or can result from human activities, including deposits of human sewage and agricultural wastes. In some advanced cases, blooms of algae begin to grow. They disrupt normal functioning of the lake and decrease oxygen when they decompose, which makes it difficult for fish and other living organisms to survive. The water becomes cloudy, and is usually green, red, brown or yellow in colour.
Eutrophication has been detected in lakes in countries all over the world, including Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. According to a 2008 study from the University of Alberta, forty-eight per cent of lakes in North America are experiencing some form of eutrophication. Lake Winnipeg is the tenth largest freshwater lake (by surface area) in the world, and a variety of small communities are situated along its shore.
Two well-known communities located at Lake Winnipeg are Winnipeg Beach and Grand Beach. Each year, thousands of families vacation in these communities and take advantage of the amenities.
While there are still many things to keep people occupied, both communities are a far cry from what they used to be. Development of Winnipeg Beach, situated on the west side of the lake, began in 1900.
At its peak, it boasted a train station, dance pavilion, roller coaster and boardwalk. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began transporting passengers to the town in 1903. The opposite side of the lake followed suit in 1914. The CPR’s rival – the Canadian National Company – began running trains to Grand Beach, and built a lakeside resort and dance pavilion. Cottage communities grew on both sides of the lake, and before long, Lake Winnipeg was one of the most popular places to spend time in Manitoba.
Veronica Kitt spent the summers of her childhood at her family cottage in Winnipeg Beach. Her family moved to the lake as soon as school finished for the summer in June, and would stay until the August long weekend. Many other families followed the same procedure.
The only mode of practical transportation from the city to Winnipeg Beach was the train. There were numerous stops along the route, and Kitt remembers getting off at the 1st Avenue train station in Sandy Hook.
Families brought necessary items from home, but everything else could be purchased at the lake. An Eaton’s catalogue was available to summer residents, and everything including food, clothing, and household items could be shipped to cottages. A transfer company could be hired to move all a family’s belongings from Winnipeg to the lake, and another company would pick up, wash, and drop off laundry.
“Everything was at your fingertips,” Kitt said with a smile. “It was wonderful.”
Some of Kitt’s fondest memories included walking into downtown Winnipeg Beach, going on the roller coaster, walking along the boardwalk, and visiting the dance pavilion. She also remembers visiting the community centre every night, and it was always bustling with activity.
“We didn’t need caregivers or anything. You just went,” she said.
When asked about the current condition of the lake, Kitt stated that not much has changed.
“Kids used to always get sick, and my mom called it ‘summer complaint.’ But it was just a part of the summer. I don’t think the lake has changed at all.”
Parts of the lake now...
Kitt expressed sadness that spending time at Lake Winnipeg is not as popular as it was in the past. She was also sorry that relics from the past no longer exist.
“One day there’s a train, the next day there’s no train,” she said sadly. “It’s too bad that things have changed.”
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment