There are other options for the control of vegetation in Williams Lake besides a lake harvester according to the province.
After the Tribune reached out following a debate at the April 1, 2025 city council meeting which saw council split over the city's lake harvester, the province provided some information from the Ministry of Environment and Parks (MEP) and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (MWLRS) on both lake harvesters and Williams Lake in particular.
MEP said using a lake harvester can improve lake user's experience, but can also reduce habitat for wildlife and aquatic species.
MWLRS said the use of a harvester to remove vegetation can potentially spread and encourage weed growth in the watershed, reduce important habitat and kill fish and other species.
Williams Lake is home to many species which depend on the shallower lakeshore area for habitat, including the western painted turtle, an at-risk species.
According to MWLRS, the population of these turtles in the Cariboo Region are a small, distinct genetic population, estimated to number less than 200 in total. Their habitat is the littoral zone, or shallower shoreline areas, "characterized by aquatic plants." The turtles are omnivores, and feed on vertebrate and invertebrate species which also live in this shallower aquatic habitat.
"While mechanical harvesting may be one tool in a broader management approach, alternatives may be more appropriate in sensitive or high-value habitat areas," stated MWLRS, noting numerous fish, mammals, waterfowl, amphibians, and invertebrates rely on aquatic plants for specific habitat and food needs.
Instead, the MWLRS said alternative ways to reduce aquatic vegetation would be: hand removal using methods such as diver-assisted suction removal for targeted areas with sensitive habitat, installing bottom barriers or mats on the lakebed to suppress growth in specific areas, or implementing long-term watershed and lake health strategies.
"Efforts to reduce nutrient loading through education, outreach, and action can help address root causes," stated MWLRS.
This includes managing non-point and point source pollution to reduce nutrient inputs due to human activity and improve overall lake health.
Williams Lake is a nutrient rich lake, which is what leads to abundant algal and plant growth,. Luckily for Williams Lake, the aquatic plants are native plants providing important habitat and food sources.
Some lakes are impacted by non-native invasive species such as Eurasian milfoil, which becomes almost impossible to eradicate and can create dense mats adversely impacting recreational use of the lake as well as other important lake functions such as fish spawning and irrigation.
MEV provided a link to reports indicating using a lake harvester to address Eurasian milfoil has not been found to be an effective long-term solution.
According to the Okanagan Basin Water Board, which has been working to address Eurasian milfoil infestations in the Okanagan Valley since the 1980s, "harvesting is essentially cosmetic control."
After limited success in using the harvester, the water board now relies on other methods to try and contain the infestation and reduce the impacts on lakes.
Monitoring over the past 40 years as well as sediment core data all indicates Williams Lake has been nutrient rich over the last few 100 years, even prior to European settlement.
The lake is sampled biannually by the province, as well as being monitored through the B.C. Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program.
The April 1 meeting saw some of council wanting to continue to push the province to allow the city to use the harvester despite ecological concerns and one half wanting to cut the city's losses and look at other options. Council moved to table the topic to a committee of the whole meeting for more discussion.
So far, 50 kg of vegetation has been removed from Williams Lake with the harvester at a cost to the city of more than $123,242 as of December 2024.
In order to obtain another permit to allow the city to use the lake harvester again, staff estimate the cost to the city will be $23,502, for a study, monitoring biologist, and transport of the harvester to and from the lake (which involves the use of a crane each time).
A 2021 Efteen story on the western painted turtle on Scout Island.
