Lakeway Landing Storm Pond

We are pleased to announce that the first treatment of Rotenone was highly effective! We removed another 441 goldfish. While we are confident that the treatment eliminated all the fish, it’s important to note that rotenone does not affect goldfish eggs.

We had planned on doing a second treatment of hatched eggs in 2025. Because of the mild fall weather and the recent availability of Worley's pesticide applicator, we can proceed with the second treatment this fall. We are saving some money by doing the second application this year instead of next year. The pond drains are already plugged and the fencing is still up.

Second Treatment

• October 15, 2024, weather dependent
• Target any newly hatched goldfish eggs
• To ensure maximum success with the second treatment, we will lower the pond’s water level by pumping down the water level
• The project timeline is extended to November 26th
• The Town is notifying the residents in the surrounding area about this update

Questions?

• If you have any questions about the storm pond or invasive goldfish, please ask them here
• If you have questions about anything else, please ask them here

You may have noticed some new activity around the pond today. It rained last night and the water levels increased so we are taking extra precautions. We are plugging the higher level exits where high water would usually flow downstream.

Staff at far end of pond closing high level exit

Underground high level exit closed

Questions?

• If you have any questions about the storm pond or invasive goldfish, please ask them here
• If you have questions about anything else, please ask them here

Thank you, Sylvan Lake! We had several hundred Lakers show up to this event. We went through roughly 300 hotdogs! We had great discussions and hope that Lakers came away with lots of knowledge.

----------------------------------------

Consider yourself invited to learn about the Lakeway Landing storm pond goldfish removal project.

We'll be onsite and providing:

• A detailed update on managing the invasive goldfish population in pond and the next steps to
• Staff to answer questions
• A guided tour of the site
• Hotdogs, water, pop and goldfish crackers
• Colouring pages and a game for the kids

Details

• September 13, 2024
• 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
• Lakeway Landing Storm Pond, Entrance at Old Boomer Road and Lakeway Boulevard
• View the location

Can’t make it?

• Learn more here
• Ask questions here

We have secured some Rotenone. This is the safest, cheapest, and most effective way to remove invasive goldfish with the least harm to the environment. Here’s the plan to use it:

Step 1: Environmental Consultation

• Summer 2024
• Coordinating with an environmental consultant to help us build a detailed plan, including:
  • Dosage: Finding the best concentration of Rotenone needed to remove the goldfish
  • How often we apply the rotenone: Plan how we must apply rotenone to kill all the goldfish

Step 2: Prepare the pond

• Begins September 16, 2024
• Drain the pond as much as possible. Lowered water volume concentrates the Rotenone, making it more potent against the Goldfish
• Install safety fencing. This fencing will remain in place until October 16, 2024

Step 3: Rotenone application

• September 23, 2024
• Applying Rotenone in September will help ensure maximum effectiveness due to optimal weather conditions and the lifecycle stage of the Goldfish
• A certified chemical applicator will apply the Rotenone to make sure it is used safely according to regulations
• Rotenone treatment is safe for humans and pets. As a precaution, we ask that you avoid the area during the treatment period
• Fencing and barricades will be in place to secure the site until October 16, 2024
• You may notice a temporary change in the pond water colour or smell

Step 4: Monitoring

• Our team closely monitors how well the Rotenone is working

Questions?

• Ask your question in the Ask & Answered
• September 13: Goldfish invasion pond walk
  • 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, at the Lakeway Landing Central Storm Pond
  • Get a detailed project update and a guided tour of the site

What actions have been considered to correct the goldfish management problem?

The Town attempted a physical removal method first because of a Canada-wide shortage of certain types of Rotenone. We have considered 3 ways to remove and control invasive species:

• Physical/mechanical
  Unfortunately, these techniques don’t work well. Methods include nets, traps, electrofishing gear, and managing water levels and flows. Many others have tried these methods without success
• Biological
  Biological control is great for long-term management, but not to eradicate fish. Why? Because there is no guarantee that the predator will eliminate the target species and all its life stages, such as eggs. Target species may spread to other waterbodies before the predator can reduce invasive species population. Also, stormwater ponds are not a healthy habitat for predatory fish.
• Chemical
  Chemical control is the only method likely to eliminate undesirable fish in a body of water. The use of Rotenone offers the highest likelihood of success.

Why is Rotenone the most likely alternative management technique to remove goldfish?

• Rotenone provides the highest chance of success
• It can remove Goldfish fast enough so that they don’t spread to other waterbodies.

What is Rotenone?

• Rotenone is a naturally occurring compound made from the roots of a tropical plant of the bean family
• It has successfully eliminated invasive fish
• Alberta Environment and Protected Areas use the commercially available Rotenone formulation called Prentox Nusyn-Noxfish Fish Toxicant. It is a registered pesticide with the federal Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)

Is Rotenone harmful to humans when used as a goldfish management tool?

• No. A 132-pound person would have to consume more than 40,000 gallons (approx. 150,000 litres) of Rotenone-treated water within a 24-hour period to receive a lethal dose
• There is no opportunity for long-term effects since Rotenone biodegrades within two to four weeks
• The use of Rotenone for fish eradication does not present a risk of adverse effects to humans or the environment
• If Rotenone is not considered harmful, why does the pesticide application team wear personal protective equipment, including coveralls, gloves, goggles, and a respirator?
• Certified applicators handle concentrated products, which are have a larger risk of exposure
• When applied, the product is diluted and generally applied below the surface of the water, reducing the risk to the surrounding area and individuals

How long will the Rotenone treatment take?

• Project planning has lasted for months, but the Rotenone application takes a day
• Signage, barricades, and fencing will be installed before the application, and stay up for two weeks after the application

Does Rotenone affect all aquatic animals the same?

• No. Fish are more susceptible
• Gill-breathing animals such as fish, some amphibians, and some aquatic invertebrates are more susceptible to Rotenone. Their digestive enzymes cannot neutralize Rotenone
• Some organisms, like aquatic insects, are susceptible to Rotenone. But studies have shown that these organisms can quickly repopulate after treatment

Will wildlife that eat dead fish and drink treated water be affected?

• No. Birds and mammals that eat dead fish and drink treated water will not be affected. Their digestive system neutralizes the Rotenone
• A bird weighing 0.25 pounds would have to consume 100 quarts (95 litres) of treated water or more than 40 pounds of fish and invertebrates within a 24-hour period to receive a lethal dose. This same bird would normally consume 0.2 ounces (6ml) of water and 0.32 ounces (9g) of food daily

What can you expect during the proposed Rotenone treatment?

• Residents may notice:
• Fencing and barricades placed around the pond
• Chemical odours for 1 to 2 days
• Temporary change in watercolour
• Appearance of dead fish for 1 to 2 weeks
• Town staff monitoring the pond and surrounding area for 1 to 4 weeks

Questions

• Leave your questions in the project Ask & Answered

What is the goldfish management problem?

• Invasive species create a serious issue in Alberta’s waterways or stormwater management facilities
• Home aquariums and ponds can carry invasive species, including their:
  • Water
  • Plants, fish, and animals (dead or alive)
• Invasive species threaten the health of our natural waterbodies and the operation of our stormwater management facilities
• Common aquarium pond plants and animals, like Goldfish, can become invasive when released into the wild

How did we end up with invasive goldfish in our storm water system?

• Goldfish pets that were abandoned in the Lakeway Landing storm pond are breeding quickly and damaging the pond

How do abandoned pets damage our environment?

The invasive goldfish are damaging the natural ecosystem:

• Abandoned pets, especially invasive fish, like goldfish, pose serious risks
• Stormwater is not treated and can spread invasive species like goldfish from the ponds to the lake
• Stormwater flows untreated into Sylvan Lake, Cygnet Lake, and Cygnet Creek
• Goldfish outcompete native species because they:
  • Breed quickly, laying 500 to 1,000 eggs multiple times a summer
  • Live for up to 40 years
  • Goldfish can live in a wide range of temperatures
  • Can live in water with low oxygen levels
  • Eat native fish eggs, snails, and plants
• They harm the ecosystem by:
  • Passing diseases to native fish
  • Consuming native fish eggs and larvae
  • Making the water cloudy by stirring up sediment when feeding. This reduces the sunlight to underwater plants which damages or kills the plants. This creates habitat loss for native species
  • Damaging the storm pond’s natural ability to filter and remove pollutants before the stormwater flows back into Sylvan Lake

How do abandoned pets impact our economy?

• Abandoning pets hurts the environment and the economy
• Removing invasive species and their eggs requires expensive clean-ups
• If the goldfish make it to Sylvan Lake, they could damage our valuable fishing tourism industry

Do not abandon goldfish or other pets

• If you can no longer care for your fish, there are many ways to rehome them
• Give them away online using websites like Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji
• Take them back to the pet store, many will take back your animals!
• Call the Central Alberta Humane Society

• February 20 - 23: Removing trees and brush
• Improved access for maintenance
• Remove the cattails to get the fish that were hiding
• Overgrowth was blocking access to the discharge structure
• Lakers requested to clear the shores and remove the trees blocking the view of the pond
• Spring after frost and snow gone: Tidy up paths, repair landscaping damage

The Lakeway Landing storm pond project is underway. The walking path next to the construction area remains closed until construction is complete.

Next Tasks

• January 8 - 19: Removing fish infested soil and performing maintenance. Weather and ground conditions may extend the work.
• Please do not enter the construction zone. Trucks and excavators are working. Thank you for following construction signage to keep yourself and staff safe

Finished

• Drained the pond
• Removed thousands of fish
• Thousands more fish are dead or frozen
• Before Christmas, we spotted fish alive in a pool filled by spring water

Questions?

• Ask your questions here

The work to remove invasive fish is progressing. Recent warm weather and the discovery of springs has pushed timelines back.

Phase 1, Underway:

• Work revealed two small springs
  • The springs caused a change in the work plan and dates
  • The springs refill the pond at a faster rate than we expected, so we are slowly pumping the pond until the weather produces a hard freeze
  • It is important to keep the water level in the pond to a minimum so that the pond surface can freeze solid
  • Because of this delay, we had to extend our AEPA Fish Research license until March 1, 2024
• We have started to incinerate the captured fish
• We are seeing little to no signs of life in the pond
  • The fish are burrowing into the mud to survive the hostile living conditions we are creating by pumping out the pond

Phase 2, Excavation of the pond surface:

• Excavating the pond surface:
  • Begins once the pond surface is frozen
  • Removes burrowed fish and eggs
  • Allows staff to perform pond maintenance

Pumping Work on November 9, 2023

Lowered pond levels, December 12, 2023

Storm pond draining at Lakeway Landing continues into late November. Crews continue to work on draining the pond and removing invasive species.

The Latest:

• Water continues to enter the storm pond due to the warm weather experienced in November, creating a delay in draining the pond to completion
• Keeping the pond empty is necessary to move on to the next phase of the project
• Leaving water in the pond could potentially provide enough of a safe space for the fish to remain for the winter
• Our Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA) fish research license has been extended to December 4 to accommodate the nice weather
• Work will continue on the pond if freezing has not happened prior to December 1

What We've Found:

• We are estimating the number of fish in the pond to be upwards of 5000
• We have 30 fish that we are suspecting to be Prussian Carp
• We are required to report to AEPA when any fish other than the goldfish species is identified
• AEPA has taken 10 of these suspicious fish with them for DNA testing
• Identifying Prussian Carp is very difficult for even a seasoned biologist, which is why DNA testing is being done
• AEPA will follow up with us once the DNA results are received

Questions?

• Ask your questions here!