Plankton samples collected from Quesnel Lake are consistent with samples from other similar large, deep lakes.
The Ministry of Environment released the results today which indicate the plankton sampling results, collected from Quesnel Lake between August 8 and 13 are typical of large lakes with low levels of nutrients.
The Quesnel Lake near Hazeltine Creek deep station site, however, did have lower concentrations of phytoplankton, which are plant-like organisms that are the base of the marine food web and play a key role in removing in carbon dioxide.
The Ministry says sampling over time will determine potential impacts on aquatic life and plankton species and adds that additional samples were collected by UNBC research staff to analyze for metal concentrations.
The plankton results can be viewed on the Ministry of Environment’s website.
Samples of plankton before the Mount Polley Breach were not available for comparison.
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