Buffalo Pound Lake Buoys

Buffalo Pound Lake is a critical water resource for Saskatchewan, providing drinking water to the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw, approximately 1/4 of the province's population. The lake is naturally nutrient-rich, leading to challenges in the treatment of drinking water, including issues with unpleasant taste and odour, and other issues associated with high algal productivity. This project, a partnership between the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina, the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, and the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency aims to better understand water quality in Buffalo Pound, using new in-lake sensor technology. A lake buoy, funded by Canada Foundation for Innovation, is deployed near the water treatment plant intake. This buoy transmits data every two hours via cellular telemetry, reporting water quality parameters useful to plant operators, and to project scientists aiming to develop a better understanding of controls on algal blooms, and develop models for bloom prediction.