Tabor Lake has an annual crop of water weeds and some new equipment is needed to keep up.
The weed harvester machine is a common sight on the picturesque lake a short distance east of the city. It is a popular residential neighbourhood and a great place for recreation, as long as that floating aqua-swather can keep up with the invasive vegetation that has overrun the lake in past years.
A fundraising campaign is underway now to buy some attachments for the harvester to ensure better weed control and cost control in the years ahead - a conveyer system in particular. A recent event at the Westwood Pub raised $9,000, which triggered a matching grant of a further $9,000 from the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
"It's a conveyor belt to get the weeds off the harvester into a truck," said Dave Mothus, a member of the Tabor Lake Cleanup Society. "The issue is that it takes 20 minutes to load and then an hour to drive across the lake to dump and back so with the conveyor belt we can go from 800 loads of weeds per year to 2,000 loads of weeds per year which means we get lots of additional (kill-off of the aquatic invaders) which means the weed growth slows down and the lake isn't choked out."
The harvester will also be spared a great deal of wear and tear, with the new conveyer, which will reduce maintenance costs and prolong its life. Replacement of the harvester is estimated at $80,000, said Mothus, so it is important to invest in making it last.
"She is an old machine and at the end of days," he said. "Without the harvester, the lake would go atrophic and die in a short time."
Another fundraiser, a golf tournament at the Alder Hills Golf Course, is scheduled for Sept. 8 where people buy a round of golf and a burger for $50.
Volunteer time, sponsors, and cash donations are all welcomed by the charitable society to help keep the lake alive. Contact Mothus by email at David.Mothus@sunlife.com.
