saltwater lake

Saltwater lake in Kelowna losing salinity, putting rare ecosystem at risk

Saltwater lake in Kelowna losing salinity, putting rare ecosystem at risk

A fragile and rare ecosystem in Kelowna is changing forever as the community grows around it. Robert Lake, just south of the Glenmore landfill, is unique for the salt content in its water. It provides a refuge for birds and amphibians rare in the B.C. Interior. The lake has no outlet and used to completely dry up “quite regularly,” according to Ian Walker, the vice president of the Friends of Robert Lake Society and retired biology professor at UBC Okanagan. “You'd often go past and you can see these little roll winds of white salty dust kind of blowing around,” he said. But for the past four to five years that hasn’t happened and increasing water levels are creating problems for nearby property owners, the City of Kelowna and the animals that rely on the lake.