It was another strong season at the Lake Minnewasta campground.
"We've done well for both booked campsites (and) yurts," said Brian Thiessen, campground manager. "Our yurts had their first full season, which was phenomenal. They were well-booked throughout the entire summer which was something we hoped for right from the beginning when we put them in. This year, nearly from opening weekend right straight through, there were very few un-booked dates which is fabulous."
As for the lake level, it is currently the highest that Thiessen's seen in his six years in the job, thanks, in part, to the rain this summer.
This brings us to some of the challenges of the season. A rainier-than-usual start to July put a bit of a damper on some of the activities planned at the lake this summer.
"Of course, rain on Canada Day didn't make it well for attendance then and then, any time you rebook something, it's never as well-attended as the initial date because people have made other plans, but we still had good attendance for the make-up date," noted Thiessen.
The rain did, however, provide an upside.
"We were able to do some late-season tree planting which, typically, in July you shouldn't do but we were able to plant some trees because it was still fairly cool and rainy," added Thiessen.
Meantime, algae-bloom has returned to the lake.
"At this point, it's a yearly thing. We know it's going to happen; you just hope for it as late as possible, so we get as much summer before it hits," said Thiessen.
An ultrasonic algae control system, approved by Council in June with the intent of mitigating this annual occurrence, is not yet installed. According to information provided by the City of Morden, LG Sonic needed to renew its research authorization from the Pest Management Regulatory Authority (PMRA), which was only obtained in mid-August 2024, with testing and monitoring requirements yet to be confirmed. As a result, the installation is unlikely to take place this year. However, the City noted, the contractor, Clean Water Pro, and LG Sonic are expected to have all the necessary regulatory permissions and the testing and monitoring program in place for installation in early Spring 2025.
With files from Robyn Wiebe