The Killarney Lake Action Committee is turning up their aeration field for the spring/summer season early this week and are cautioning residents to stay off the lake.
Committee Chair, Betty Sawatzky, says the warm temperatures last week have impacted the ice in certain areas, specifically at the aeration site.
"We're asking that everyone take the utmost precautions when driving on the lake with their vehicles, and that includes Rangers and ATV's," says Sawatzky. "With the cold snap just now, it doesn't seem really that unsafe, however we just don't know what's happening under the ice."
"We tried to run the entire system, lines 1 through 10, throughout the winter months just to get a jump on the summer as a bit of a pilot project. However, the system was down for a few days in mid-winter and during that time folks travelled on the ice over the area of the aeration field more in the centre of the lake by the beach," she explains.
"To keep everyone safe we resumed lines 1 and 10 that run directly along the shoreline near the water treatment plant as we usually do each winter but left lines 2-8 off so as not to open anymore water."
The Killarney Lake aeration field is spread out in a fan shape with 62 micro-bubbler heads affixed to ten lines that all stem from the water treatment plant.
"We'll try again to have lines 1-10 open all year-round next winter," she adds. "We've never seen our aeration field at full capacity for 12 months of the year and we'd really like to see how that affects the algal blooms in the summer," shares Sawatzky. "But safety is always our top priority."
"However, with the full system to be turned up with all ten lines early this week, it's just not safe to be out on the ice, not in any capacity."
Killarney-Turtle Mountain Mayor Janice Smith agrees.
"Now already the ice is not safe. But we do want to share that warning with everybody, to really stay off the ice. The water is going to be moving more than it was before. Don't be on the ice at all," says Smith.
"Once the aerators get turned on, it's that moving water that eats up the ice. Epecially with the warmer temperatures, the ice just becomes more and more rotten. And none of us know where those rotten spots are. So, we just want everyone to be safe," she adds.
"We don't want any anybody to get caught out there and definitely not have any accidents out there where someone falls through the ice into the icy water," adds Mayor Smith.