After a challenging summer that saw Crescent Lake hit concerningly low levels and develop a noticeable odour, the City of Portage la Prairie is taking new action to restore the water body.
A mechanical weed harvester is in the lake as of today, Monday, August 18, 2025, marking the start of a new, long-term approach to improving the water's health and appearance. The new initiative follows a summer of drought and new regulations that prevented the city from pumping water from the Assiniboine River to maintain the lake's water levels, which contributed to excessive algae and weed growth.
The smelly, gross situation that plagued the lake earlier this summer has since improved on its own. City of Portage Director of Operations, Jocelyn Lequier-Jobin, attributes the change to the natural life cycle of the lake's weeds.
"The weeds do kind of have a life cycle, so they kind of reach their maximum in July in the heat, and then they start dying off somewhat," says Lequier-Jobin. "So they're still there, they're lower, so you can't see them. They're not causing as many problems, but they are still there. So it just looks a little nicer."
Lequier-Jobin explains that wind and rain also help, as they increase water flow and oxygen content, which can help with the smell as the weeds rot at the bottom. The city is now focused on the next step: actively removing the excess plant growth.
A new tool for lake management
The new weed harvester, a boat equipped with a cutting blade and scoop, is a key part of the city's strategy.
Unlike a dredger, which removes sediment from the bottom of the lake, the harvester cuts weeds off and removes them from the water. This process helps to reduce nutrients in the lake, which over time will improve water clarity and reduce excessive plant growth.
"If we just left the weeds in the bottom of the lake, it would just create more nutrients for next year," says Lequier-Jobin. "So by removing some of them, it really helps with getting, you know, over time, removing more nutrients from the lake will help improve the clarity of the water and getting rid of a lot of the excessive plant growth."
The city is currently not approved by the Fisheries Department or the Manitoba Environment Department to dredge the lake. Lequier-Jobin also notes that dredging would be a difficult and costly process with a major downside.
"In the short term, it would be extremely smelly if we're pulling that stuff up from the bottom," says Lequier-Jobin. "So I don't think most people would appreciate it if we did that on a large scale."
The City recently posted a video on their Facebook page, showing the process in action. See below:
Looking ahead
For the remainder of the summer, the city is using a third-party company to operate the harvester for a few days to test its effectiveness on the worst parts of the lake. The trial is part of a bigger plan for the coming year.
"For next year we've got a possibility of hiring them again or purchasing our own weed harvester, or there are other methods we can use as well," says Lequier-Jobin. "But we'll have a plan over the winter to have something in place for early summer next year so we can get started ASAP."
For now, residents, particularly those living around the lake, can breathe a sigh of relief at the improved view and air quality in the area.