Sudbury group looking for help to clean Simon Lake

A volunteer group is looking for the public's help to clean Simon Lake, located west of the old City of Sudbury.

The lake has been plagued with algae, and blooms are again taking over the waterbody this summer.

The Simon Lake stewardship committee started a petition it plans to present to city council, asking for help in its efforts to buy a skimmer.

"Members of the community who live on the water, who use the water, who use the beach, they simply they don't want to use the water because of the quality of the lake -- it's unpleasant to look at, it's unpleasant to smell, " said Cortney Kanerva, who started the petition.

Kanerva got involved with the group again after seeing the state of the water.

The Walden-based group said on a hot day Monday, the beach at Simon Lake should be packed. However, no one can use the water because of the thick green sludge along the shore.

"I live on the water -- just down the street from the park -- and right now my windows are closed because it's pretty offensive when it's bad," she said.

"Hot days like today is prime algae brewing weather."

Kanerva said few people are able to use the water after May or June, because the algae grows quickly in hot weather.

"Once that hot weather hits, forget about coming to the park because you can't enjoy the water," she said.

"Your kids can't play in it … it's not a nice place to be at that point."

Simon Lake stewardship committee president Krishnan Venkataraman also lives on the water, and he's seen the issue first-hand.

Venkataraman is hoping to find a feasible solution.

"We don't have too many swimming spots around the Walden area," he said.

"This used to be a wonderful park when the algae levels were low and everything was fine and it still can be. It's not a very complicated issue: we need certain devices to be able to do it."

Walden recently lost Meatbird Lake after the city sold it back to Vale.

Venkataraman wants to make one thing clear: they are not pointing fingers at the city. He said the city can't make significant investments in all of its 330 lakes.

Instead, the group is hoping to get money from residents, industry, as well as the city, to buy the skimmer, which, he said, has been successful in other parts of Canada.

"We have a long way to go but we've been successful in raising some funds," said Venkataraman.

He said so far, it's been nothing but positive feedback from local politicians.

The city sent a statement to CTV News that said local stewardship groups are eligible for funding for their work, and the Simon Lake group received $500 for a fundraising barbecue.

To see the petition, click here.