Re: “Lily pads spoiling Mill Lake,” Aug. 16.
I find it amazing that people can complain about such trivial things.
I have spent most of my younger years living in Abbotsford. While growing up, I spent a decent amount of my time at Mill Lake.
Personally, I love the look of the lilies blooming in the spring, and the pads hugging the corners of our lake until late summer.
Yet this boon of colour and added nuance has been seen as a negative by certain readers of The News. I am not sure how or why.
In a previous letter Reynold Nugter had expressed issues that the lily pads “cannot be good for the health of water quality, and the fish in it,” as a reason to get rid of these aquatic plants.
After contacting multiple local nurseries as well as the company that restocks the lake with fish, there seems to be no logical grounds to this statement.
One of the gentlemen I spoke with even stated that the lily pads would, if anything, improve the quality of the water – his basis being that the pads block light from getting to the floor of the lake which would, in turn, hinder the growth of algae.
I appreciate the fact that you must dislike the look of the lily pads, but from experience, most people would disagree.
I also appreciate the fact that you would be willing to volenteer to get rid of the “insidious growth” in our lake, but why not spend your free time volunteering at the local homeless shelter? I’m sure they would appreciate your time a bit more than the ducks.
Jeremy Gabel