Little Beaver Lake is a scenic lake 35 km south of Camrose and 107 km south of Edmonton in the Battle River Watershed. Many people call this lake home, with a County subdivision on its west shore, and the Village of Ferintosh on its east shore. Little Beaver Lake lies at the heart of these communities despite a persistent problem: excessive cyanobacteria blooms.

These blooms turn into dense scums that blanket the lake each year, exuding offensive odours, producing toxins which threaten human and animal health, and reducing aquatic biodiversity. Work done by a local stewardship group in partnership with the Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS) has helped to identify the underlying cause of this problem: excess phosphorus. This element has been demonstrated to drive the growth of enormous quantities of algae and cyanobacteria, particularly in freshwater. It is also a fundamental ingredient of agricultural fertilizers, and is a key component of fertile soils. Each year, the levels of phosphorus in Little Beaver Lake far exceed those in neighbouring lakes.