2008 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Year End Report February 2009 Prepared by The District Municipality of Muskoka Planning and Economic Development Department With Technical Support from the Dorset Environmental Science Centre, Ministry of the Environment 2008 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Year End Report Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 Muskoka Water Strategy ............................................................................................................ 4 Lake System Health ................................................................................................................... 4 Summary of Lake System Health Monitoring Activities ............................................................... 5 Partners ..................................................................................................................................... 6 1) Program Partners ........................................................................................................... 6 2) Volunteer Participants .................................................................................................... 6 Monitoring Staff .......................................................................................................................... 7 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Components .............................................................. 7 1) Spring phosphorus sampling and other chemical parameters ........................................10 a) Sampling method ........................................................................................... 11 b) Spring phosphorus results ............................................................................... 11 c) Other chemical parameters ............................................................................. 11 2) Secchi depth measurements .........................................................................................14 a) Sampling method ........................................................................................... 14 b) Secchi depth measurement results .................................................................. 14 3) Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements.......................................................16 a) Sampling method ........................................................................................... 16 b) Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurement results .................................. 16 4) Shoreline land use survey .............................................................................................18 a) Survey method ............................................................................................... 18 b) Shoreline land use survey results .................................................................... 18 5) Biological Monitoring Program .......................................................................................21 a) Benthic macro-invertebrate sampling method.................................................... 21 b) Benthic macro-invertebrate sampling results ..................................................... 21 c) Terrestrial forest plot monitoring method ........................................................... 21 d) Terrestrial forest plot monitoring results ............................................................ 21 e) Docktalk program ........................................................................................... 22 Over Threshold Classification ...................................................................................................24 Water Quality Model Review .....................................................................................................25 Lake Joseph Action Plan ...........................................................................................................26 2 2008 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Year End Report Appendices Appendix 1 Table of 2008 phosphorus sampling and Secchi depth measurement results .......................28 Appendix 2 Trophic state of lakes ............................................................................................................30 Appendix 3 Lake survey deck sheet .........................................................................................................32 Appendix 4 Lakes with completed shoreline land use surveys .................................................................34 Appendix 5 Table of 2008 chemical data .................................................................................................36 3 2008 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Year End Report Introduction Muskoka is a world-class tourist destination with a large component of the population being seasonal residents with cottages on its many lakes and rivers. With over 8,000 waterbodies and more than 13,500 kilometres of shoreline, Muskoka also attracts almost two million visitors each year. Continued prosperity in Muskoka depends upon maintaining the natural environment and clean, healthy water that draws people here. For this reason, The District Municipality of Muskoka has an interest in the water quality of all the lakes and rivers within its jurisdiction. In conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment, Muskoka has undertaken a water quality monitoring program since 1980. In total, 190 sites on 161 lakes are monitored on a rotational basis. These data are collected to support development policy and represent one of the best municipal water quality data sets in Canada. Muskoka Water Strategy In January 2003, The District Municipality of Muskoka expanded its recreational water quality program and developed the Muskoka Water Strategy. The Strategy is a framework of integrated and strategic initiatives to protect Muskoka‟s water resources. Muskoka spearheads the Strategy with the support of the Muskoka Watershed Council and with involvement from a wide variety of organizations, agencies and stakeholders. The Strategy consists of four broad components: 1. Lake System Health, including lake and watershed monitoring, and improved stormwater management; 2. Communication and community involvement, including the Muskoka Water Web site; 3. The Muskoka Watershed Council, which includes initiatives such as the Muskoka Watersheds Report Card and Best Practices program; and 4. Broader Water Initiatives, such as source water protection and watershed inventories. The Strategy emphasizes the development of relationships and the sharing of resources with other organizations as well as greater community involvement. As the strategy evolves, it will address new water issues or concerns respecting Muskoka‟s water resources and will provide a structure for future water initiatives. Lake System Health Lake System Health is a broad approach to protecting waterbodies that includes recreational water quality monitoring, enhanced development policy, a strong stewardship program, and municipal infrastructure programs. The goal of the Lake System Health program is to protect the lake ecosystems and the social and economic values they provide. The ability of development to occur around a waterbody without substantially damaging the natural 4 2008 Lake System Health Monitoring Program Year End Report environment, habitat and trophic status of the waterbody or other waterbodies within the same watershed is the initial and primary factor in achieving lake health and sustainable development. Summary of Lake System Health Monitoring Activities A key component of the Lake System Health program is good water quality. Water quality has been monitored by Muskoka in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment for over 25 years and has produced very good long-term data records for many key lakes. The monitoring program is a field-based program that monitors 190 sites on 161 lakes on a rotational basis. The purpose of the monitoring program is to establish a long-term record of key water quality parameters so that trends in water quality and lake system health can be identified and appropriate management decisions can be made to protect lake water quality. In partnership with the Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC), Secchi depth (a measure of clarity) and phosphorus concentrations are taken as part of the Provincial Lake Partner Program. DESC also tests for other parameters, such as pH, conductivity, alkalinity, calcium, and nitrogen, so that a more complete understanding of lake chemistry can be achieved. While in the field, Water Quality Technicians also record dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles. In 2002, a shoreline land use survey was initiated with forty-three lakes surveyed to date. These surveys document all man-made structures, condition of the shoreline and general land- use adjacent to the lake. This information is available to lake associations, Area Municipalities and other interested parties for planning purposes. In 2003, under direction from scientists at DESC and the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN), a Biological Monitoring Program was developed for lake associations interested in becoming more involved in lake monitoring and broader lake planning. Each year, summer staff are available to train lake residents to undertake volunteer monitoring programs that are based on standard protocols such as PlantWatch, FrogWatch, forest health and benthic analysis.