A Decade of Stewardship Lake Water Quality Report 2009 Kawartha Lake Stewards Association April 2010 Winner of Cottage Life’s 2008 Green Cottager Award Kawartha Lake Stewards Association Lake Water Quality Report - 2009 This report was prepared exclusively for the information of and for use by the members of the KLSA, its funders, interested academics and researchers, and other non-profit associations and individuals engaged in similar water quality testing in Ontario. The accuracy of the infor- mation and the conclusions in this report are subject to risks and uncertainties including but not limited to errors in sampling methodology, testing error, reporting error and statistical error. KLSA does not guarantee the reliability or completeness of the data published in this report. Nothing in this report should be taken as an assurance that any part of any particular body of water has any particular water quality characteristics, or is (or is not) safe to swim in or to drink from. There can be no assurance that conditions that prevailed at the time and place that any given testing result was obtained will continue into the future, or that trends suggested in this report will continue. The use of this report for commercial, promotional or transactional purposes of any kind whatsoever, including but not limited to the valuation, leasing or sale of real estate, is inappropriate and is expressly prohibited. This report may be reproduced in whole or in part by members of KLSA or KLSA’s funders or research partners, for their own internal purposes. Others require the prior permission of KLSA. Please Note: To obtain copies of our report or to find out more about KLSA please contact: Kawartha Lake Stewards Association 24 Charles Court, RR 3, Lakefield, ON K0L 2H0 Email: [email protected] You can view Adobe pdf versions of KLSA reports on the web at the KLSA website: http://klsa.wordpress.com Our cover photo for this tenth anniversary edition is by Anita Locke, Lakefield Ward Councillor with the Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield and a freelance writer closely associated with the Lakefield Herald. Her loves of kayaking and photography produce some wonderful images, seen elsewhere in this report. KLSA is grateful for the funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for two special projects: its 2009 Aquatic Plants Guide and a new two-year study of algae in the Kawartha Lakes. 1 Table of Contents Chair’s Message ............................................................................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary – 2009 Report .......................................................................................................................................8 The Central and Lower Kawarthas ......................................................................................................................................12 The Lovesicks ...............................................................................................................................................................................................12 Lower Buckhorn Lake and Deer Bay ..............................................................................................................................................12 Lovesick Lake ...............................................................................................................................................................................................14 Wolf Island area ..........................................................................................................................................................................................15 Mississagua River .......................................................................................................................................................................................17 “Buckhorn Creek” .......................................................................................................................................................................................18 Deer Bay Creek ............................................................................................................................................................................................18 Burleigh Falls ................................................................................................................................................................................................19 E.coli Bacteria Testing ...............................................................................................................................................................20 Phosphorus Testing ..................................................................................................................................................................21 Expanding our Testing in the City of Kawartha Lakes ..................................................................................................23 Rethinking the Phosphorus - Aquatic Plants Connection ..........................................................................................24 A Study of Storm Sewer Outfalls in the City of Kawartha Lakes ...............................................................................26 Monitoring Kawartha Sewage Plants .................................................................................................................................31 How Does a Sewage Treatment Plant Work? ...................................................................................................................32 Wild Rice in The Kawarthas ....................................................................................................................................................34 Overview of the KLSA-Trent Ontario Trillium Foundation Project on Algae .......................................................38 GIS Maps of the Kawartha Lakes ..........................................................................................................................................39 Surficial Geology ........................................................................................................................................................................................40 Land Use .........................................................................................................................................................................................................41 Mean Annual Flow ...................................................................................................................................................................................42 Summertime Flow ....................................................................................................................................................................................43 Appendix A Mission Statement ....................................................................................................................................................................................44 Board of Directors .....................................................................................................................................................................................44 Other Volunteers ........................................................................................................................................................................................45 Appendix B: Financial Partners .............................................................................................................................................46 2 Appendix C: Treasurer’s Report Treasurer’s Report ....................................................................................................................................................................................47 Auditor’s Report .........................................................................................................................................................................................48 Appendix D: Privacy Policy ....................................................................................................................................................51 Appendix E: Rationale for E.coli Testing and Lake-by-Lake Results .........................................................................52 Balsam, Big Bald, Big Cedar Lakes....................................................................................................................................................53 Buckhorn Lake Buckhorn Sands; Clear Lake Birchcliff Property Owners ................................................................54 Clear Lake Kawartha Park; Katchewanooka Lake ..................................................................................................................55 Lovesick Lake, Lower Buckhorn Lake ............................................................................................................................................56 Pigeon Lake ...................................................................................................................................................................................................57 Sandy Lake, Shadow Lake ....................................................................................................................................................................58