2010 News

Completed Lake Scugog Environmental Management Plan now available

Many actions underway to protect lake

(August 20, 2010)  Kawartha Conservation has completed the Lake Scugog Environmental Management Plan (LSEMP) and recommended strategies that are currently being implemented to help protect and prolong the life of the lake.

“The vitality and economic well-being of the Township of Scugog depends on Lake Scugog,” says Township of Scugog Mayor Marilyn Pearce. “The plan is an important tool for managing nutrients that can impact the lake in both the short and long-terms.”

Lake Scugog also borders the City of Kawartha Lakes, and flows northward through the Scugog River into Sturgeon Lake.

“A healthy Lake Scugog is key to the pursuit of an International Centre of Excellence for Water Quality in the Kawartha Lakes and this region,” says City of Kawartha Lakes Mayor Ric McGee. “Lake Scugog is a major source of drinking water for our residents and supplies many lakes that flow through our region. We are very pleased to support the actions identified in the plan and look forward to this data assisting with the creation of lake management plans right across Kawartha Lakes.”

Kawartha Conservation has posted the LSEMP at www.kawarthaconservation.com/lsemp. Copies are also available at the Kawartha Conservation Administrative Centre, Scugog Connections and at various libraries in the Township of Scugog and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Research in the plan is focused on nutrients that are contributing to aquatic plant growth and accelerating the aging of the lake. Phosphorous is a key target—one tonne promotes the growth of 500 tonnes of aquatic plants. There are currently 9.6 tonnes of phosphorus entering Lake Scugog each year, and a 3.4-tonne reduction is needed to improve water quality and maintain the lake’s ecosystem.

There are many phosphorus sources; however, a large amount—over 18%—comes from Port Perry and other small urbanized areas around the lake, which make up a small percentage of the lands (3.56%) that drain to the lake. Some of the actions to reduce phosphorus from this source include the following:

• Scugog Connections, which opened in downtown Port Perry last year through funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is providing urban residents with easy access to informational workshops and assistance for environmentally friendly yard and lawn care practices. It is also providing assistance with a variety of land stewardship projects such as tree planting, shoreline naturalization and creating buffer strips that filter out nutrients.
• A new urban stewardship guide based on the LSEMP provides tips and techniques for reducing phosphorus from residential properties in town. The guide can be downloaded at www.kawarthaconservation.com/pdf/LivingInTown.pdf. Kawartha Conservation will be joined by Scugog Connections volunteers this summer and early fall on door-to-door visits to distribute the guide and promote ways for residents to take action.
• Kawartha Conservation, Scugog Connections and Well Aware staff will be sharing a display at the Blackstock and Port Perry fairs, providing an opportunity for fair visitors to discuss issues on their properties and learn how they can help their lake.
• Kawartha Conservation, in partnership with the Lakeland Alliance and Victoria Stewardship Council, is providing up to $300 in match-funding for naturalization projects on their waterfronts to help filter nutrients from runoff and reduce the erosion of soils which contain phosphorus.

Agriculture is another large source of phosphorus, partly because a significant amount of the land (53%) in the Scugog watershed is farmed. This sector contributes over 23% of the phosphorus found in the lake. This year, the Scugog WATER Fund is providing grants mainly to agricultural projects, such as manure storage, erosion control and other agricultural best management practices, which can receive funding for up to 50% of the total project cost.

“Whether you live in town, on a rural property or on the lake, or even if you operate a farm in the Lake Scugog watershed, we all have a role to play in protecting the health of the lake,” says Donna Villemaire, Kawartha Conservation Chair. “Now that we have solid, scientific research, we can move forward, and be confident that we are taking actions that will have the greatest benefit.”

The LSEMP has been funded by the Region of Durham and the City of Kawartha Lakes, and was developed in partnership with the Township of Scugog, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Scugog Lake Stewards, the Durham Land Stewardship Council and the Victoria Stewardship Council.