Water Quality Report

Water Testing Schedule
Phosphorus and Secchi Depth testing starts in May and will be done 6 times between May and September. E.coli will be tested on July 3, 17, 24, 31, Aug 14, Sept 4.

Thank you to David Stanyar for doing the Phosphorus and Secchi Depth testing and to Rich Corbin for doing E.coli testing again this year.

KLSA Annual Report
The Kawartha Lake Stewards Association Annual Report has been printed and is available from Nancy Boyce. Also, copies will be available at our fall AGM and in our welcome packages for new residents. We will be publishing a link to the electronic report shortly on our Links page under KLSA.

E.coli Results

We posted all 2016 results to our website Environment page and to our Facebook page within 1 to 3 days of testing and will continue to do so in 2017.

We had a high E.coli result in Saunders Bay (between FR85 and Saunders Rd) following our regatta. We notified affected residents by email immediately. Droppings from geese sink to the bottom of the lake. A lot of boating or swimming activity will stir up this sediment and raise E.coli levels. Rich retested within a couple of days and results were normal. 

Phosphorus and Secchi Depth Results

Phosphorus and Secchi Depth testing is done from one location in the centre of the lake and results are available in the spring of the following year. Phosphorus levels exceeding 20 parts per billion (ppb) are of concern since at that point algae growth accelerates. We had some particularly high results in 2016. This may have been due to the hot summer, but we can all do our part to reduce phosphorus in the lake.

Prevention of algae blooms, particularly blue-green algae, is critical if we are to have safe water for drinking and swimming. A wide variety of factors are linked to the formation of blooms, but the most significant ones are increased nutrient input to lakes, and a number of specific meteorological conditions such as high water temperature, low rainfall/precipitation and reduced wind speeds.

Tips on Protecting our Lake and Yourself

• Don't feed geese and other waterfowl.
• Naturalize shorelines to deter geese and reduce nutrients entering the lake.
• Don't fertilize your lawn.
• Don't swim after a heavy rain or when there has been a lot of activity in the water.
• Don't speed close to shore and stir up sediment
• Clean up and dispose of any animal waste from geese and dogs.
• Don't overload your septic - spread out your laundry loads.
• Have your septic tank pumped out every three years.
• Don't make changes to your shoreline below the high water mark without consulting with a professional and obtaining necessary permits.
• Don't add sand to your shoreline to create an unnatural beach as it increases phosphorus in the lake.
• Wake cannot be absorbed by a hard shoreline, so scouring of the lake bottom occurs and fish spawning beds are affected.

Shoreline Project and Biodiversity

• attract pollinators
• support the food web
• provide a buffer against species loss
• prevent toxins from entering into the lake
• reduce pests
• eliminate the need for fertilizer

Green Up Your Lawn: Not the Lake

• TEST YOUR SOIL. Lawns do not automatically need fertilizing.
• USE COMPOST TO FERTILIZE. Compost and organic mulches enhance the soil web and break down slowly, so that the soil microorganisms can release nutrients just when plants need them, eliminating the threat of excess nutrient runoff.
• MOW HIGH. Set your lawn mower at 3" and keep your blades sharp. Taller grass crowds out weeds.
• FERTILIZE AT THE RIGHT TIME and only when the lawn is actively growing and able to take up nutrients. 
• NEVER FERTILIZE WHEN THE GROUND IS FROZEN OR GRASS IS DORMANT. 
• AVOID FERTILIZERS WITH PHOSPHORUS. Use no phosphorus, slow release nitrogen fertilizer.
• TREAT LAWN PROBLEMS SAFELY by hand pulling weeds or spot treating pests or weeds.
• LEAVE A NOW-MOW BUFFER. to catch nutrients before they enter the lake.
• PLANT FLOWERING SHRUBS along the shore that use up the nitrogen before it enters the lake.

Pesticide Ban

• Cosmetic pesticides containing the active ingredients Glyphosate and Glufosinate, found in Roundup and Wipeout herbicides, are generally prohibited, but can be used to control plants that are poisonous to the touch (e.g. poison ivy).
• Pesticides used to control animals that bite, sting, are venomous, or carry disease are also exempted from the ban, including insect repellents and wasp sprays.