Peninsula Lake Causation Study
Muskoka's residents and District Council care about water quality. This important topic impacts the environment, economy, and desirability of the District as both a place to call home and a destination. In an effort to enhance water quality and resident/visitor experience in Muskoka, the District is undertaking causation studies on lakes considered as vulnerable from a water quality perspective. The pilot causation study will be on Peninsula Lake.
Peninsula Lake is the first of nine lakes listed as vulnerable in Schedule E2 of the Muskoka Official Plan (MOP) to undergo a Causation Study. The lake flows west into Fairy Lake and then into the North Branch of the Muskoka River.
Peninsula Lake experienced a blue-green algae bloom in 2017 which led to the lake being classified as "vulnerable" in Schedule E2 of the MOP. As outlined in the MOP, when a lake is listed as vulnerable, a waterbody-wide causation study should be initiated to determine the causes and relative contributing factors which lead to the identified water quality indicator, as well as to produce recommendations and mitigative actions that can be taken by stakeholders, the District, and others to ensure water quality may be enhanced in the long-term.
In addition to experiencing a blue-green algae bloom, Peninsula Lake is a large lake located in two of Muskoka's area municipalities: the Town of Huntsville and the Township of Lake of Bays, with the potential to impact a wide variety of stakeholders. Peninsula Lake has high development potential, has received modest water quality initiative to date, and has a highly engaged Lake Association. For these reasons, District Council has selected Peninsula Lake to be the subject of the pilot causation study.
The District of Muskoka released a request for proposal to hire an environmental sciences consultant to undertake this project and Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. (HESL) was the successful proponent.
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Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. (HESL) is pleased to have been selected by the District Municipality of Muskoka (DMM) to perform a causation study for algal blooms experienced on Peninsula Lake. The purpose of the project is to summarize and analyze existing information and complete additional water quality sampling and analysis to inform the likely causes of algal blooms in Peninsula Lake and determine the need for additional sampling, analysis or management activities. Findings will be documented in a detailed technical report to the DMM. The intent of this survey is to introduce Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. to the residents and cottagers, and other lake users, in the Peninsula Lake area and gather information on the public’s lake use and their perception of the severity of algal issues in the lake and how those have changed over time. This survey is an important opportunity for lake residents and others who enjoy the lake, to provide historical information to HESL and the DMM to inform our understanding of the lake’s history.
Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. is a small team of highly qualified aquatic scientists with extensive experience working on lakes in Ontario and Muskoka in particular. Dr. Kris Hadley will act as Project Manager and will lead field collection, data analysis and reporting, and will be supported by Brent Parsons, Clarke Heitman and Dr. Neil Hutchinson.
This survey will be active until November 30, 2019.
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