Stewart Lake Causation Study

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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 2020 causation study will be on Stewart Lake.

Stewart Lake experienced blue-green algae blooms in 2010 and 2011. This led to the lake being classified as "vulnerable" in Schedule E2 of the Muskoka Official Plan (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 several blue-green algae blooms, Stewart Lake has high developmental potential, there has been modest investment in water quality initiatives to date, and the lake association is highly engaged. Stewart Lake is also located in two different local municipalities (Township of Georgian Bay and Township of Muskoka Lakes), with the potential to impact a wide variety of stakeholders. Finally, Stewart Lake hosts a municipal source water intake which supplies drinking water for the residents of MacTier. For these reasons, District Council selected Stewart Lake for this study.

The District of Muskoka is currently seeking an environmental sciences consultant to undertake this project. The Request for Proposals will be posted on June 2nd, 2020 on the District's webpage and Biddingo, and will be open for submissions until June 16th, 2020.

To receive project updates and to stay informed of the outcomes of the Stewart Lake Causation Study Project, enter your email address in the "Stay Informed" tool (located at the top right-hand corner of this page on your desktop or scroll down on your mobile device) and click the subscribe button.

STAY INFORMED:

To view causation studies project pages, click the links below:

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 2020 causation study will be on Stewart Lake.

Stewart Lake experienced blue-green algae blooms in 2010 and 2011. This led to the lake being classified as "vulnerable" in Schedule E2 of the Muskoka Official Plan (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 several blue-green algae blooms, Stewart Lake has high developmental potential, there has been modest investment in water quality initiatives to date, and the lake association is highly engaged. Stewart Lake is also located in two different local municipalities (Township of Georgian Bay and Township of Muskoka Lakes), with the potential to impact a wide variety of stakeholders. Finally, Stewart Lake hosts a municipal source water intake which supplies drinking water for the residents of MacTier. For these reasons, District Council selected Stewart Lake for this study.

The District of Muskoka is currently seeking an environmental sciences consultant to undertake this project. The Request for Proposals will be posted on June 2nd, 2020 on the District's webpage and Biddingo, and will be open for submissions until June 16th, 2020.

To receive project updates and to stay informed of the outcomes of the Stewart Lake Causation Study Project, enter your email address in the "Stay Informed" tool (located at the top right-hand corner of this page on your desktop or scroll down on your mobile device) and click the subscribe button.

STAY INFORMED:

To view causation studies project pages, click the links below:

  • August 6, 2020 - Project Update

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    06 August, 2020

    The request for proposal process is now complete and we are happy to announce that RiverStone Environmental Solutions Inc. (RiverStone) has been selected as the successful consultant to undertake the Stewart Lake Causation Study.

    A start-up meeting between District staff and RiverStone is being scheduled to discuss the project details and a preliminary consultation plan. Once a consultation plan is formalized, we will advise you of the opportunities to participate in this project. At this point, we anticipate a combination of an online survey and stakeholder meetings.

    Thank you for your interest in the Stewart Lake Causation Study!