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. One of these causation studies will be on Stewart Lake.

Stewart Lake is 1.52km2 in size and is located in the Township of Georgian Bay and Township of Muskoka Lakes. The 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.

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.

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. One of these causation studies will be on Stewart Lake.

Stewart Lake is 1.52km2 in size and is located in the Township of Georgian Bay and Township of Muskoka Lakes. The 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.

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.

  • Upcoming Public Meeting

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    01 Apr 2021

    A public meeting for the Stewart Lake Causation Study is scheduled for Monday, April 19, 2021 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am via the virtual platform Zoom.

    Please RSVP to Jacquie Evans at jacquie.evans@muskoka.on.ca to receive the details for this meeting. Please note that the consultant’s presentation from this meeting will be recorded and posted to this project page at a later date.

    The purpose of this meeting is to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to understand the consultant’s approach to the study, to ask questions of the consulting team, and to provide any information or insights that may be helpful to the project. Please help us spread the word!

    For those unable to attend in person or wishing to provide additional details, an online survey will be conducted and will be posted to the this project page when available.

    Stay tuned for more project updates in the coming weeks!


  • Consultant Selected

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    18 Feb 2021

    Through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, the District Municipality of Muskoka has selected Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. (HESL) as the successful proponent for the Stewart Lake Causation Study. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, HESL has partnered with Eco-Vue Consulting, a firm which specializes in public consultation, to ensure both the scientific and engagement components of the project are thoroughly performed.

    A start-up meeting between the District and the consultants have recently taken place and the consultation plan is currently underway.

    Please be sure to subscribe to the Stewart Lake project page to receive information regarding upcoming meeting dates, consultation opportunities and important project updates.

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

  • October 19th Project Update

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    19 Oct 2020

    Good afternoon,

    Further to our post on October 15th, 2020, please see the agenda link below providing further detail to the delay of the Stewart Lake Causation Study.

    This report provides recommendation for the Stewart Lake Causation Study to be added to the bundled Request for Proposal (RFP) for 4 other causation studies to take place in Muskoka.

    The staff report is to be considered by the Community and Planning Services Committee on October 22nd, 2020 and the meeting can be observed through the District's webcasting portal.

    Link to Report: https://muskoka.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/36137?preview=36156

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

  • October 15th Project Update

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    15 Oct 2020

    Good afternoon,

    Please be advised that due to unforeseen circumstances we will be rescheduling the first public stakeholder meeting for the Stewart Lake Causation Study (originally scheduled for October 29, 2020).

    Further information will be provided when it becomes available.

    Thanks for following the Stewart Lake Causation Study!