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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 Three Mile Lake.
Three Mile Lake is 8.66 km2 in size and is located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Most recently, Three Mile Lake experienced two blue-green algae blooms in 2020, the first located at the east end of the main basin and the second in the north-western end of the lake. These blooms were confirmed by the Ministry of environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) on August 13, 2020 and August 27th, 2020, respectively. Three Mile lake also experienced a blue-green algae bloom in 2019 which was confirmed on August 27, 2019. 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 Three Mile 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 Three Mile Lake.
Three Mile Lake is 8.66 km2 in size and is located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Most recently, Three Mile Lake experienced two blue-green algae blooms in 2020, the first located at the east end of the main basin and the second in the north-western end of the lake. These blooms were confirmed by the Ministry of environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) on August 13, 2020 and August 27th, 2020, respectively. Three Mile lake also experienced a blue-green algae bloom in 2019 which was confirmed on August 27, 2019. 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 Three Mile 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.
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Posted on August 24, 2022
The District Municipality of Muskoka and project consultants have experienced unexpected delays with respect to external data collection required for these projects. This has resulted in an overall delay for all causation studies.
The required data has recently become available, and the analysis portion of the studies is now underway.
When will the next stakeholder meetings be?
The next stakeholder meetings will occur in late Fall 2022. At these meetings, the draft report for each subject lake, including project results, will be shared and discussed. Stakeholder and public comments are welcome and encouraged. You can stay informed on the future meeting dates by subscribing to the Engage Muskoka Page. To subscribe, enter your email address in the “Stay Informed” tool.
When will the final report be published?
Following the public consultation on the draft report in late Fall 2022, the final report is anticipated to be published in late 2022 and brought forward to the District’s Community Services and Planning Committee in early 2023.
Is my lake still subject to Enhanced Protection Policies?
Yes. Until a causation study is completed and any recommendations adopted by Muskoka District Council, the enhanced protection policies will continue to apply to development on vulnerable lakes, as outlined in Section C2.6.6. of the Muskoka Official Plan (MOP).
What happens if my lake experiences another blue-green algae bloom this summer?
The scope of each Causation Study is to determine the cause of one specific blue-green algae bloom and are intended to provide an in-depth review of a snapshot in time to determine why a bloom occurred. For that reason, blue-green algae blooms in subsequent years will not be a part of the current/underway Causation Study. Further, if current Causation Studies did include new blooms, the project would be delayed due to more data collection and analysis requirements.
If you suspect a blue-green algae bloom, call the Pollution Hotline at 1-866-663-8477.
If my lake experiences another blue-green algae bloom, will another Causation Study be initiated?
Currently, there are 9 lakes in Muskoka on Schedule E2 of the Muskoka Official Plan as a result of a confirmed blue-green algae bloom. While the Muskoka Official Plan envisions causation studies to be undertaken on all lakes that experience a confirmed blue-green algae bloom, it does not provide guidance on a priority order for the vulnerable lakes to be studied. For the current lakes undergoing a Causation Study, they were recommended by staff to District Council based on development potential, historical water monitoring and stewardship activities, stakeholder impact, and engagement between the District and the lake association.
Once the current causation studies are complete, District staff will once again review the vulnerable lakes and provide options for the consideration of District Council..
I have more questions. Who do I contact?
Please feel free to reach out to Cassie Emms, Planner, if you have any questions about the Causation Studies. You can email her at cassie.emms@muskoka.on.ca.
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Thank you to all who participated in the Three Mile Lake Causation Study Survey this spring. A summary of the survey results is now available and posted to this page at the following link: Three Mile Lake Survey Results.
Other key aspects of the public consultation process will be summarized in the study’s final report.
Next steps in the study:
The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the study will be shared with stakeholders by August 2021. We will post the TOR to this page and send a newsletter to advise that this document has been posted.
Data collection and field work will continue into the fall, after which, the consultant will analyze the data and prepare the draft report for the study.
Once the draft report is ready, a stakeholder meeting will be scheduled where you can ask questions to better understand the report findings and recommendations and provide feedback.
The timing of the draft report may be affected by late fall blooms but is expected to be prepared for early 2022.
After the stakeholder meeting, the report will be revised (if needed), finalized, and presented to the District’s Community and Planning Services Committee.
Please continue to be our eyes on the lake over the summer and fall seasons and report any sightings of potential blue-green algae blooms to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks’ Spills Action Centre at 1-866-663-8477.
If you have any additional data or information you would like to share with the consulting team, please send it to jacquie.evans@muskoka.on.ca. We will be accepting submissions from lake stakeholders until October 31, 2021.
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Three Mile Lake Causation Study Survey Now Open!
The goal of the survey is to gather information on lake use and observations of water quality, and how it has changed over time. We are seeking input from members of the lake association, those who live or work on or near the lake, those who use the lake for recreational purposes, and others with knowledge about the lake to help inform the causation study. We know that these stakeholders have data, information, and observations to share which is critical to our current and historical understand of the lake.
Anyone with specific knowledge about Three Mile lake, factors that could contribute to algae blooms, and overall water quality on the lake is asked to complete the survey to share this information with us. The survey can be accessed at the link below and will be available until May 27th, 2021.
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The first public meeting for the Three Mile Lake causation study took place on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 via Zoom - thank you to those who were able to participate in the live meeting!
If you were not able to participate with us, we have made a video recording of the meeting available below. If you have any questions or comments about the presentation or the study process, or if you have information or data to contribute to the study, please contact Jacquie Evans, Planning Policy and Programs Coordinator, at jacquie.evans@muskoka.on.ca or 705-645-2100 ext 4114.
Thanks again for your interest in the Three Mile Lake Causation Study!
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A public meeting for the Three Mile Lake Causation Study is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20, 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!
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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 Three Mile 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 Three Mile Lake project page to receive information regarding upcoming meeting dates, consultation opportunities and important project updates.
Thank you for your interest in the Three Mile Lake Causation Study!
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
Request for Proposal are now closed. A consultant will be selected and announced in the coming weeks.
Consultant Selected
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
Project Start-Up Meeting
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
The project start-up meeting has been completed during which the project timeline and preliminary workplan were reviewed.
Consultation Plan Underway
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
Stakeholder Meeting #1
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
Tuesday, April 20, 10:00-11:30 am via Zoom. This initial stakeholder meeting will be taking place to communicate the purpose of the study to the public and to obtain information from the public that will help form the consultant's project plan.
Stakeholder Survey Open for Submissions
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
The stakeholder information survey has launched. The purpose of this survey is to collect information from stakeholder's which will help provide the consultant with information regarding the history of Three Mile Lake with respect to algal blooms and lake uses.
Stakeholder Survey Now Closed
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
The stakeholder survey is no longer open for submissions.
Data Collection and Field Work
Three Mile Lake Causation Study has finished this stage
The consultant will continue to collect and review data and conduct field work.
Data Analysis
Three Mile Lake Causation Study is currently at this stage
The consultant will analyze all data to inform the study results and recommendations.
Stakeholder Meeting #2
this is an upcoming stage for Three Mile Lake Causation Study
A final stakeholder meeting will be scheduled in late Fall, 2022, at which the consultant will present their draft findings to the public, answer questions, and collect any suggestions/comments, which will be considered in the final report.
Final Report
this is an upcoming stage for Three Mile Lake Causation Study
The final report, to be presented to the Community and Planning Services Committee in early 2023, will document the causes of algae blooms in Three Mile Lake based on all available information, summarize public consultation, and include recommendations for future action.
Three Mile Lake is 8.66 km2 in size and is located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Most recently, Three Mile Lake experienced two blue-green algae blooms in 2020, the first located at the east end of the main basin and the second in the north-western end of the lake. These blooms were confirmed by the Ministry of environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) on August 13, 2020 and August 27th, 2020, respectively. Three Mile lake also experienced a blue-green algae bloom in 2019 which was confirmed on August 27, 2019. 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.
Three Mile Lake Data Sheet (Hammel's Bay).pdf (382 KB) (pdf)
