water

Kawartha Lake Stewards Association

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The Kawartha Lake Stewards Association is having their Fall Annual General Meeting on Saturday, October 5th at 10am – Lakehurst Hall (979 Lakehurst Circle Road, 9km west of Buckhorn)

KLSA’s annual general meeting is open to the public

This year the emphasis is on our Kawartha Lakes water quality and how progressive Trent Severn Waterway watershed flow management and Kawartha Conservation Authority’s lake management planning need community support to be effective.

What are the water quality implications of watershed flow management?  Dr. David Lean, former NSERC Research Chair in Ecotoxicology, and professor at the University of Ottawa, and former Research Scientist with Environment Canada’s National Water Research Institute, will link water flow with nutrient and water quality issues. He has volunteered his services to both the KLSA and the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow.  

What is the final draft of the Sturgeon Lake Management Plan telling us?  KLSA’s board member Chris Appleton, as Chair of the SLMP Community Advisory Panel, will give us a preview of the soon to be released plan. Copies of the Executive Summary will be available from stewardship staff manning a display. 

The AECOM TSW Water Management Study-what are the findings and recommendations?  Rob Messervey, Kawartha Conservation CAO, represents Conservation Authorities on the TSW Water Management Advisory Committee. He will bring us an update of the AECOM TSW Water Management Study. 

Integrated Water Management of the Trent Watershed: A Reservoir Lakes Perspective.  Chris Riddle and Ted Spence are executives with the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow, a volunteer organization seeking improved water management at the watershed level. 

Our waterway-observations and vision.  Capt. Mark Ackert, owner/operator of the M.V. Kawartha Voyageur, will give us his observations on the Waterway based on his 20 years of operation and a vision for what can lie ahead. 

The KLSA Annual General Meeting will be held after this session and will include reports from the Chair and Treasurer, the appointment of our auditor for 2013-2014 and election of the Board of Directors for 2013-2014.

Blue-Green Algae – Get to Know its True Colours

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The article below was published by The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit: 

GET TO KNOW ITS TRUE COLOURS
– Season For Blue-Green Algae Arrives, Bringing Reminder to Beware – and Be Aware – of Potential Risks to Public Health –

People who swim, drink and use water from area lakes are being reminded to be on the lookout for blue-green algae (BGA), and to change their habits accordingly if they detect it.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is encouraging residents, cottagers and visitors who use area lakes and waterways to educate themselves about BGA to reduce their potential health risk. In the past few summers, BGA has surfaced in local lakes, particularly in shallow, still water and during extremely warm temperatures.

“Reports of blue-green algae in our region have been more common in the summer months, so it is important to beware of the risks associated with BGA and be aware of what to look for in the water,” says Richard Ovcharovich, Manager of Environmental Health with the HKPR District Health Unit.

BGA, also known as cyanobacteria, are primitive microscopic organisms that occur naturally in lakes, bays and inlets around the world. Normally, the algae are barely visible, but during warm weather the algae can rapidly increase in shallow, still waters to form a large mass called a bloom. Dense blue-green algae blooms can make the water look like a bluish-green pea soup, or a shiny paint slick. Most algae blooms are short-lived and will break down in a few days or weeks.

While many forms of blue-green algae are harmless, some forms produce toxins that can be harmful to humans and animals. This means that any exposure to the water, be it drinking, swimming, bathing, cooking or washing, can lead to health problems. The extent of how sick people can get depends on the type of BGA and how long they are exposed to the toxins, Ovcharovich says.

“If you see or detect serious signs of blue-green algae in a lake or local waterway, avoid using the water at all costs,” he says. “Boiling the water won’t help either, as this kills the algae resulting in the release of more toxins into the water.”

The Health Unit is helping raise awareness about BGA through an information campaign called Blue-Green Algae: Get to Know Its True Colours. The goal is to help people who use area lakes recognize BGA and take appropriate precautions.

Who is to manage the Trent Severn Waterway?

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Our MP, Barry Devolin, produced a statement that is calling for a new agency to manage and operate the Trent Severn Waterway.  Below is that press release.

“DEVOLIN CALLS FOR NEW AGENCY TO MANAGE AND OPERATE

THE TRENT SEVERN WATERWAY”

 HALIBURTON – Local MP Barry Devolin is calling for the creation of a new independent agency to manage the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW), and that public safety and health should be the top priority of this new agency.

“I have come to believe that people and communities in this region would be better served by an independent agency managing the Trent Severn Waterway, rather than Parks Canada,” said Devolin.  “As such, my intention is to table a Private Members Bill this fall that would create a crown corporation which would manage and operate the TSW.”

Devolin said he reached this conclusion earlier this summer while listening to public input regarding decisions senior management at Parks Canada was making about the length of the Trent Severn Waterway’s navigational season.

“The Trent Severn is not your typical national park. It’s part nature, and part man-made,” said Devolin. “As such, I think it deserves a management structure better tailored to that reality.”

“During the public consultations over the summer, many of the people I spoke with agreed that the TSW needs to be seen as more of an economic driver and attraction whose management acts in a more proactive manor to keep and lure visitors to this area,” said Devolin.  “I think this new structure I am proposing could more easily navigate the TSW in that direction.”

The Trent Severn Waterway is a complex water management system in a central Ontario region that spans more than 18,000 square kilometers, and is home to more than one million residents. Man-made structures owned and operated by the TSW include 150 dams, 45 locks, and 39 swing bridges.

 The TSW is best known for its 386 kilometre-long historic canal that connects Lake Ontario at Trenton with Lake Huron at Port Severn. There are more than 125,000 private and commercial properties along this navigational channel, with thousands more on reservoir lakes in Haliburton County and other areas.

For more information contact:  Barry Devolin, MP – (705) 324-2400 or (866) 688-9881

 

Kawartha Lake Stweards Association Fall AGM

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  Kawartha Lake Stewards Association – FALL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

10:00 a.m. to Noon, Saturday, September 29, 2012

Lakehurst Hall 979 Lakehurst Circle Road – 9 km west of Buckhorn on Highway 16

KLSA’s annual general meeting is open to the public.  This year the emphasis is on the just released 40 page handbook and companion piece to our  2009 Aquatic Plants Guide :    The Algae of the Kawartha Lakes.  Authors Paul Frost, PhD. David Schindler Professor of Aquatic Science and Colleen Middleton, MSc(c) Graduate student will discuss the content of this publication in terms that you can use at your next cottage association meeting.   Attendees will receive a free copy and association representatives can pick up sufficient quantities for their membership.

Other items that will be discussed:

  • Miskwaa Ziibi Project -Dr. Frost will describe this summer’s KLSA project designed to better define human nutrient contributions to the Kawartha Lakes.
  • Agriculture is a nutrient contributor, what could be done?  Paul Reeds, P.Ag. AACI (ret) AALP Agricultural Development Advisory Board

More information about the AGM and the Kawartha Lake Stewards Association can be found on their website:  http://klsa.wordpress.com/