Lake Water Quality 2006 Report - Lakefield Herald

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Chapter 6: ConclusionsThe Kawartha Lakes watershed is a unique chain of lakes unlike any that have beenextensively studied. Many lake models have been developed; however, to this author’sknowledge none has been developed to fully incorporate the diverse array ofcharacteristics particular to the Kawartha Lakes:• “Unnaturally” shallow basin with lake mean depth between 1.8 and 6.3 m.;• Regulated water level due to canal traffic between Georgian Bay and LakeOntario;• North shore of lakes exposed to bedrock, south shores exposed to glacial till;• Southern half of watershed used mainly for agriculture, northern half mostlyforested (Figure 2.1);• Highly inhabited and intensively used for recreational purposes (close proximityto major urban centres).The findings of this report deal predominantly with land use and lake morphologyrelationships with phosphorus concentrations. It is evident that lake phosphorusconcentrations increase when the proportion of cropland contributing to itshydrological budget increases. Phosphorus concentrations also increase as mean lakedepth decreases. Phosphorus concentrations of the Kawartha Lakes are lower nowthan in the 1970s. It appears, however, that most of the decrease happened in the1970s and early 1980s and levels have remained steady since then. The decrease,which occurred province-wide, was probably due to the introduction of phosphateregulation in the late 70s and early 80s, which drastically decreased phosphorusinputs from sewage treatment plants.Finally, phosphorus concentrations increase as water flows through the TSW. Thedilution effect at Stony Lake is convincing evidence that landscape controls (i.e., landuse) dictate elevated phosphorus concentrations. This report is a summation ofavailable information and should not be considered a final resolution regardingphosphorus concentrations in the Kawartha Lakes watershed. Many other avenuesshould be explored, as the potential for unconsidered/untested major sources ofphosphorus are anticipated. The findings of this report resolve the importance oflake depth and land use with phosphorus concentrations in lentic systems [stillwaters such as lakes, ponds, etc.] within the Kawartha Lakes watershed.42
3530Phosphorus (µg/l)252015105a ab b01972 1976 2005YearFigure 5.1 Bar graph showing mean August total phosphorus concentrations and standard deviationsfor ten Kawartha lakes (Balsam, Big Bald, Buckhorn, Cameron, Clear, Katchewanooka, Pigeon, Sturgeon,Upper Stoney and Stony) for 1972, 1976 and 2005. Different letters denote significant differencesbetween means following ANOVA procedure and Tukey’s test (p = 0.001)(N=10).43
Page 1: Kawartha Lake Stewards AssociationW
Page 4 and 5: Table of ContentsPresident’s Mess
Page 6 and 7: President’s Message2007 will be t
Page 8 and 9: species-at-risk and shoreline and i
Page 10: There are 3 different “phosphorus
Page 13 and 14: Map of the Kawartha Lakes 2006 Test
Page 15 and 16: subsequently deposited formations n
Page 17 and 18: These problems were solved with the
Page 19 and 20: Burleigh fallsThe cataracts effecti
Page 21 and 22: to estimate how much phosphorus is
Page 23 and 24: levels of these two inflows. Big Ba
Page 25 and 26: Low Phosphorus Lakes35.0030.0025.00
Page 27 and 28: The high flow/low phosphorus theory
Page 29 and 30: Phosphorus Levels over 5 Years (eac
Page 31 and 32: Flow vs Phosphorus, 200530030Flow,
Page 33 and 34: Many other sources of phosphorus to
Page 35 and 36: eductions in phosphorus discharges
Page 37 and 38: Ontario’s Natural Resources and V
Page 39 and 40: the Base Flow Index (BFI) and perce
Page 41 and 42: systems and animal feces (beef, pou
Page 43: ANOVA analysis as no suitable data
Page 47 and 48: How Much Algae Sticks to Macrophyte
Page 49 and 50: sites for both lakes (Pigeon Lake S
Page 51 and 52: The results from our initial survey
Page 53 and 54: Are our lakes at risk of switching
Page 55 and 56: Generally, then, the water in the K
Page 59 and 60: Appendix A:KLSA Mission Statement,
Page 61 and 62: Appendix B: Financial PartnersParks
Page 63: Date Expenses04-Jan-06 Bank Fees 3.
Page 68 and 69: At your request, subject to applica
Page 70 and 71: Lake-by-Lake E.coli ResultsTo put t
Page 72 and 73: To put the results in perspective:
Page 84 and 85: LAKE NAME Site Description DateSecc
Page 90 and 91: Appendix G: GlossaryAquatic plants
Page 92 and 93: plants. In the Kawartha Lakes area,

Lake Water Quality 2006 Report - Lakefield Herald

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