Cottage Q&A
QUESTIONWe have a cottage on Lake Huron near Stokes Bay. With the water level down, there are many large rocks now exposed or near the surface that make docking difficult. We'd like to lift a few of the very large rocks and move them out to deeper water where they won't affect boating. What are the rules regarding moving rocks from a shoreline? Do you have any suggestions on how to do this?
ANSWER
First, you do need a permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), because the work takes place in the lake's sensitive littoral zone. Unless you're a pro in your own right, you also need a professional heavy-equipment contractor to do the actual work. There's no fee for the permit, though, and in most cases getting one is a straight-forward process, says Gord Cottrill, public lands officer for the MNR's Owen Sound office, which has jurisdiction over Stokes Bay. "Moving rocks to a different spot, but leaving them in the lake, usually means there's no net loss of fish habitat," Cottrill explains. "We'd be a lot more leery if a cottager wanted to take them out of the water onto land." To get the process started, call your nearest MNR office for a permit application. (For Stokes Bay, you'd call 519-376-3860.) An MNR staffer will visit your property to make sure there are no special concerns before issuing the permit. Depending on your situation, some conditions - such as a prohibition on work in spring to protect smallmouth bass spawning grounds - may be put on the permit to provide guidance to the contractor. Cottrill says his office works closely with a number of experienced contractors, and can steer you towards one.
Most often, inshore work involves moving rocks to one side or the other in order to create a new channel. "We're not so much moving the rocks out, as bringing the deeper water in," explains Doug McLay, of Davis & McLay Developments in Lion's Head, Ont. McLay works with a large, long-armed excavator that can either reach out from shore for rocks or be driven into the water. When necessary, he can also break up solid bedrock with a hydraulically operated rock chisel that mounts on the excavator and acts like a super-sized jackhammer.
McLay's hourly rate for shifting rocks is about $80. If he's using the rock chisel, which is expensive to run, the rate rises to $140. A job might take anywhere from half a day to a week - but when it's just a matter of moving rocks that are already loose, the work is usually finished inside a day.
* Published in the April/May 2002 issue of Cottage Life
