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QUESTION We currently have a cottage on Gloucester Pool on the Severn River. However, this area is getting too crowded and we are looking at a place on Lake Nipissing. How can we find information on water quality, pollution, water levels, and such to compare with our current location? Marty Becker, via e-mail
ANSWER Unfortunately, there isn't a one-stop clearing house for detailed lake information in the province. A good starting point is the Ministry of the Environment's Lake Partner Program, which has compiled water clarity results - based on Secchi disc readings and phosphorus levels - for some 500 lakes in Ontario. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has a good pool of information for lakes throughout the province, ranging from the variety and health of fish stocks to water depth and surface area. For example, according to the MNR, Lake Nipissing is a fairly shallow lake, averaging 4.5 metres deep, and has a healthy fishery - indicative of a healthy lake. However, the province has introduced "slot limits" (regulations requiring that adult fish 40-60 cm long caught during the summer months be released) to help preserve a stressed walleye population. Local cottage associations are another good source of information on a variety of issues, including water quality. The Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations (www.foca.on.ca) is the umbrella organization for 500 associations in the province. To find out about water levels influenced by dams, you need to contact the various operators, which include Ontario Power Generation, government agencies such as the MNR and the Conservation Authorities, and private industry. On Lake Nipissing alone there are 45 dams. In this case, Public Works and Government Services coordinates the various dam operators on and around the lake to keep its level within 10 cm of the "ideal" during the summer, before organizing a 1.3 metre draw-down in the fall.
Finally, you could contact the local municipality to find out what water-quality measures it takes. For example, the North Bay and District Health Unit closes the six beaches around the City of North Bay for 48 hours after any heavy rainfall.
Allan Britnell
* Published in the March 2001 issue of Cottage Life |