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Project History
Both the District Municipality of Muskoka (DMM) and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) have sponsored large-scale water quality monitoring programs across the region for many years. These are the Lake System Health Monitoring Program and the Lake Partners Program respectively. These two programs are designed to track the trophic status of (total phosphorus concentration in) lake basins. They are not able to identify environmental stressos, because they are not designed with this goal in mind. The MWQI was initiated because the MLA recognized that results from these pre-existing programs did not give their organization all of the information they needed to adequately promote the responsible use, enjoyment and conservation of the unique Muskoka environment.The MLA approached Dr. Neil Hutchinson of Gartner Lee Limited, an national environmental consulting firm in 2001. As an expert in Muskoka's water bodies, Dr. Hutchinson agreed to help design a water quality monitoring program that would best serve the MLA's mission. Dr. Hutchinson identified five parameters that he felt would give the best information on which to base community action: total Coliform, Escherichia Coli., total phosphorus, temperature and periphyton (mcrophytic algae) growth.
The first year of monitoring focused on development and testing of monitoring protocols. The MLA Marine Patrol (summer students) took samples at 30 locations around lakes Joseph, Rosseau and Muskoka. Bacteria analysis was completed by MLA office staff, and phosphorus analysis was done by Trent University's Environmental Science Centre in Dorset. Algal analysis was completed by a researcher at the University of Toronto.
Several conclusions and recommendations were made at the end of the first year. These included:
- the water quality in the Muskoka Lakes is relatively good;
- there is a clear difference between offshore and nearshore water quality - therefore the study should continue to look at these relationships;
- expertise should be internalised within the MLA, to ensure long-term continuity and maximize value; and
- volunteers should be used in the program in order to create an ownership and awareness of environmental issues.
Each of these recommendations was incorporated into the design of the 2002 sampling program. The study was expanded from 30 sites to 70 sites, with sites selected in seventeen clusters to show local variation surrounding targeted land uses and land-based activities. Brandy Lake was included in the study for the first time. The MLA Board of Directors identified John Curran as their first water quality 'champion.' Mike Logan was also hired as the Project Director to manage the day-to-day aspects of the monitoring program. A turbidity protocol was also added to the study design.
Beginning in 2002, volunteers were used in every aspect of the monitoring program including the collection of samples, transportation of samples, sterilization of collection bottles and the actual sample analysis.
In 2003, the program expanded to 114 sites on eleven lakes and rivers. New lakes monitored were the Muskoka River, Leonard Lake and Sucker Lake. Separate research and monitoring "functions" of the program were developed; analysis of interest to most readers was presented in an accessible way, while more advanced analysis focusing on research questions was reported separately. For the first time, results of the program were made available on the MLA website.
The design of the monitoring program in 2002 and 2003 was based on a research question that asked "how do various characteristics of residential landscapes effect phosphorus concentration in the nearshore zone?" Unfortunately after promising results in 2002, the two year study ended with no defensible conclusions.
The MWQI monitoring program continued to grow throughout the summers of 2004, 2005 and 2006. In all, nearly 200 sites on nineteen lakes and rivers have been monitored, well over 100 volunteers have contributed to the program, and many more people have participated in various seminars and workshops based on program results. Despite these successes, defensible conclusions from the water quality research associated with the MWQI remain illusive.
While always part of the objectives of the MWQI, the second program area - development of community plans - was first launched with a workshop series in the summer of 2006. These workshops invited all stakeholders from six communities already involved in the MWQI monitoring program and identified by DMM as "over-threshold (link to "policy" section)" to participate in the inauguration of community planning processes for their communities. In the spring of 2007, we will be officially launching community plans for Brackenrig Bay (Lake Rosseau), Cox/Pinelands Bay (Lake Joseph) and Muskoka Bay (Lake Muskoka). These community plans are designed to:
- Protect and enhance the local ecosystem through the creation of a local citizen-initiated comprehensive action plan valued by the local community and formally recognized by local government agencies.
