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Ontario’s Lake Partner Program

A closer look at your lake

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) monitors Ontario's recreational lakes in partnership with cottagers and residents. The goal of the Lake Partner Program is to create a valuable, long-term database to evaluate the nutrient status of Ontario's inland lakes. The lakes' nutrient status will reflect land use changes in the watershed and assist in our efforts to conserve and protect our inland lakes.

Getting Involved

As a volunteer, you will take water samples for total phosphorus (TP) analysis and measure water clarity using a Secchi disc. The number of phosphorus samples that you take each year will depend on whether or not your lake is on the Canadian shield.

Phosphorus is the nutrient that controls the growth of algae in most Ontario lakes. For this reason any increase in phosphorus in the lake will increase the quantity of algae that can grow. High levels of phosphorus can lead to algal blooms and in some cases affect the habitat of cold water fish such as lake trout. By sampling the total phosphorus each year it is possible to detect a change in the nutrient status of your lake.

It is important to note that several years of data must be collected to observe the normal, between-year-differences before a trend can be identified.

While total phosphorus concentrations are the best way to describe the nutrient status of your lake, regular Secchi depths can also help to identify changes in water clarity that are not linked to nutrient status (zebra mussels, climate change etc.).

Some of our many partners include you and:

Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association
Lake of the Woods District Property
Owners Association.
District Municipality of Muskoka
Kawartha Lake Stewards
Kent State University
Crowe Valley Water Protectors
City of Greater Sudbury
Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority
Centre for Sustainable Watersheds
Algonquin Ecowatch
Toronto Region Conservation Authority

To find out if there is a Lake Partner Program on your lake, or to get involved, please contact:

Ministry of the Environment
Lake Partner Program,
Dorset Environmental Science Centre
P.O. Box 39
1026 Bellwood Acres Rd.
Dorset, ON
P0A 1E0
Toll free in Ontario:1-800-470-8322
Fax: 705-766-2254
E-mail: lakepartner@ene.gov.on.ca

For information about other Ministry of the Environment initiatives please contact:

Public Information Centre
135 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Phone: 416-325-4000
Fax: 416-325-3159
Toll free in Ontario:1-800-565-4923
Website: www.ene.gov.on.ca

 

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If you are having difficulty accessing a document, please contact the Ministry of the Environment at picemail@ene.gov.on.ca or phone the ministry's Public Information Centre at 1- 800-565-4923, in Toronto 416-325-4000 or by mail to the Ministry of the Environment, Public Information Centre, 135 St. Clair Ave. West, 1st Floor, Toronto, ON. M4V 1P5.

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