Courtesy of the MNR
The contact person from the Ministry of Natural Resources is Mike Foley, 705 378-2401, ext. 13, or, in the alternative, Paul Copeland, at the same number, extension 14. Mike Foley said that he would be happy to share information that they have on file with respect to water testing on Oastler Lake and would also be interested in any testing results that residents might have from their own tests.
Summary of the type of regular water testing the MNR does on Oastler Lake:
Mr. Foley advised that water testing on Oastler Lake is restricted to 3 or 4 test sites around the periphery of the Provincial park, as well as a couple within the park (namely, the raw water line and in an area that is downstream of the Boyne River).
Sampling begins the beginning of May, and continues until Labour Day. The MNR takes weekly beach samples, usually on Mondays, unless it is raining, in which case sampling is deferred to the next suitable day.
The type of sampling is restricted to general bacterial count for the periphery samples, ecoli for the raw water line, and turbidity counts for the inside portion of the park that receives water from the Boyne River (turbidity is a measure of water
clarity).
The MNR advises that it does not test for giardia (so called "beaver-fever") nor for cryptospordium (a tiny organism sometimes found in fresh water).
We can all help keep Oastler Lake clean by:
- using only phosphate-free cleaners and soaps
- allow no washing directly in the lake
- use NO pesticides or fertilizers on plants or lawns
- avoid overloading septic systems/ weeping tiles and keep them serviced and up to date
- avoid churning up sediment along the shoreline (which means reducing wakes from boats and jet skiis and staying in the middle of the lake while water skiing)
- keep boats serviced and avoid oil/ gasoline leaks into the lake
- never do any maintenance using solvents, oils or harmful chemicals, or any cleaning or rinsing of such things, in or near the lake
Remember, soaps with phosphates and fertilizers are nutrients....they promote weed growth in the lakes (this is what happened to alot of the Kawartha lakes which are very weedy).
Remember, a typical "weeping tile" type septic system is designed to filter wastes over a reasonable distance, with the idea of having the ground filter the harmful effects of the waste before it reaches the lake water. BUT if you allow too much water to go into the septic system all at once ( from several showers, washing machines, dishwashers or lots of guests using toilets) then the "holding tank" feature of many systems could become overwhelmed. This can result in the "solids" being swept into the weeping tiles all at once (instead of breaking down and biodegrading first). This can lead to weeping tile (pipe) clogging and reduced function of the system, and, potentially bacterial or other contamination reaching the lake.
Take care of our water ways !