Effort made to gather people to make a plan for Grey Highlands’ lakes

Stakeholders need to get together to “wrap their heads around” the complex situation of lakes in Grey Highlands, council decided last week.

“There are a lot of fragmented conversations happening right now,” said Coun. Nadia Dubyk last week. “We have to get on the same page.”

STRESS ON LAKES

She brought the motion forward to create a task force, citing the community concerns about things like water quality, blue-green algae, development, and usage of lakes.

“When I even think about it, it feels very big and audacious,” she said, but added that it has been done across the province.

Other councillors agreed that it was a big topic, and some wondered if it was a municipal matter.

In the end, council voted to move forward with the idea. The motion called on staff to develop terms of reference.

Coun. Dan Wickens said it was high time to act, as was seen in the algae bloom on Lake Eugenia last summer.

As to trying to get other bodies to take on the project – “if you want something done, do it yourself,” he said.

Coun. Nadia Dubyk gave the example of Kawartha Lakes, which has a lake management plan. There is a scientific component with studies and data, and also specific action plans.

A task force initiated by Grey Highlands would give a framework to bring all the stakeholders together, she said.

She said the goal is to look at how to manage the lakes so that they are healthy and can be enjoyed by generations to come. Included would be Lake Eugenia, Irish Lake, Wilcox Lake and Brewster’s Lake.

Suggested members for the task force would be two council members, as well as people from stakeholder groups and residents.

Ideas of those to involve included Ontario Power Generation for Lake Eugenia, various stewardship groups, Conservation Authorities, cottagers’ groups and more.

Coun. Dubyk said that when making the Terms of Reference things should be structured to avoid taking too much staff time.

MANAGEMENT PLANS

Coun. Dubyk said it took Kawartha Lakes about four years to go from the scientific data report to the lake management plan – but their lakes are much larger.

Invasive species, climate change and effects from nearby residences and agriculture use influence the lakes, she said.

The Friends of Lake Eugenia have already been working on a water study for a few years, with community support.

In Coun. Joel Loughead’s opinion, Lake Eugenia, in particular, is “sensitive and threatened”. He noted that through the Beaver River, associated impacts go beyond Grey Highlands.

The idea of a task force was “long overdue”, he said, to work aggressively for the good of the lakes.

Creating the terms of reference for the task force to consider the plan will take some work, Coun. Dubyk said.

“Others have done it, and I have full confidence we can figure it out, too,” she said.

Coun. Allwood asked whether the process would lead to mandatory re-inspection of existing septic systems near shorelines.

Coun. Dubyk said that septic systems are usually addressed, but that might only mean education and outreach.

Rideau Lakes, Tiny and Thousand Islands, have all started mandatory programs, Coun. Allwood noted, and some local cottagers have asked about having the same. Mayor McQueen added that it is against the law to pollute.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen observed that Conservation Authorities have regulatory say over the area. He questioned if the municipality had the capacity to take on the project.

“My instinct is that this is not a municipal area,” he said. “If Saugeen Valley and Grey Sauble wanted to take on these studies, then the municipality could be there for support.”

Coun. Dubyk said the intent is to create a conduit to bring the stakeholders together, and there’s some urgency to the need.

She said the province has changed the way conservation authorities operate from when the Kawartha Lakes plan was created.

The key aspect of the task force is to better define what needs to be done and to lay out a road map.

“I see the municipal role as one stakeholder of many stakeholders – we are not here to fund the whole thing,” she said. “Could we fund a portion – maybe, but that is down the line.”

The lakes are very significant natural assets, she said.

“If Lake Eugenia became an un-swimmable lake, that would affect not just cottagers around the lake but the whole municipality.”

The deputy mayor agreed on the need for a plan, but said he didn’t think that the municipality should be the lead, because that would take resources.

Coun. Loughead commented that the conservation authorities no longer have the resources they once did.

M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Flesherton Advance