Funding received for Lake Scugog Dredging
DURHAM REGION HAS AGREED TO BUDGET $60,000 TOWARDS A DREDGING PROJECT FOR PORT PERRY BAY, LAKE SCUGOG. The funds, obtained by special request by Kawartha Conservation, will be used to provide technical and project management support to the Working Group for a Healthy Lake Scugog and their plan to enhance and revitalize the Port Perry Bay.
The majority of funds will go to project design and environmental assessment work, with additional funding going to sediment testing and project management.
Durham Region financial support will make possible the application for other grant money as most grantors require some matching funds at the municipal/regional level. The Working Group and its partners are organizing their fundraising team at this time to go forward quickly on this project.
From a Durham Region perspective, this project will bring tourism, infrastructure, business investment and growth potential to the area. From the Working Group’s perspective, the revitalization will support many environmental and community needs in the Bay and for the Township including the accommodation and promotion of a number of water-based recreational uses of the bay and waterfront, as well as other economic development opportunities.
From the Scugog Lake Stewards’ point of view the possible value of such a project is great. First, by using the dredged material imaginatively it would be possible to create an engineered wetland that would help clean the large flow of stormwater entering the lake at the Bay from Port Perry. This reduction of nutrient load would be good for the whole lake.
Secondly, digging out the Bay to achieve a 6 ft. depth beyond the upper navigation level in that area of the lake would remove years of nutrient and contaminant laden silt as well as the roots and seeds of the over whelming plant growth. By removing the nutrient laden silt, the Bay would not produce so much Eurasian water milfoil and algae in the future, allow native plants to take hold and provide healthy habitat for fish and other species.
Even our own Township residents judge the quality of the whole lake by what they see off Palmer Park and the waterfront in general. By cleaning up this area, the general population will have a better appreciation for the overall good health of the lake.