Update on Lake Scugog Enhancement Project
The Lake Scugog Enhancement Project has moved forward one more step. Bids have come in for the design and an excellent company has been selected. On January 18, 2016, Township Council ratified a bid and $10,000 was budgeted towards this part of the project with another $44,680 coming from Durham Region and Kawartha Conservation Authority (KCA).
The company chosen, GHD Limited ( www.GHD.com ) is a global company with offices in Markham and Peterborough. They have extensive knowledge in stormwater management, dredging practices and the design of engineered wetlands. Their team has presented profiles of their individual previous experience, which are exemplary.
Following planning meetings with the Working Group for a Healthy Lake Scugog (Scugog Township, KCA, the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW), the Scugog Lake Stewards and representives from the Federal and Provincial government and the marine industry), then meetings with the community — as well as approval by regulatory agencies — it is hoped that a design will be tabled in mid to late summer depending on the need for additional testing.
Fundraising will then begin in earnest. The Lake Stewards will be working closely with the Project Fundraising Committee since the Stewards will be providing Tax receipts to funders based on their incorporated charitable status. We will also be there at all stages of the project representing the lake and the community.
This is not just a dredging project. It is an extremely necessary stormwater improvement project as well. There are many drainage outlets carrying raw stormwater from southern Port Perry and the Causeway that go right into the lake. Stormwater carries large quantities of silt and a wide range of pollutants from the busy streets, parking areas and other hard surfaces of Port Perry. Among those pollutants are nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that create algae and feed aquatic plants throughout the lake. This project will create what are called “engineered wetlands” that will help filter out all those contaminents before they spread north throughout the lake. Existing nutrient and degraded bottom muck will be sequestered away from the lake.
Although urban centres, mainly Port Perry, only make up just over 3 1/2% of the watershed, they contribute over 18% of the excess nutrients to the lake that feed alga blooms and lake plants.
There is no question that there will be an extensive range of additional environmental, economic, recreational and community benefits. This will make it not only attractive to our community but will attract interested funders. We are very excited to get going.
Below is a rough outline of the areas to be dredged, and the engineered wetland areas. Phase one of the dredging is the area in creme. Phase two in green is the dredging area off the municipal boat launch. The lake area marked in hatched brown will be handled in other ways. The areas shown in purple will be the engineered wetland areas and areas for dregate placement.
