Lake Simcoe: Protection Progress Being Made

The government of Ontario is taking steps to continue the improvement of Lake Simcoe through the Lake  Simcoe Protection Plan and through more than 1,500 local environmental stewardship projects.

Released in March, the Minister’s second annual report on Lake Simcoe  shows that significant progress is being made to enhance the shoreline, lower phosphorus levels and encourage the return of native lake trout.

The reduction of phosphorus levels in Lake Simcoe is critical to restoring the health of the lake – too much phosphorus leads to excessive plant growth and decreased oxygen, negatively impacting the cold-water fish community. Protecting Lake Simcoe is part of the new Ontario government’s plan to protect and restore the Great Lakes, its watersheds and tributaries, helping create strong local economies and a healthy environment.

It goes without saying that current and potential owners of Lake Simcoe Real Estate are vested in the health of the waterfront and will consider this very good news indeed.

Some Quick Lake Simcoe Facts

• Lake Simcoe is the largest inland lake in southern Ontario outside of the Great Lakes, and is an important source of revenue for the local economy. Agriculture in the Lake Simcoe watershed generates over $300 million annually and supplies drinking water to eight municipalities.
• As a result of urban and rural pollution causing higher than normal levels of phosphorous, the lake is being robbed of oxygen, which affects cold water fish, wildlife and overall water quality.
• Lake Simcoe is the ice-fishing capital of Canada. Anglers enjoy more than one million hours on the ice each winter.
• The Lake Simcoe Community Stewardship Program engaged more than 380 landowners and 60 groups and organizations, partnerships which has had significant impact on the overall health of the lake, including the naturalization or repair of 1,435 metres of shoreline and planting over 17,500 trees or shrubs.
• The 2009 Lake Simcoe Protection Plan is the most comprehensive watershed-based legislated plan in Canada, designed to cut phosphorus pollution and improve water quality and fish habitat.

After many years of trending in the wrong direction it is encouraging to see that science is pointing to a reversal and an increase in the number of naturally reproducing coldwater fish is again on the rise.

Source: Government of Ontario