Shoreline
Much of this information was provided by the LCPOA Environment Committee, January 2021.
Protecting your Shoreline and the 30 Metre Buffer Zone
As cottage property owners, one very important way we can maintain the health of Lake Clear and thereby enhance our property values is by protecting our shoreline and the 30 metre buffer zone between the shore and your dwelling or private waste disposal system!
Your actions every day, as well as those of your neighbours, have a great impact on determining just how healthy and vibrant our lake is now and will be in the future, for the fish, wildlife, flora and fauna that inhabit our shoreline.
A healthy shoreline is a rich, yet vulnerable environment. An untouched shoreline and 30 metre buffer zone filters the pollutants that run off to the water, thereby enhancing the water quality and aquatic life. A natural shoreline, including overhanging trees, helps to cool the water and minimizes soil erosion, and provides protection for a healthy environment that supports the feeding, breeding or raising of our wildlife habitat.
On the other hand, if there is little or no protective vegetation in that buffer zone, nutrients (primarily from your septic system) will feed directly into the lake and start fertilizing it. From a broad perspective, nutrients play a large part in reducing the level of dissolved oxygen in the lake, which is necessary to sustain aquatic animals, especially the lake trout.
The existing low level of dissolved oxygen in the lake is the primary reason why Lake Clear is designated as an “at capacity” lake.
Unfortunately, with the recent introduction of Zebra mussels into our fragile environment, reducing phosphorous from human activities is even more important as it has been observed in neighbouring lakes that this invasive species tends to concentrate the lake’s total phosphorous close to the shoreline. This provides even more food in a concentrated area for plants and algae to thrive and may result in algae blooms developing near cottage lots with altered shorelines.
An excellent reference resource for all things related to shoreline health is the “Lake Clear Shoreline Property Report, Summer 2012/2013”, which was distributed in hard copy to each property owner at that time. If you dust off your copy, you will find a wealth of pertinent information relating to the specifics of your property, including ideas for potential improvements to your waterfront area.
You may wonder what you, as an individual or family property owner, should do to conserve the precious health of our lake in order to protect its wildlife habitat. The following link is invaluable and provides many “before and after” examples of what can be done.
http://loveyourlake.ca/natural-shoreline/
For more detailed information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Your actions every day, as well as those of your neighbours, have a great impact on determining just how healthy and vibrant our lake is now and will be in the future, for the fish, wildlife, flora and fauna that inhabit our shoreline.
A healthy shoreline is a rich, yet vulnerable environment. An untouched shoreline and 30 metre buffer zone filters the pollutants that run off to the water, thereby enhancing the water quality and aquatic life. A natural shoreline, including overhanging trees, helps to cool the water and minimizes soil erosion, and provides protection for a healthy environment that supports the feeding, breeding or raising of our wildlife habitat.
On the other hand, if there is little or no protective vegetation in that buffer zone, nutrients (primarily from your septic system) will feed directly into the lake and start fertilizing it. From a broad perspective, nutrients play a large part in reducing the level of dissolved oxygen in the lake, which is necessary to sustain aquatic animals, especially the lake trout.
The existing low level of dissolved oxygen in the lake is the primary reason why Lake Clear is designated as an “at capacity” lake.
Unfortunately, with the recent introduction of Zebra mussels into our fragile environment, reducing phosphorous from human activities is even more important as it has been observed in neighbouring lakes that this invasive species tends to concentrate the lake’s total phosphorous close to the shoreline. This provides even more food in a concentrated area for plants and algae to thrive and may result in algae blooms developing near cottage lots with altered shorelines.
An excellent reference resource for all things related to shoreline health is the “Lake Clear Shoreline Property Report, Summer 2012/2013”, which was distributed in hard copy to each property owner at that time. If you dust off your copy, you will find a wealth of pertinent information relating to the specifics of your property, including ideas for potential improvements to your waterfront area.
You may wonder what you, as an individual or family property owner, should do to conserve the precious health of our lake in order to protect its wildlife habitat. The following link is invaluable and provides many “before and after” examples of what can be done.
http://loveyourlake.ca/natural-shoreline/
For more detailed information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions below.
In July 2012, every LCPOA member received a copy of A Shoreline Owner's Guide to Healthy Waterfronts, a Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association (FOCA) publication.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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