Are you concerned about the quality of our lake water? Join us Sunday, June 29, 2008 @ 10:00am at the Katrine Community Centre for a special Annual General Meeting…

Try to imagine coming up to the cottage one weekend, only to find the lake unusable. The lake is unsightly, covered in scum, with dead fish on the shorelines. The smell is unbearable. There certainly won’t be any swimming or fishing this weekend. You can’t imagine using the water from your tap or shower, as it is pulling water in from that same source. Even sitting on the dock or lying in the hammock beside the lake is not pleasant. “I’m not going to stand for this!”, you say to your neighbour, “someone needs to do something!”. Well guess what? If you found yourself in this situation, it’s already way too late. Reversing the problem will take years. In the meantime, trips to the cottage seem pointless. You will want to sell, but there’s a problem. Property values will plummet overnight. This is not the picture that people have when it comes to investing in a cottage.

You may think this scenario sounds far-fetched, but it’s not. In 2005, our namesake lake, Three Mile Lake outside Bracebridge, was ordered not to use the lake for any purpose due to unacceptable toxin levels. It was a huge wakeup call for a lake that didn’t even have an active cottage association at the time. Suddenly, there was a lot of interest and, fortunately, they have been able to take steps to reduce the leaching of nutrients into the lake (from local agriculture and from under-performing septic systems). They have been working to return the lakefront to its natural setting, discouraging the removal of trees and other naturally-occurring habitat. Their lake is usable once again.

It’s all a bit ironic, of course. Humans have a huge appreciation for natural beauty and yearn to surround themselves with it. But then they forget. They forget that anything they do within that natural setting sets off the balance. They introduce chemicals and waste that weren’t there before. They remove the barriers which naturally break down nutrients before they reach the water sources, such as trees, plants and brush. They think that somehow nature will compensate, and to some degree, nature cooperates. But over time, nature becomes overwhelmed.

So, why are we telling you this now? Well, although we remain confident that our lake will continue to be the beautiful environment that we enjoy, we are wary of some signs. Warming trends, more weeds, algae blooms, aging septic systems. We don’t want to see a situation where a trend is ignored and it becomes too late to react. We, as an association, can help advocate good practices and provide owners with information. But we can’t do this alone. This issue impacts each and every one on the lake.

On Sunday, June 29 at 10:00am, we will have our Annual General Meeting. This year, the focus of our meeting will be, among other things, on the quality of our lake water and surrounding environment. A representative from the Citizen’s Environment Watch, a non-profit environment-focused organization, will be there to help educate and inform. And we will provide updates on tests on our lake. These are topics which impact 100% of lake owners. I ask that you join us this year on June 29. Two hours out of your weekend that I suggest will be well spent.

Rod Ward, representing TMLCC Directors

President, TMLCC