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Lady Simcoe ails and she may never get better After twoyear study govemment research commit tee has concluded the provin cial government should spend $3 million year to maintain Lake Simcoe at its present con dition instead of trying to im prove the lake Improvement is too expen sive and it might be only tem porary cure say committee members Others say she must be restored or her multimillion dollar tourist industry will vanish and the lake as recreational resource will die The Environmental Stratey for the Lake SimcoeCou chiching Basin is 69page report that lists Lake Simcoes problems and suggests ways of dealing with them Eighteen members from pro Exominer Photo $136M fishery in balance Hanging in the balance amid discussion of lake quality is Lake Simcoes cold water fish population and the $136 million industry it generates Ron Des Jardine ministry of natural resources biologist says the whitefish and lake trout populations can be saved with tight pollution controls and careful fishery manage ment Dennis Veal ministry of the environment water evaluator says there is no guarantee reducing hosphorus levels will restore eclining cold water fish populations He says the government should stock hat chery fish to maintain the fishing industry The Simcoe question rests in the hands of Cabinet Will the Ontario govem ment seek to improve Lake Simcoe Or will it accept the report committees sugges tion to maintain it at extsting quarity George Taylor MPP PC SimcoeCentrel said he sup ports improvement for the lake Id prefer the improve ment route think thats been the policy of govern ment to improve what can be improved Bob McClure former South Lake Simcoe Conser vation Authority resources manager said additional money will be neededby government agemces to im ve the lake There is no way tne work can be done with existing the examiner Thursday Sept 1979 to maintain lake Critical choice vincial ministries enviroMen tal agencies and area mu nicipalities prepared the report for the Ontario Cabinets mm mitte on resource development It cites nutrient pollution from local development as causing Lake Simcoes water problems Nutrients primarily phos phorus enter the lake in rain fall and runoff water Sewage and septic tanks draining into the water add to the contamination Decades of phosphorus load ing have resulted in todays ail ing Lady Simcoe Algae scums appear in the summer Green slime covers rocks along the shoreline and weeds flourish into lush underwater jungles In some areas the water is cloudy It smells gae an scum port of the phosphorus lution proble Traditionally angling has been major industry for Lake Simcoe report by the Canada Ontario RideauTrentSevern secretariat says sports fishing possibly provides more man days of recreation with the ex ception of cottaging than any other activity in the area The Environmental Strategy Report on the Lake Simcoe Couchiching Basin recognizes the importance of Lake Simcoe tourism The tourism industry has significant local and provincial economic and social implica tions says the strategy report Tourism relies on good water quality and fisheries the What happens next up to province funds he said Robert Page Trem University environmental and resources studies pro fessor said there are no ex tra funds available for en vironmental projects Funds in Ontario have goneinto the study of acid rain Our department here Trent is involved in that Its considered the number one priority Prof Pag said other en vironmental problems around the province will not likely get funding for four or five years Dennis Veal ministry of the environment surface water evaluator said spen ding $5 million year to im prove Simcoe is probably too expensive during govem ment restraint Howard Shillington FISH DESTRUCTION Accompanying the general decline in water quality is the destruction of cold water fish species Whitefish are disap pearing from her waters Lake trout populations remain strong but only as result of government stocking pro grams Todays Lake Simcoe will not support natural regeneration of cold water fish The problems have been iden tified Urbanization agriculture and other landuse distur bances in the lake basin are the sources Man is the cause With the problems created by the present basin population of 190000 it will cost $3 million year to keep the lake from get ting worse as its population grows says the report When the population reaches As on Lake Simcoe report adds But the fisheries are declin ing SHOWS DECLINE In ministry of natural resources study on whitefish figures show substantial decline in the number of fish caught In 1965 fishermen spent 40r981 hours and caught 153338 whitefish During the same 75 day period in 1977 fishermen spent 486503 hours but caught only 3650 whitefish Lake trout catcher2 increased to 7000 from about 1100 but that may have resulted from ministry stocking programs Des Jardine told The Ex member of the steering com mittee which reviewed the report said government must consider the longterm effects Spending restraints should not interefere with antipollution work Taylor said considering the longterm benefits that the quality of water produces the expense is not that substantial Urban runoff and agri cultural erosion could be easily reduced he said Con trolled development in areas of the basin would also help Id prefer to have all the advantages of the lake said Taylor He said he planned to stress that Lake Simcoe be government priority during policy talks this week in Elgin House on Lake Muskoka 450000 people it will cost $7 to $8 million year That figure is based on the present dollar value To improve the lake it will take $4 to $5 million year now Future costs cannot be calculated said the committee Two options are proposed in the report to maintain or to improve The committee recommends the government maintain the lake The reports environmental forecasts are based on popula tion figures suggesting 450000 Examiner stories by Stephen Nicholls people in the basin by 2011 The report says recent trends show decrease in local population growth but if the original forecast figures are correct the resulting stress on Lake Simcoe will be severe That stress will determine how much can be done to save the lake In terms of increased population it is technically possible to maintain existing quality up to population of 450000 people says the report Only new presently untried technology would allow improved conditions over the long term if current population projections prove accurate To improve water quality the phosphorus load must be reduced to 75 metric tonnes year from the present 103 tonnes Dennis Veal ministry of en vironment surface water evaluator says that would re quire drastic measures and it might not be enough to cure the lake Veal the report committees secretary said the committee did not believe these measures were merited Were talking about pretty expensive very complex tech nology said Veal in recent interview If we could decrease the phosphorus loading to 75 or 80 tonnes year without extreme economic implications wed do itii But youre talking about an expensive concentrated effort Every ton of phosphorus you take out costs money To get rid of that extra phosphorus both urban and rural sources must be attacked Cities and towns need to con struct sediment collecting ponds Urban drainage im provement will cost $2 million year Sewage plants must add chemical coagulants to remove aminer the cold water species especially whitefish are not successfully reproducing in LakeSimcoe Elevated phosphorus levels in the water stimulate algae growth When the tiny plant die they sink to the lake bottom where they rot During the decaying process they con sume oxygen Whitefish and lake trout can not tolerate the milder temperatures of shallow waters so they are trapped in the oxygenstarved deep water zones Here many of them die from lack of oxygen Other fish such as smelt and yellow perch have increased substantially Smelt pose par ticular threat said Des Jar dine These nonnative fish have now established them selves in the lake and they com pete for food with young whitefish and trout They may also eat eggs or young cold water species Many spawning areas are covered with silt which in terferes with egglaying The environmental strategy report calls the decrease dramatic decline Unless conditions in the lake are improved we can expect to lose the lakes cold water fishery says the report PROTECT HABITAT It calls for protection of fish habitat and spawning areas from sedimentation The report also suggests the government continue to stock 100000 lake trout each vear To restore the naturally reproducing population of 20 years ago the government must reduce phosphorus loading Stocking of lake trout and whitefish is needed and phosphorus Renovations to teduce sewage loading to mg1 from the current mgI level would cost $800000 year REDUCE EROSION Farmers need to reduce ero sion on their land by fencing stream banks to prevent livestock from trampling them into the water Planting vegeta tion buffers between open fields and rivers or lake shoreline will reduce runoff Further measures needed to reduce agricultural phosphorus sources are expensive One sug gestion is installing manure storage facilities For 100 head of cattle the facilities cost about $70000 To provide manure storage for the basins 25000 dairy cat tle alone might cost more than $17 million Bob McClure former South Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority resources manager disputes several cost figures McClure also committee member says planting grass along waterways and educating landowners in practices are inexpensive ways of reducing phosphorus load mg He said he favors improving the lake disagreed with other com mittee members on this said McClure who is now Regiona Conservation Authority pro gram coordinator in London Ont felt what saw was very small total cost felt it was well worth the money If youre going to spend $3 million anyway you should spend that extra $2 million Unless you improve it youre going to lose it he said Reducing present phosphorus levels however might not save the lake said Veal We dont know exactly the relation between loading and lake quality he said In the early 1900s the total phosphorus load was 140 tonnes year With the phosphorus loading reduction program in sewage treatment plants in 1973 it was reduced to 103 ton nes But theres not much dif ference in the lake We dont know whether or not we can produce much im provement in the overall quali ty of the lake said Veal An environmental scientist at Trent University agrees the problem is difficult to analyze PUZZLES SCIENTISTS Robert Page chairman of Trents environmental and resource studies department said phorphorus problems puz zle scientists There are so many inter relationshi we dont fully understan yet said Prof Page Even if you eliminate phosphorus there are many other water questions Prof Page said his depart other fish populations must be controlled Advanced sewage treat ment innovative urban drainage management and ef fective agricultural controls could reduce phosphorus loading from 103 tonnes year to 75 or 80 tonnes year says the report That would cost an estimated $48 million year When the basin population reaches 450000 that phosphorus level will be unachievable says the report Des Jardine biologist with the ministrys Lake Simcoe fisheries assessment unit said work must be done to save the whitefish population The potential is there to lose whitefish fishery entirely said Des Jardine The fishery is saveable but obviously cost ly The technology is there Veal ministry of the environ ment surface water evaluator does not share Des Jardines optimism We dont know the exact reason for the lack of cold water species reproduction said Veal Theres reasonable chance if the ox ygen is improved wed get back into naturallyproduced whitefish Can we reduce the phos phorus to the point where the algae percentage will allow ox ygen levels to increase we problem he said Veal wants to see more stock ing and fishery management Des Jardine sees stocking as temporary bandaid treat ment that will not solve the problem conservation reduced phosphorus levels from 140 to 103 tonnes and weve still got an oxygen background or SM to restore it for Lake Simcoe ment studies phosphorus pro blems in the TrentSevern system Weve seen number of means used to improve the water but theyve been barely able to stabilize it because of the number of people putting refuse into the watershed he said Five million dollars year seems low for the cost of cleaining up Lake Simcoe gested Prof Page Veal says what is needed is change in public attitude We dont need the outdate attitude theres 103 tonnes of phosphorus goin into the lake who cares if ump in an extra pound said Veal think people are going to have to get used to weeds and algae scum on the lake Instead of complaining they sould be hink weve got weeds or Howard Shillington retired businessman and former Georgina Township councillor has been Demands lake cleanup Keswick man watches arefully as government of icials bat around the ques ion of what to do about Lake imcoe Howard Shillington was ne of the engineers of that eport He was there when ocal citizens took their con erns to government four ears ago He chaired the political steering committee hat worked with the provin ial ministry representatives develo an environmental trategy or LakeSimcoe Now as he sits in lawn hair behind his lakeshore area home the whitehaired retired Toronto businessman eflects on his involvement in the Lake Simcoe pollution ssue Shillington was Georgina Township councillor when he controversy started in 1975 Several residents of Wynhurst Beach where Shillington lives complained of excessive algae growth and pollution APPEARED AT COUNCIL At his suggestion they ap peared before township council But council believed one small township would not have enough influence to get government action Shillington proposed public meeting where municipal representatives from around the lake could meet to talk about the lakes problems The Keswick con ference as it has been call ed took place on Sept 19 1975 Municipal represen tatives told government of ficials about their concerns and asked to meet with the Ontario cabinet As result the Lake SimcoeCouchiching Anti pollution conference was established steering committee con sisting of 15 municipal representatives was formed and met with cabinet ministers in March 1977 Cabinet established 1mm professor concerned Simcoe The way of Lake Erie The provincial government is not taking sufficient steps to save Ontarios lakes and streams says an environmen tal scientist at Trent Universi ty Robert Page chairman of Trents environmental and resource studies program said Lake Simcoe may follow the route of the illfated Great Lakes which have not received the legislative attention they deserve If you start looking at the hopes for the Great Lakes several years and the way they have not achieved its not very encouraging for Lake Simcoe said Professor Page Its partly politics partly enforcement and partly that were learning more each year about these problems see such tremendous credibility gap between statements made at Queens Park on water guality in the Great Lakes an recreational areas in southern Ontario and what is actually happening said Prof Page Theres very good research being done in Ontario but in many cases its too late or its not getting the ear of govern ment in terms of enforcement Government is reluctant to go into lake where there are hundreds of cottages and start enforcing regulations on septic tanks for example he said Prof Page said it is difficult to enforce regulations after development has already taken place It is much simplier to impose regulations on new develop ment he said Lake Simcoes problems are destined to get worse because Illlll fl Immrmm mmmum ummulm ummmm YIIIIH Ilflnlll on algae whats the best way to get rid of it They can clean up their beach and it might be fine for few weeks The government may wait five to seven years down the road to see how things go said Veal Howard Shillington who chaired group of local politi cians involved in the report preparation said work on Lake Simcoe must take priority If the foundation breaks under your house you for buying new car said Shi ington You fix the founda tion Its the long term youre thinking about And its the long term that has to be con sidered here Meanwhile as controversy continues ailing Lady Simcoe lies awaiting the verdict on her future involved with the environmental tight for Lake Simcoe since l975 Examiner Photo study committee of provin cial ministry staff members and representatives from Simcoe County the regions of York and Durham Barrie Orillia lnnisfil Township the South Lake Simcoe Con servation Authority and the CanadaOntario Rideau TrentSevem advisory corn mittee The report committee undertook twoyear study which culminates next Thursday when it is pre sented to cabinets commit tee on resource development The political steering com mittee chaired by Shilllt ington has reviewed the report chapter by chapter to make recommendations INPUT ESSENTIAL We felt it was important to have some input from time to time he said We were afraid government employ ees might not get the degree of input we felt was essen tial Shillington said his com of further urban development in the basin said Prof Page Urban development is spr inging up around the la places such as Lagoon City on the east side of the lake near Brenchin for example More Keswick man leads tight mittee believes it is impor tant to have longterm plann ing and improved manage ment to save the lake permanent Lake Simcoe supervisory body was sug gested but that idea was dropped said Shillington The headaches of the Niagara Escarpment Com mission were too fresh in the memories of committee members he said Instead the committee agreed the lakes manage ment should be supervised by cabinets resource commit tee but the rovincial govem ment shou discuss it with municipal politicians This is important said Shillington It would be un fortunate after three years of hard work if we were to voluntarily remove ourselves from the scene and leave it solely to government After all were the people living on the doorstep of the lake We see the daytoday problems and more developers are look ing to that type of develop ment That places an even greater stress on the lake The increas ing density is very significant Urban development in the lake basin and increased density poses increas ing pressures on the lake Examiner Photo