Page 9 - SLPOA Spring 2014 Newsletter

SPRING 2014 NEWSLETTER SHARBOT LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION

THE RISE AND FALL… cont’d

a community near Sarnia, Ontario is changing, with
only half as many boys as girls being born. Toxic
flame retardants are on the increase.
We would be naïve to think the same is not
happening in our lake. Though it is surely
happening on a smaller scale, the fact is that our
septic systems have not been designed to deal with
the new contaminants flowing into them. While our
eye is now on phosphates and nitrates, and on Ecoli,
we may soon have to turn our eye to those new
contaminants as well. Ozone is known to deal with
most of those new contaminants in large municipal
systems. Perhaps we will be able to develop an
effective treatment on the smaller scale of individual
property owners. INVADING SPECIES WATCH
Our generation, through individual property owners
and throughout three levels of government, hold in PROGRAM
trust our vital waters for all to use and for future Kevin Browne
generations. If we want our lakes to be healthy, We constantly talk about how phosphorus impacts
fishable, drinkable and swimmable, we must renew our lakes but sometimes we forget it is not the only
our commitments. This means an increased thing. MVCA recently released the 2013 OFAH
commitment to monitoring and science, and a Invasive Results report. This report covers 130 lakes
commitment to undertake control measures based on in the conservation watershed and it seems that
scientific findings. When the MVCA, health Sharbot Lake is not one of them. In our last AGM
authorities, building authorities, and SLPOA they had a representative attending hoping to find
representatives next knock on your doors to talk volunteers to join the program as Sharbot Lake is a
about preventative measures please welcome them in large body of water.
and be receptive to what they have to say. We will,
in return, be open to your suggestions and advice. Recently I signed up to the Invading Species Watch
and I will be starting this summer for the East Basin.

We owe this to ourselves, to our We are presently looking for a volunteer who will be
willing to join the program for the West Basin to
grandchildren and to their children. ensure that both basin are covered in future reports.

This is a free, volunteer based lake monitoring
¹To see the article on which the above text is based program for aquatic invading species. It is an
go to the http://www.flowcanada.org/resource/375 initiative of the Invading Species Awareness
Program, which is a partnership between the Ontario
Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) and the
* Environment Issues Coordinator, Sharbot Lake Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).
Property Owners Association
** Member at Large, Sharbot Lake Property Owners The program offers local residents, cottagers, and
Association and Member, Forum for Leadership on property owners the unique opportunity to monitor
Water their lakes for the presence of aquatic invasive
*** Member, Forum for Leadership on Water and former species such as zebra mussels and spiny water flea at
Assistant Deputy Minister, Environment Canada. a minimal cost.

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