Your Link to Muskoka's Water!
Canadian Water Network
The Canadian Water Network (CWN) is the conduit that connects researchers with water practitioners, implementers and policy-makers, pooling their resources and uniting expertise to respond to water challenges and contribute to a prosperous and healthy future for generations of Canadians.
The essence of CWN is to bring water research to life.
CWN does this by establishing and supporting multidisciplinary communities of practice that address key challenges in water management across three broad areas — protecting Canada's watersheds and ecosystems, protecting the health of Canadians, and ensuring that Canada has sustainable water infrastructure.
Development of CWN's research programs begins by articulating the needs of end-users, so their research is relevant and outcomes are implemented. Their work influences the national debate on water and their network's expertise is sought to inform water policy and improve water management and stewardship across Canada.
CWN's initiatives engage more than 100 researchers and 200 students across 37 Canadian universities and connect them with more than 100 partners from industry, government and non-governmental organizations.
Canadian Watershed Research Consortium
CWN's Canadian Watershed Research Consortium launched its inaugural project in spring 2010. This consortium was formed to provide a venue and mechanism to develop regional environmental frameworks to support watershed management. The initial focus is on developing robust approaches to conducting cumulative effects assessments using a regional-node model, with local watershed-based consortia being launched in different areas of the country and coordinated nationally by CWN.
Muskoka River Watershed Monitoring and Management Consortium
The Muskoka River Watershed Monitoring and Management Consortium put out a request for proposals for the development of best practices for a collaborative monitoring program aimed at early detection of cumulative effects as well as predictive models enabling the management of multiple stressors at small and large scales.
A research team, led by Dr. Catherine Eimers, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Trent University, responded to the call for proposals. The proposal titled "Managing the cumulative effects in the Muskoka River watershed: Monitoring, research and predictive modelling," will receive $600,000 from CWN over three years.
Dr. Eimers' research team, involving 10 university and four government scientists across seven universities and institutions, will build a conceptual model, develop physical, biological and chemical indicators and assessment criteria, design a comprehensive monitoring program and predictive models for cumulative effects. Her project will focus on eutrophication and changes to the relative amounts of ions and their effects on crustaceans and algae.
Learn more about the CWN Research Projects.
Muskoka Data
The District Municipality of Muskoka's Lake System Health Monitoring Program is comprised of recreational water quality monitoring, a shoreline survey program, and technical assistance to lake associations interested in undertaking a volunteer based biological monitoring program.
Recreational Water Quality
Muskoka has monitored recreational water quality for 25 years. The recreational water quality monitoring program is a field based program that monitors approximately 160 lakes across Muskoka on a rotating basis depending on development pressures and the specific characteristics of the lake. The purpose of the program is to establish a long-term record of key water quality parameters so that trends in water quality can be identified.
The sampling program includes tests for Secchi depth (a measure of water clarity) , phosphorus concentrations (a measure of nutrient enrichment), dissolved oxygen and temperature. A number of chemical parameters are also tested, including pH, conductivity, dissolved organic carbon, alkalinity, nitrates, sulphuric acid, iron, and chlorine.
Learn more about Monitoring Parameters
Lake Data Sheets
Lake Data Sheets have been developed for each lake that is monitored for the above parameters.
Shoreline Land Use Maps
In 2002, Muskoka enhanced its Lake System Health Monitoring Program to include shoreline surveys. These surveys collect data on shoreline vegetation, shoreline structures and the first 20 metres of land surrounding a waterbody. This information is then mapped and provided to lake associations, Area Municipalities and other interested parties for planning purposes. Approximately 4 to 5 shorelines are surveyed each summer.
Visit the Shoreline Land Use Maps section for lakes that have been surveyed.
Biological Monitoring Data
In 2003, a Biological Monitoring Program was developed for lake associations interested in becoming more involved in lake monitoring and broader lake planning. Each year, summer staff are available to train lake residents to undertake volunteer monitoring programs that are based on standard protocols such as plantwatch, frogwatch, forest health and benthic analysis. Ongoing support is provided to meet the needs of individual associations.
The objective of the biological monitoring program is to develop a network of monitoring partners to collect a broad range of chemical and biological data, physical lake attributes and shoreline development data that are in a useful form and can be made accessible to individuals, associations, businesses and government agencies.
The Biological Monitoring Program focuses on EMAN's benthic and terrestrial plot protocols, which helped supplement the existing lake monitoring and shoreline land use data.
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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring
The benthic macroinvertebrate sampling protocol requires the collection and classification of macro-invertebrates from a variety of developed and undeveloped sites of the near shore environment. The program pilots the standard protocol for benthic analysis being developed by the Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network, spearheaded by the Ministry of the Environment through the Dorset Environmental Science Centre.
The Kick and Sweep method is used to collect samples and the Teaspoon method is the sub-sampling method used to collect organisms from within the sample.
Visit the Biological Monitoring Data section for lakes that participate in the program.
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Terrestrial Plot Monitoring
Terrestrial forest plots require the establishment of a 20-metre by 20-metre permanent plot. All the trees are then identified, tagged and classified according to health. Monitoring is done on a yearly basis within the plot. Various other aspects of forest health can also be monitored within the standard plot, including decay rates, tree regeneration, lichen diversity, and salamander occurrence.
Terrestrial forest plots are established and monitored based on the protocol developed by EMAN.
Visit the Biological Monitoring Data section for lakes that participate in the program.
Lake Data
How healthy are our lakes?
This is where you'll find Muskoka Data collected by The District Municipality of Muskoka through the Lake System Health Program for many of the lakes in Muskoka.
This is also where you will find Ministry of Natural Resources fact sheets summarizing MNR Data for Parry Sound and Muskoka area lakes.
- Lake Partner Program - A province-wide, volunteer-based water quality monitoring program from the Ministry of the Environment.
- The Atlas of Canada - An online atlas with a collection of maps and related information about Canada.
- Canadian Water Network - An organization that connects Canadian and international water researchers with decision-makers engaged in priority water management issues.
Topics
Recreational Water Quality
Muskoka has monitored water quality for almost 30 years.
Lake Data Sheets
How is the water quality in your lake?
Shoreline Land Use Surveys
How much of the shoreline on your lake is natural?
Biological Monitoring Data
Benthic and terrestrial plot monitoring data.