Your Link to Muskoka's Water!

Stormwater Management 

Stormwater is any water resulting from precipitation that flows over land, buildings, roadways, golf courses and other surface features and is not treated by any wastewater management techniques.

As it flows over the land and its features, the water picks up sediments, nutrients and bacteria, which it transports to nearby waterbodies on its route through the endless water cycle. This can cause increased nutrient and bacteria loading in lakes and rivers. Increased sediments cause turbidity, cloudiness in the water, and can destroy fish habitat.

Stormwater is both an urban and rural problem and must be addressed differently in each situation.

Learn more about managing your stormwater.

Stormwater management on individual lots

Individual property owners must take stormwater management into their own hands. Whether you have waterfront property or not, all stormwater will eventually end up in nearby lakes and rivers. However, waterfront property owners have the most direct effect on stormwater runoff in their lakes.

To help prevent and minimize the impact of stormwater runoff, ALL property owners should follow the these guidelines:

Increase building setbacks

Buildings and the cleared area around them have the greatest impact on stormwater runoff. By setting buildings back from the lake and maintaining a shoreline buffer zone, the landscape has more time to absorb and clean the runoff before it reaches the lake.

Maintain vegetation

Trees and grass along hillsides and waterways act as buffer zones and are an effective method for reducing runoff, removing sediments and slowing soil erosion. Wetlands are nature's water filter. Maintaining their existence and health is an important way to protect our lakes from stormwater runoff. To protect and preserve an existing wetland, grow vegetation around its boundary and eliminate detrimental activities that would destroy a wetland, such as filling it in for development purposes.

Use stormwater management during construction

Reduce the amount of vegetation removed during construction, especially on steep slopes. Direct output eavestroughs away from the lake. Create a pond area or dig trenches away from both the lake and the building's foundation.

Urban stormwater

Urban stormwater management is generally the responsibility of the Area Municipality. Muskoka is responsible for stormwater along District roads and the Ministry of Transportation is responsible along provincial highways. Large property owners are responsible for stormwater from their own sites, including parking lots.

In high density areas, stormwater can be channeled, collected and filtered through traps and grates, usually located at the end of a pipe system, but it usually flows directly from streets and gutters into our lakes and rivers untreated.

The urban landscape is characterized by numerous impermeable surfaces - the "concrete jungle." Impermeable means that it is a surface that does not and cannot absorb water, such as streets, driveways, sidewalks, walkways, and roofs.

Impermeable surfaces increase the flow rate and volume of the stormwater runoff by channeling the water and eliminating any slow down time and filtering that would normally occur on permeable surfaces. Impermeable surfaces cause surges of water and flood problems.

It is important for urban property owners to be aware that all those gutters and street grates lead directly to our river and lakes without treatment. There are many different actions to take in reducing the impact of urban stormwater runoff, including:

• Grass or re-vegetate any disturbed soils
• Do not use pesticides or fertilizers on lawns or gardens
• Use only natural, safe alternatives to pesticides or fertilizers
• Make sure no fluids are leaking from your car
• Wash your car at a car wash facility or on the grass with minimum detergent

Find out what else you can do to reduce stormwater pollution.

To combat stormwater management issues, both urban and rural residents must do their part to ensure runoff does not impair the water quality of our lakes and rivers.

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has a publication called Stormwater Management Planning and Design Manual, which provides technical and procedural assistance for the planning, design, and review of stormwater management practices.

Retention ponds

A retention pond withholds water, allowing it to slowly seep into the ground after a heavy rain event. They are often used in golf courses, subdivisions and various residential settings.

Retention Ponds in Residential Settings

Retention ponds are created to capture diverted stormwater runoff. These types of ponds provide two major services. First, they hold the runoff before releasing it into nearby lakes and rivers at flow rates and occurrences like those that exist under natural conditions.

The second benefit is that they assist pollutant removal through settling of suspended particulates and reduction of turbidity in local lakes and streams. They initiate biological uptake by plants, algae and bacteria and aid in the decomposition of some pollutants.

Pollutant Removal in Retention Ponds

The table below describes pollutant removal levels for nutrients, sediment, metals, organic matter, oil and grease, and bacteria.

Source: Compiled from Schueler 1987; Schueler, et al. 1992; US EPA 1990; Phillips 1992; Birch, et al. 1992 and others.

Muskoka and stormwater management

All plans of subdivisions require a stormwater management plan prepared by a qualified engineer. For more information on the subdivision process visit the District Municipality of Muskoka website. Muskoka also has a stormwater management strategy that identifies how Muskoka and the six Area Municipalities can collectively better review, implement and manage stormwater.

Septic System Maintenance 

There are several steps that septic system owners can follow to improve and extend the life of their existing systems. The following are only some precautions that can be taken by the septic tank owners:

• Conserve water and reduce waste flow into the system by installing water saving features in plumbing fixtures.
• Ensure a qualified professional inspects your septic tank every two to three years.
• Pump the tank out every three to five years, or sooner depending on use.
• Reduce and eliminate the use of phosphate-based detergents, soaps and cleaners to minimize algae growth and protect water quality.
• Do not use snowmobiles over the leaching bed area. This reduces the natural insulation of the bed provided by the snow cover.
• Avoid planting trees or shrubs in the leaching bed area since roots can clog the pipes and shades the area, preventing evapotranspiration.

For a complete listing of ways to maintain your septic system see the Guide To Operating and Maintaining Your Septic System.

The Environmental Health Foundation of Canada has produced a Septic System Maintenance Pure and Simple video and brochure as an educational package.

The Environmental Health Foundation of Canada has also published a Septic System Maintenance Pure and Simple brochure that includes the size and dimensions of conventional septic systems, recommend tank capacities, and dos and don'ts of ongoing septic system care and maintenance.

The Muskoka Watershed Council has produced a brochure about Caring for Your Septic System in Muskoka as well as a Wastewater Technical Bulletin about selecting the right waste management system for your needs.

The Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations have some great wastewater management resources on their website, including a video about septic systems titled Poop Talk - It's All About the Water.

Alternative Wastewater Systems

There are many alternatives to the conventional septic system. This page outlines just a few of the new technologies being developed to help treat waste water in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly manner.

Treatment Units

There are several new technologies called "treatment units" that are approved under the Ontario Building Code.

Treatment units are aerobic devices or filters that provide treatment of sewage either in conjunction with a conventional septic tank or with an aeration chamber. They improve effluent quality through percolation through the filter bed and then discharge into the soil.

These systems require soil bases that may be smaller than those required for conventional systems and have no electrical components, making them ideal for use on difficult or remote sites.

Leaching Pits

Leaching (grey water) pits are allowed for low flow water conditions in remote areas. A leaching pit is an underground catch basin for liquid waste, lined with brick, concrete, or stone. The liquid waste is usually drained into the surrounding soil. They are not to be used for the disposal of toilet waste.

Pits Privies & Composting Toilets

Pit privies (outhouses) or composting toilets may also be used, but must meet current standards. Composting toilets with drains must be connected to a cesspool (drainage pit), and a permit is required.

Composting toilets provide alternatives to conventional toilets and outhouses at your cottage or remote home. They can be used aboard boats, in pool sheds, at the cottage, at home or at a resort.

Most composting toilets are designed to break down human waste through decomposition. Oxygen, moisture, heat and organic material are all that is needed to allow minute natural organisms to transform the waste to a fertilizing soil.

Holding Tanks

Holding tanks just hold the wastewater until it can be pumped out to be treated off site. In Muskoka, holding tanks are only permitted under specific circumstances where other alternatives are not feasible.

Call your local Area Municipality for information on what kind of system may be considered for approval in your area.

Septic Systems 

The use of private septic systems is an important issue in Muskoka, as there are over 25,000 systems in the waterfront and rural areas of the District. A malfunctioning system can pollute both ground and surface water.

In Muskoka, private sewage systems are regulated by the Area Municipality. In other parts of the province, the local health unit or conservation authority may be responsible for upholding septic system standards.

The Ontario Environmental Protection Act classifies most private sewage systems in Muskoka as Class 4. This type of system includes a septic tank, distribution box (optional) and a leaching or tile bed. All wastewater flows from the building to the septic tank where it settles and separates into sludge (bottom layer), scum (top layer) and liquid waste (middle layer). It is the liquid waste that is passed out through the distribution box and into the leaching bed, where it flows through a network of pipes before entering the surrounding soils.

Is your septic system the right size?

To determine the size of septic tank required on your property, you need to know the floor area of the building, the total number of bedrooms and the total number of plumbing fixture units.

Type of fixture units

• Bathroom group (toilet, sink, tub or shower)
• Toilet
• Sink (per compartment)
• Bath tub (with or without shower)
• Shower stall
• Dishwasher (separate discharge from sink)
• Garbage grinder (separate discharge from sink)
• Washing machine or laundry tubs
• Hot tubs and whirlpools evaluated individually

Calculate the daily design flow rate using the chart below as guidance. Your septic tank must have a minimum working capacity of 2x the daily design flow rate, with a minimum tank size of 3,600 litres (800 gallons). 

Where should you put your septic system?

The Ministry of the Environment requires that your:

• Tank is 1.5 m from any building
• Tile bed is 5 m from any building

Both must be at least 15 m away from any surface water and drilled wells. If this is not possible or if you have a high water table on your property, the septic bed must be raised above ground using imported soils.

The bed should be more than 1.5 m above bedrock and at least 1.2 m above the water table.

Areas to avoid

Soils that contain a lot of silt and clay do not allow water to seep through properly. These areas should be avoided for septic bed locations. Also avoid areas with a lot of vegetation.

Please see the Building Code Act (Section 8.1) for more building code regulations and septic system information.

Maintaining your septic system

There are many things you can do to extend the life and efficiency of your septic system. For more details visit the Septic Smart section of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs website or review the Muskoka Watershed Council's Best Practices Brochure on Septic Systems.

Learn more about septic system maintenance

Signs that your septic system is in trouble

• Drains or toilets are backed up or running slowly
• Sogginess in the ground around the septic tank or leaching bed
• Unusually green or thick grass growing in or around the leaching bed
• Significant algae growth in or around nearby lakes or waterbodies
• High levels of nitrates, bacteria or other contaminants in well water

There is a more complete list of signs that your septic system is in trouble in the Guide To Operating and Maintaining Your Septic System.