Last week I attended an Eco Conference at the Frost Campus of Fleming College in Peterborough. It was a wonderful day organized by third year students in the Environmental Sustainability Program. My congratulations to staff and students on an excellent day.
One of the studies was on the Environmental Management Plan for Lake Scugog. The causes of the weed problem in Lake Scugog include: evaporation, high nutrient input and invasive species. The sources of nutrients in the lake include: septics, industrial sewage and fertilizers.
The author of this study cited these as the major issues: poor agricultural management practices such as manure storage and application as well as the use of fertilizers; access of livestock to water; discharges from the Port Perry sewage plant and leakage of septic tanks.
The PHD presenter suggested the following short term solutions: 1. weed harvesting 2. dredging of some small bays and shallow spots to remove the sediment with nitrogen and phosphates and 3. phoslock application – a modified clay that absorbs phosphates and keeps it inert.
Longer term solutions include: stormwater management, tree planting, erosion prevention, septic inspectors and the promotion of best agricultural management practices.
