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Spring 2009 Newsletter
President's
Message
Another
summer season is about to start, the fifth since July 2004 when a group
waterfront dwellers met to discuss the fact that ours was the only lake
in our area that didn't have an association. From that modest start, the
Golden Lake Property Owners Association quickly became a vibrant and
effective organization. Since its
inception, GLPOA has had excellent Boards of Directors who have worked
together well and enjoyed each other's company. The evidence of their
effectiveness is all the successful programs it has initiated or
participated in, such as waterway markers, boat launch billboards,
Deacon boat launch public toilets, boat operators training, and cell
phone service. The GLPOA has also collaborated effectively with other
local organizations and with the provincial and municipal levels of
government. The Board
recognizes the importance of renewal within its ranks and this year is
particularly key for recruiting enthusiastic members. See the nominating
committee report in this newsletter for details on board renewal and the
nominating process. Committed
volunteers have been the backbone of our success. In this newsletter you
will read about the work of the committees that deal with various
issues. We always need more volunteers to maintain our levels of
success. Participation in committee work doesn't take much time. If you
can commit three or four hours in the next six months to the
Association, you can make a significant contribution. The
memberships of the board and committees of a healthy and successful
organization are in constant evolution, as longer-term members step down
and new volunteers step up to take their place. New volunteers bring
fresh ideas and energy and ensure that no individual feels burdened by
too much of the work. Please get in touch with any of the contacts on
the last page of this newsletter to find out how you can participate. I look
forward to seeing old friends and new members at our general meeting in
June and at FunFest in July. Kevin
O'Connor Notices
of Upcoming Events
Saturday,
June 6: GLPOA Annual General Meeting, Killaloe Public School
The
General Meeting is a great time to see friends and neighbours and catch
up on activities and events around the Lake and River since our
gatherings last summer. The Board of Directors has continued to meet
over the winter and has plenty to report on. They also need to hear your
thoughts and concerns. The meeting will start at 9:00 a.m., although you
might want to arrive at 8:30 to get a coffee or tea and some of the
delicious baked goods offered as a fundraiser for the Killaloe Youth
Program. The meeting will adjourn before noon, so you can get on with
your busy day. Our AGMs are usually well-attended because they are
informative and efficient. See you there. Saturday,
July 4: Pleasure Craft Operator's Course, Killaloe Public School
Last
summer forty-eight people attended the GLPOA sponsored "boating
school" at Killaloe Public and each successfully passed the test.
The previous year there were eighty. The popular event will be offered
again on July 4. From about 8:30 to 1:00 pm the experienced trainer, Jim
Steeves of Safety Afloat, will again deliver a factual and entertaining
course based on the Canadian Coast Guard accredited course manual. The
course this year is special because September 15, 2009 is the deadline
by which everyone operating a power boat will need their operator's
license. The course is inexpensive and efficient at $35 and all those
who have taken the multiple choice test at the end of the session have
passed and are issued their temporary license right on the spot. Saturday,
July 11: CPR Course, The Sands on Golden Lake
The
Association is once again offering a course on CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) for anyone who wants to be prepared for health
emergencies. The course will start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 2:00 p.m.
Please contact Kevin O'Connor for more information and to register for
the course. Saturday,
July 18: GLPOA FunFest, The Sands on Golden Lake
FunFest
will be held at The Sands on Golden Lake from 10 am to 2:00 pm on
Saturday, July 18. GLPOA members and
their guests are invited to attend. This event will not include a
meeting - it will be all fun. Morning activities will be held in the
parkland across highway 62 (driving range area) and will offer
activities suited to children and teens. Lunch and afternoon waterfront
activities will take place on beach side. The Sands will prepare a
barbecue lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs. GLPOA Secretary Bill Clark is
the main organizer and contact for FunFest. Get in touch with him if you
need more information or wish to volunteer for one of the many tasks
involved. Thursday,
August 27: GLPOA Septic System Seminar
This is
one of the most important sessions for any home or cottage owner to
attend. Learn about how to protect your investment and water quality by
having a properly maintained and functioning septic system. Topics
include Do's & Don'ts for your system, approved technologies and
care and use of your system. Septic 101 will be presented by Denis
Orendt, Executive Director of the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association.
The seminar will start at 7:00 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. at the Killaloe
Public School. This event will be open to all area residents. Water
Quality Committee Report
Water
Quality Testing
Water
quality can be evaluated in a number of ways, including clarity and
visual quality, odour, algae growth, bacterial concentrations (e coli is
a key one) and nutrient levels. Measures of clarity and other visual
indicators tend to be done at specific locations on a lake or river.
Water bodies all contain bacteria like e coli, but their concentrations
tend to be acceptably low, although levels can be higher at points of
agricultural runoff. The most commonly used measure of water quality is
nutrient levels as indicated by phosphorous concentrations. Phosphorus
gets into the water mainly from agricultural runoff and from household
use of detergents (phosphates) that find their way into the water
through septic system leaching and water treatment plant effluent. High
nutrient levels are revealed by excessive algae growth. The water
quality committee has organized the annual testing of nutrient levels
through the Lake Partnership Program sponsored by the Ontario Ministry
of Environment. The testing is free, and since so many other lake
organizations around the province participate, the results allow
comparisons. The nutrient levels (phosphorous) in samples taken in the
centre of Golden Lake in May, 2008 were very close to results in the
2003 and 2004 testing. Each year two samples are taken from a location
in the centre of the lake away from any inflow areas. In the table below
the two samples each year are expressed as total phosphorus (TP) in
micrograms per litre.
A level
below 10 is considered a low nutrient count. You can see the results for
many Ontario lakes at the Lake Partnership web site and will notice that
Golden Lake's results are at the low end of the average phosphorus
concentrations. So far, all indications are that the water in Golden
Lake is of good quality. Water
Quality Fact Sheets
The water
quality committee has produced three fact sheets to help answer some
important questions that members might have. The three are: *
"Give Your Shoreline A Makeover", which gives suggestions for
how to manage your waterfront property to reduce work, pollution and
improve wildlife habitat; *
"Mow it High and Let it Lie", on how to produce a healthy and
environment-friendly lawn; and *
"Septic System Care" on how to protect your septic system
investment and how to tell if it is in good condition. You can
find all three fact sheets in the water quality section of the GLPOA web
site. Nominating
Committee
Bill
Clark chairs the nominating committee and is working to identify
candidates for the four Board positions that must be filled at the AGM
on June 6. The Board recognizes the importance of renewal within its
ranks and this year is particularly key for recruiting enthusiastic
members. At least two members of our executive have completed their
terms and will be stepping down, so there will be a lot of adjustments
to Board membership this year. If you would like to stand for election
or nominate someone, or if you just have questions about the process,
please contact Bill. Cell
Phone Progress
Kevin
O'Connor and Dave Lemkay have worked for years with Bell and Rogers, the
two main cell signal carriers. Rogers have five of their towers up and
providing service covering our entire area. Bell has three towers
servicing some of our area, and has plans to provide full coverage.
However, completion of the Bell system to give full service to our area
may be delayed until next year. We will keep you informed of
developments. High
Water Levels in Spring
Every
spring the water level in the Bonnechere River and Golden Lake rises as
the runoff from snow melt, combined with spring rains, adds more water
(called the freshet) to the system than can be released through the dam
at Pikwàkanagàn. Our section of the watershed between the dams at
Tramore and Pikwàkanagàn is the seventh "reach", or level
between dams, counting from Castleford near Renfrew where the Bonnechere
enters the Ottawa River. Last
spring (2008) near-record water levels were experienced in both Round
Lake and Golden Lake. There was very minor property damage around Golden
Lake as a result of the high water levels, but there was serious damage
to properties on Round Lake. The Round Lake Property Owners Association
has been pushing for amendments to the Bonnechere River Water Management
Plan for several years in hopes that the changes will make spring
flooding less severe. The general strategy with the amendment is to
lower the level in Round Lake further in winter so there is a greater
capacity to absorb the spring runoff. The GLPOA has been actively
involved in these discussions, represented by Kevin O'Connor, Dave
Lemkay and Lucy King. If the
spring water level on Round Lake can be kept below crisis levels, the
pressure on Golden Lake is also reduced. This is because high water
levels in the River and Lake are the result of the spring freshet
inflows around the reach, and the outflow from Round Lake at the Tramore
dam. Therefore, the peak flow at Tramore during the freshet period has a
direct bearing on flood prospects in the Golden Lake reach. If the
release rate from Round Lake can be kept moderate, the likelihood of
flooding on Golden Lake is reduced. If things go as anticipated, the
peak level on Golden Lake during freshet should be lower in the future
than was experienced last year. The
amendment to the management plan will be the subject of public
consultation in the next few months and it is hoped that the new
operating regime will be in place this fall. The proposed regime could
mean slightly lower levels in Golden Lake during the winter months,
although the proposal has not yet been finalized. It is not anticipated
that a lower level would have any detrimental effect on GLPOA
properties. The
amendment process is being managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources
Pembroke district office and the levels specified in the management plan
are implemented by Renfrew Power Generation. A GLPOA
water levels committee headed by president Kevin O'Connor is being
formed to participate in the consultation process. Boat
Launch Billboard Sponsors
The four
public boat launch billboards are attractive and highly visible to
visitors to Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River. The billboards are
located at Deacon Bridge, Tramore Bridge, Bonnechere Lodge and Island
View Drive. Surrounding the large maps (which display waterway hazards)
are ads for the program sponsors. The waterway marking and billboard
programs were costly to create and have ongoing expenses, even though
the work is done by volunteers. The participation of our billboard
sponsors provides the resources for these important programs. We are
pleased to present their names and contact numbers here.
Ruby
Road Waste Site News
The
Township of the Bonnechere Valley is examining the feasibility of
expanding the Ruby Road Waste Transfer Station into a land fill site
that would handle all the waste from the entire township, including the
town of Eganville. All the costs for environmental protection,
engineering and managing the Ruby site will be calculated within this
study. At the same time, the Township has agreed to provide a cost
estimate of having the waste sent to the large Ottawa Valley Waste
Disposal Centre near Pembroke as an alternative to the Ruby Road site.
Both sets of calculations are expected soon, setting the stage for
decision-making by Council. GLPOA has representation on the Public
Liaison Committee, and the Committee for the Preservation of Bonnechere
Valley is monitoring the Environmental Screening closely. We will keep
you informed. Waterway
Hazard Marking
Gord
McMillan heads up the waterway hazard marking program. He reports that
all the existing buoys were recovered last fall and are accounted for
and that he has recruited a number of volunteers to help him to place
them this spring. The main hazards on the waterway are now marked. This
year special attention will be focussed on channel marking at narrows
and in the River. Seven sets of red and green buoys have been purchased
to properly identify the safe channel at critical locations including
Beattys Island, the mouth of the Bonnechere River and upstream at Kilby
Road and Boyle Lane Narrows and below the Kokomis Road Bridge. Issue
Update: Cormorants
Golden
Lake is one of many lakes in Ontario that have seen an increase in the
number of nesting cormorants over the past few years. These birds are
not really an invasive species in the normal sense because they are
indigenous to our region. However, toxic contamination in the lakes
caused egg shell thinning and just about eliminated the birds from the
province. In some ways the return of the cormorant is a sign of improved
water quality. However,
the populations have increased so fast that their status as an
endangered species is being challenged. Bill 62, regarding this change
to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Amendment Act (Double-Crested
Cormorants), 2008 has had its first reading and is scheduled to be
debated in the Ontario Legislature on December 3rd, 2009. New Map
of Golden Lake and Bonnechere River
We have
created a totally new map for the convenience of our members and for
visitors to our area. The map shows details of the lake and river,
including waterway hazard locations, channel markers, names of bays and
islands and contour lines showing depths in the lake. The road network
surrounding the waterway is named and colour-coded to show maintained
and seasonal status and there is a key to identify and locate local
businesses, boat launches and other facilities. The full-colour map was produced with the expert services of the Development and Property Department of the County of Renfrew under the direction of G.I.S. Coordinator Jason Davis and G.I.S. Technician Angie Schultz. They worked with us over the winter months to get every last detail correct and they also worked with Pembroke District of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to supply data such as the water depth contours. The maps are available either in folded or unfolded format and one will be distributed free to each GLPOA member household. They will also be carried and offered for sale to the public for $5.00 by local businesses in the area. We are sure you'll be pleased with this totally up-to-date rendering of our waterway and surrounding area. 2008 - 09 Board of Directors
Committee Chairs for 2008 - 09Membership Gail McPhee 613-757-0257 Water Quality Mike Cayer 613-625-2555 Corporate Advertising Kevin O'Connor 613-625-9937 Shoal Marking
(Buoy) Program Gord McMillan 613-625-2711 Water Levels Dave Lemkay 613-649-2616 Pleasure Craft Operators Course Dave Lemkay 613-649-2616 2009 Regatta/Funfest Bill Clark 613-625-2004 CPR Course Kevin O'Connor 613-625-9937 Nominating Committee Bill Clark 613-625-2004 Communications Dave Lemkay 613-649-2616 Web Site John Gulland 613-757-2208 Membership is ImportantThere are more than 700 waterfront properties along the Bonnechere River and around Golden Lake. We are pleased that about 400 of these properties are represented as members of our association. Achieving a strong representation of the property owners through membership in the Association has been one of the three main objectives of GLPOA since its formation. At 400-strong we have a clear collective voice with which to communicate with all levels of government. Our geographic area is divided into eleven zones, each looked after by volunteer representatives, to canvass the property owners in their zone and sign up members. We trust you agree that $20 each year is good value for your money and that you are proud to be a member of an active organization like GLPOA. Zone Representatives
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