Water Quality and Levels in Golden Lake

Two of the key issues for the Association are

To monitor the quality of water in the river and lake and to promote policies and practices that will preserve and enhance it, and
To participate in discussions of the management of water levels and flows in the Bonnechere River watershed and their impact on fish habitat and shoreline erosion.

Water Quality Committee Report, Spring 2008

Ruby Road Waste Disposal Site Expansion

The Killaloe Sewage Treatment Plant

The plant is the only significant municipal wastewater inflow in our section of the Bonnechere watershed. A delegation of Association members visited the treatment plant in September 2005. Read their report here.

Well Aware

Is your water well safe? You can get information locally:

Well Aware A project to keep your water well safe.

Or you can visit the wellaware.ca web site.

Water Levels in Golden Lake

Q: Why does the water level in Golden Lake change throughout the summer season?

A: The Bonnechere River watershed is controlled by a number of dams. The main ones that affect the level of Golden Lake are at Tramore and at the reserve in Golden Lake. The amount of water allowed to pass the dams is adjusted to prevent flooding, to protect fish habitat during spawning season, and to provide suitable flow for the power generating stations on the watershed.

Q: Who decides when and how much to change the level?

A: The Ministry of Natural Resources, through its Pembroke office, has primary authority over water management on the watershed. Renfrew Power Generation (RPG) has historic rights to manage levels, mainly by controlling the flow at Tramore. Because water levels have impacts on shoreline erosion and other issues of concern to property owners, MNR convened a public advisory committee to review the issues and to advise on a management plan that would be fair to all stakeholders. The Bonnechere River Water Management Plan report, published in September 2004, is the result of that consultation process. The report is available on the RPG web site as a very large pdf file. You can download it here.

Q: Why was the water level in Golden Lake so high for a period in the spring of 2005?

A: A number of conditions combined to produce a situation that was difficult to manage. It is explained in a media release posted on the RPG web site.

More information will be added here as it becomes available.