WATER QUALITY
Water Quality Tests:
We are very fortunate to have resources from many organizations helping to ensure the continued health of our lake. Additionally we have several cottagers who participate in water testing activities from May through October and have been doing so for many years.
The programs Muldrew Lake participates in are as follows:
Lake Partner Program through the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
Measures total phosphorus and water clarity to help identify early changes to water quality that may be affected by septic tanks, lawns, fertilizers and climate change among other things
Total phosphorus is tested in the early spring
- Water clarity is tested using a ‘secchi disc’ every 2 or 3 weeks from spring through early fall
- Testing has been done for several years in 3 locations
- Kerr Island
- North Lake side of the S curve
- The ‘big bay’ off Hookery Island
Benthic Monitoring through the Municipality of Muskoka
Monitors bottom dwelling aquatic invertebrate communities taken as a measure water health
Testing was coordinated in South Muldrew on June 30th and in Patterson’s Bay on August 10th
- Many young cottagers participated earning high school volunteer hours
Lake Monitoring Program through the University of Waterloo Faculty of the Environment in partnership with the Muskoka Lakes Association
This is the second year Muldrew has participated
Also measures clarity and total phosphorus
Additional tests for nitrates, nitrites, pH, dissolved oxygen and conductivity
2 U of W students tested at 6 locations around all parts of the lake on July 13th and 23rd
The results of the tests for various seasons are below as well as a guide to interpreting Secchi and Total Phosphorus readings.
2015 Guide to Interpreting TP and Secchi Data ...pdf
2019 South Muldrew Benthic Data Sheet.pdf
2018 South Muldrew Benthic Data Sheet.pdf
2017 South Muldrew Benthic Data Sheet.pdf