Water Quality HELP PUT WOOD LAKE UNDER “THE THRESHOLD”!

• Don’t use fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides; phosphorus causes harmful algal blooms in the lake

• Use phosphate-free or biodegradable soaps to keep Wood Lake below the phosphorus threshold

• Start a buffer strip by leaving grass uncut near shore

• Pump out your septic tank every 3-5 years

• Avoid septic tank additives

• Build at least 30-60 metres away from shore

• Conserve water by using low-flow showerheads and toilets

• Gasoline is TOXIC to both humans and the lake ecosystem (including the fish we eat). Fill up boat fuel tanks before taking a trip and do not overfill your tank. Use a funnel to prevent spills, and have a rag or other adsorbent material ready (e.g. sawdust) for any spillages

• Do not dispose of gasoline down the drain, into surface water, or onto the ground

• Upgrade to a 4-stroke boat motor to prevent gas leakage into the lake

Make Your Cottage Wildlife Friendly!

• Replant shoreline areas lacking vegetation with native trees and shrubs

• Leave woody debris, such as dead trees, for wildlife habitat

• Protect wetland areas and aquatic vegetation for birds, fish, turtles and other species

• Consider buying a rain barrel to use as a water source for gardens and lawns

• Limit ‘hardened surfaces’ such as pavement, patios and decking

• Choose an environmentally-friendly dock such as a floating, cantilever or post dock

• Watch for turtles, amphibians, and other critters on the roads and nearby highways

 Prevent Invasive Species

• Inspect your boat, trailer, boating equipment, fishing tackle and nets and remove any visible plants or animals before leaving any waterbody

• Drain water from motor, live well, bilge and transom wells while on land before leaving the area

• Empty your bait bucket on land before leaving the area. Never release live bait into a waterbody, or release animals from one waterbody into another

• Wash/Dry your fishing tackle, nets, boat and equipment to kill harmful species that were not seen at the boat launch. Some species can survive for several days out of water, so it is important to rinse your boat and equipment with hot tap water (> 50° C); or spray your boat and equipment with high pressure water (250 psi); or dry your boat and equipment for at least five days, before transporting to another waterbody.

Tips for Protecting Wood Lake

Check out Septic Tips on our Water Quality page.

Lakeside living tips from Lake of Bays Association.

The Shore Primer published by Cottage Life for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, explains how you can preserve your shoreline’s true nature or restore an altered shore.

Forest conservation by-law for Ontario from the Land Owner Resource Centre.

"Do you have a healthy woodlot?" from the LandOwner Resource Centre.

7 actions woodlot owners can take to strengthen forests to better deal with climate change.