Photo by Bill Irwin

Water Quality

The waters of Kahshe and Bass Lakes have a distinctive brownish colour which makes it difficult to see very far into the depths of the lakes.   This is because the lakes are fed through boggy streams and peat-like plant materials - pine needles and oak leaves -  which are high in tannins.  Kahshe shows its reputation for healing in one of the unsubstantiated names given to it: Kah-she-she-bog-a-mog meaning Lake of Healing Waters. Just as tea bags are sometimes used for reducing swelling and soothing pain, cuts and burns seem to heal quickly in Kahshe Lake.

Myths aside, we are all concerned about the quality of the water as it relates to “cleanliness” or “lake carrying capacity”.  The water is definitely NOT SAFE FOR DRINKING unless it is treated with the appropriate equipment.  But it seems to be fine for swimming.  Only the public beach on Bass Lake is monitored by the Public Health Department to ensure a safe bacteria level for swimming.

The water has been tested by your Lake Stewards for a period of about 25 years at several consistent places in the lake. The testing shows phosphorous levels that are predicted from Secchi disc readings. The discs are lowered into the water and a measurement is taken at the depth that the disc can no longer be seen.  Of course, in our lake, that is not very deep; but that is not a concern as long as the measurements do not change much from year to year.  Benthic testing is also done once a year to study the health of the microscopic plant and animal life on the bottom of the lake near the shore line.

Although phosphorus  is a natural product from plants and animals, rising levels in the water can indicate the effects of shoreline development - from old or inefficient septic systems, soap, dishwashers, clothes washers, etc.  Bass Lake, which is shallower and slower moving than Kahshe, has had a higher level of phosphorus over the years which has caused the municipality to stop lot development on that lake.

Kahshe, on the other hand, performs  like the river that it is, flushing the water more quickly through its length and therefore the phosphorus does not seem to be as much of a problem.  Nevertheless, our volunteers remain vigilant watching for changes which could signal problems in the future.

Each of us can do our part to maintain the quality of the water by managing our septic systems properly, by avoiding the use of products containing phosphorus (detergents and cleaners), nitrogen (fertilizers),  and toxins (pesticides).

E. MacLean, 2007

Lake Stewardship

Kahshe Lake has a Lake Steward who heads up the Lake Stewardship Committee.

The Lake Steward is responsible for testing the water in the lake for PH levels in the spring and for turbidity levels through the summer.  This information is given to the Ministry of the Environment and is charted by the Lake Steward so comparisons with past years can be made.  You can read more about the Lake Stewardship Committee's responsibilities here.

The Lake Steward reports to the KLRA members in the newsletter, on this website and at the Annual General Meeting in July.

Secchi Disk Monitoring

A Secchi Disk is a round disk with a black and white pattern on it.  It is used to measure turbidity in the water.  A reading is taken by lowering the disk into the water until the pattern cannot be seen, then measuring the depth of the disk at the time.  By comparing readings over time, and with those from other bodies of water, the Ministry of the Environment can determine if our lake is changing in its clarity.

Benthic Monitoring

Benthic monitoring began on Kahshe Lake in 2005, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment, which determines the schedule.  This form of testing takes a sample of material from the lake bottom from which a group of volunteers count all living organisms.  The MOE writes a report on the count, which can be compared with counts in future years.  This form of monitoring tells a great deal about the health of the lake.

e-Coli Monitoring

Our lake stewardship program does not include e-coli measurement, for some good reasons.  The Ministry of the Environment has informed us that e-coli may appear and disappear in sporadic incidents caused by natural or man-made events.  Readings can be high in one area of the lake but non-existent elsewhere.  It is difficult to track and may be here today and gone tomorrow.  Testing on a lake-wide basis appears to be impractical, leading either to a false sense of security or raising unnecessary alarm.

While lake-wide testing for e-coli is no longer done by the KLRA, individual residents can have water samples tested through the health unit in Gravenhurst or the provincial water lab in Orillia.

Lake Stewardship of the Web

Here are some links to important sites about water quality:

Muskoka Water Web

Ministry of Environment Lake Partner Program

Muskoka Watershed Council