The lake and the watershed’s wild inhabitants need clean water, forests, wetlands and streams to stay healthy. We benefit too from a clean environment and swimmable water.

What’s wrong?

Too much of the nutrient Phosphorus reaches the watershed’s streams, and the lake itself. This can cause excessive algae, weeds, and is the trigger for low oxygen levels in the lake’s deep water, which harms fish. There are many sources of Phosphorus and consequently, there are lots of solutions. The efforts made to improve the lake’s health are paying off, but the threats remain.

What does the Lake Need?

A sustained and coordinated effort. We need to bring down phosphorus from all of its sources, protect forests and wetlands, curb the spread of invasive species, and reduce the impacts of development.

Healthy, Connected Forests

Today we have almost enough forests and wetlands to buffer the watershed from the impacts of climate change and the stress of phosphorus pollution. But we are losing, not gaining, forests and wetlands.

Improved Water Quality

Development pressures on the watershed are huge, and where development and urbanization occur, lower water quality tends to result. Urban runoff called stormwater is the largest source of Phosphorus to Lake Simcoe, at 31% of the annual load.

Science and Policy

The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan is one of the policies that help steer our actions in the right direction. Its science-based targets drive municipalities, farmers, individuals, developers, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and others toward the Plan’s objective of protecting, improving or restoring the ecological health of the Lake Simcoe watershed.

Where does the excess Phosphorus come from?

Urban Runoff & Stormwater

Phosphorus (P) loading to Lake Simcoe from existing urban areas is very high. Urban P loads are expected to increase in accordance with the population growth targets in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Lake Simcoe Science Committee, 2012).

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Atmospheric Deposition

The downwards movement of phosphorus (P) from the atmosphere to Lake Simcoe and its watershed is a major contributor to the overall P load. It comes from agricultural areas, unpaved roads, aggregate extraction and construction sites (Lake Simcoe Science Committee, 2012)

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Rural & Agriculture Sources

Water runs across croplands and exposed soils, into streams that flow into the lake. The phosphorus (P) load from hay, pasture and cropland accounts for 17 T/yr of the 20 T/yr load from agricultural sources (Lake Simcoe Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, 2017).

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Sewage Treatment Plants

Sewage treatment plants, 14 municipal and one industrial, account for an average annual phosphorus load of approximately 5 T/yr to Lake Simcoe (Lake Simcoe Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, 2017).

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Septic Systems

The current phosphorus load from the residential and industrial septic systems located within 100 metres of Lake Simcoe is estimated at 4.4 T/yr, representing 6% of the total P load to the lake (Lake Simcoe Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, 2017).

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Holland Marsh & Polders

The Holland Marsh is the largest of four farm polders located within the Lake Simcoe Watershed. Polders are home to very fertile, organic rich soils where high-value vegetable crops are grown. Fertilizer inputs and other agriculture activities have resulted in an estimated P load of 3 T/yr (Lake Simcoe Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, 2017).

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Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Blog Posts

If municipalities truly want a clean Lake Simcoe they need more than hope

by Rescue Lake Simcoe CoalitionAugust 28, 2020

Municipal Response to Protect Our Plan delegations to Council As the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition prepares for the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan’s statutory review to begin this fall, we’ve been making delegations to Councils around the watershed, with about half…

Protect Our Plan, Protect Lake Simcoe!

by Rescue Lake Simcoe CoalitionAugust 18, 2020August 18, 2020

Minister’s Ten Year Report on Lake Simcoe Obscures Progress by Mixing Science and Politics

by Rescue Lake Simcoe CoalitionAugust 7, 2020August 19, 2020

August 7, 2020 On July 17th Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin released the Minister of the Environment’s Ten Year report on Lake Simcoe and made a $581,000 funding announcement for Lake Simcoe research. The Minister was nowhere to be seen. Also…

Environmental Policy Mapping

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The lake and the watershed’s wild inhabitants need clean water, forests, wetlands and streams to stay healthy. We benefit too from a clean environment and swimmable water.

What’s wrong?

What does the Lake Need?

A sustained and coordinated effort. We need to bring down phosphorus from all of its sources, protect forests and wetlands, curb the spread of invasive species, and reduce the impacts of development.

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Healthy, Connected Forests

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Improved Water Quality

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Science and Policy

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Where does the excess Phosphorus come from?

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Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Blog Posts

If municipalities truly want a clean Lake Simcoe they need more than hope

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Protect Our Plan, Protect Lake Simcoe!

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Minister’s Ten Year Report on Lake Simcoe Obscures Progress by Mixing Science and Politics

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The lake and the watershed’s wild inhabitants need clean water, forests, wetlands and streams to stay healthy. We benefit too from a clean environment and swimmable water.

What’s wrong?

What does the Lake Need?

A sustained and coordinated effort. We need to bring down phosphorus from all of its sources, protect forests and wetlands, curb the spread of invasive species, and reduce the impacts of development.

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Where does the excess Phosphorus come from?

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Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Blog Posts

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