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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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