Water level

Jack Lake is a highly desirable location for permanent and seasonal residents as well as occasional visitors.  Fundamental to this is the marvellous waterfront afforded by the lake’s size and shape, its glorious vistas, natural purity, and physical water volume. 

However, it is a fact of life that the Jack Lake waterfront is affected by the lake’s reservoir nature – its varying water level.  

The Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) authority headquartered in Peterborough draws water from Jack Lake (and other feeder lakes) to keep levels at optimum navigable depths in the Trent-Severn canal system connecting Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay.  It has been doing that for roughly a century. The 100-year old concrete dam at the south end of Jack Lake allows this controlled draw-down while also defining the depth of the lake and the look of its shoreline at any point in time.  

Every year, Jack Lake drops from its maximum depth in the spring to some fraction of that in the fall.  Depending on natural water supply factors like rainfall, snow melt, drought, etc., and man-made demand-related factors like abnormally large or small draw-downs, and careless, erroneous or even vandalized dam openings, the water level in the lake may drop slowly or quickly, and be satisfactory or problematic for lakeshore residents during the ice-free primary usage period.   

The TSW, its watershed and reservoir lakes like Jack Lake was the subject of a major study by a federally constituted panel in 2007, whose comprehensive report was issued in 2008.  

Concerned about the issue of lake water levels and critical associated matters like the condition of the lake’s vitally important dam, the Jack’s Lake Association (JLA) made formal representations to the TSW panel and its consultants.  Members of the JLA were kept informed of developments on this issue through Smoke Signals, the association’s twice-yearly newsletter.

1.  Letter to the Panel on the Future of the Trent-Severn Waterway – Sept. 25, 2007
	– Attachment to the Sept./07 letter to the TSW review panel

2.  Submission to the Trent-Severn Water Management Study consultants – Feb. 12, 2007  (also attached to the above letter to the Panel)

3.  JLA newsletter article, summer 2008 – Trent-Severn panel:  “It’s all about the water”

Facsimiles of these documents are reproduced on the following pages.

September 25, 2007

Panel on the Future of the
  Trent-Severn Waterway
185 King Street, Suite 100
Peterborough, ON
K9J 2R8

Dear Lady and Gentlemen:

After observing but not presenting at your final public meeting in Lakefield,  I felt it was important that you hear again from a TSW reservoir lake. 

Jack’s Lake feeds the system through Stoney Lake, and was particularly stressed level-wise this year due to a poor winter/spring recharge, a very dry summer, and what appeared to be a ham-fisted approach to water drawdowns by a financially hurting waterway authority.

The following are significant issues our Association hopes you can address with positive effect in the course of your obviously difficult work involving a myriad of conflicting interests and concerns.

Panel topic – Water Management

•	Dam restoration and maintenance :  the ultimate key to the preservation of the century-old reservoir lakes, (with hundred year-old dams,) now supporting thriving communities and important ecological systems  
•	

•	Water level management :  having effects on everything from environmental protection to property values in an enormous swath of Ontario, this begs for a holistic approach (as opposed to a “canal-first” one)
•	

•	The downside of hydro-electricity :  reservoir water demand (already painful at times) would be seriously exacerbated if electric power generation became the driving force for the TSW

Panel topic – Future Funding Frameworks

•	The TSW’s revenues :  with the waterway’s impact now so vast, government financial allocations and cost recovery need a quantum improvement 

These issues are further explained in a brief attachment hereto.  And although you presumably have access to it through the Ecoplans Limited consultant’s report, I enclose a copy of our Association’s initial submission so that it becomes part of the Panel’s own records.  Please feel free to post it and this letter publicly with the other submissions you’ve received.

Yours sincerely,

Hugh J.M. Spence
Secretary
Jack’s Lake Association
613-726-8039 (Ottawa)

Encls (2)
Jack’s Lake Association

Explanatory notes – issues of concern

Panel topic – Water Management

1.  Dam restoration and maintenance :  the ultimate key to the preservation of the century-old reservoir lakes, (with hundred year-old dams,) now supporting thriving communities and important ecological systems  

It was evident from some of the submissions to the Panel that there are people who believe that the TSW reservoir system is just “there”, immutable, inexhaustible and available for the taking. This is of course untrue, and in fact the existing reservoir dams are critical to both shaping the lakes in question and allowing their exploitation by the TSW. Whether it is a matter of benign neglect or a lack of funds, the dams have not received the attention they might.  The Jack’s Lake dam has through-wall breaches in need of fixing, and its stoplogs and associated mechanisms could be improved.

2.  Water level management :  having effects on everything from environmental protection to property values in an enormous swath of Ontario, this begs for a holistic approach (as opposed to a “canal-first” one)

If you move into a development built next to an airport, you shouldn’t complain about aircraft noise.  Likewise, residents on or near reservoir lakes shouldn’t complain about dropping water levels. However, there are grounds for complaint when the levels do not seem to be properly managed.  This occurs when levels drop particularly rapidly or at a strange time of the year, or when supplied water bodies downstream are obviously overfull while the reservoir is “going dry” and the various negative effects are being felt. 

It is probably fair to say that until quite recently most residents of Jack’s Lake naively believed that they supplied water just to help float recreational boats in the Trent-Severn Waterway. But with reports of some 6000 water-use permits extant, it is clear that Jack’s Lake and other reservoirs are now supporting an entire water-based infrastructure.  This was clearly not intended when the system was initially established, so an imbalance now exists between water supply and demand, and the signs are that this will only get worse. There is a danger that the TSW will wither for lack of attention to its “roots”, to its “blood” supply.

Time was when TSW operators visited the Jack’s Lake dam on several occasions throughout the drainage season, removing stoplogs in gradual increments. In 2007, apparently due in part to a need to save a pittance (water taxi fees,) the visits were cut and several logs removed all at once, causing a rapid, early lake drop.  

3.  The downside of hydro-electricity :  reservoir water demand (already painful at times) would be seriously exacerbated if electric power generation became the driving force for the TSW

It is politically incorrect to say anything negative about “green” power sources like hydro-electric power generation, but there comes a point when there’s no more fluid to extract for this purpose. Existing hydro power on the TSW is one of the infrastructure pressures on the feeder system, since of necessity it calls for a regular supply of sufficient water to maintain heads at generator intakes. This is a significant “add-on” to what the designers originally foresaw as being the water flow requirements of the Trent canal system.  To add more hydro power developments would over-drive the demand for water – earlier in the season, later, and more constant in terms of maximum flow all season – which would over-tax reservoir lakes like Jack’s.   

Panel topic – Future Funding Frameworks

4.  The TSW’s revenues :  with the waterway’s impact now so vast, government financial allocations and cost recovery need a quantum improvement 

When the TSW hurts financially, it doesn’t just mean that recreational boats can’t float – a whole aquatic infrastructure suffers in one way or another – and so there must be ways to tap into the financial resources held or generated by water consumers.

Curiously for the TSW as a federal resource, payment for water usage permits (not boating and park fees) apparently goes to a provincial ministry, cutting off a possible cost recovery avenue, (though the modest size of current consumption fees does not make this particularly useful.)  

Since the province and municipalities within the TSW watershed profit immensely from the top-scale taxes levied on waterfront properties, there would seem to be room for some cost sharing as part of the bargain.

To:  	Trent-Severn Water Management Study
Ecoplans Limited, 72 Victoria Street South, Suite 100
Kitchener, Ontario   N2G 4YG

Statement of Interest and Concern

Submitted by:        Jack’s Lake Cottagers’ Association (JLCA)	February 12, 2007

Contact:		Sheelagh Hysenaj	
			JLCA Director, Environment
			920 Eglinton Avenue East
			Toronto, Ontario.  M4G 2L3
			Tel: 416-739-5910 (Day)   Email: sheelagh.hysenaj@ec.gc.ca

1.  Geographic Scope/Concern:  

Jack’s Lake is located near Apsley, north-east of the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW), and contributes water to this important navigable system through Stoney Lake, but has no direct boating access to the waterway itself and does not benefit from the tourism or other advantages the TSW offers or attracts.  

2.  Particular interest:

Jack’s Lake has acted as a dedicated TSW feeder or reservoir for the best part of a hundred years, its draw-down being controlled by the TSW authority through stop-logs in a double-sluice, 650-ft. concrete dam at the extreme south end of the lake, built in 1910.  Lakeshore residents, cottagers and businesses have learned to live with the annual lake level fluctuations, as long as they are not severe;  and it is likely Mother Nature has as well.

Regarding input to the TSW Management Study, the fundamental concerns for Jack’s Lake constituents include things like basic water access (swimming, dock functionality, boat docking or launching, foot valve placement stability, etc.,) high/low water shoreline damage, effect on waterfront property values, environmental impacts, fisheries effects, boating safety, marina lake-level adjustment costs, and a variety of other matters. 

All of the Jack’s Lake concerns are related to water level on which, quite clearly, the federal government has a century-old record of service commitment to adhere to, since it built the water management system that serves to define Jack’s Lake as it is today.  

Basically, it is the view of the JLCA that the Jack’s Lake dam must be maintained in perpetuity to ensure that the optimum water levels are achieved each Spring, as they essentially have been for a century; and the seasonal management of lake level must ensure neither severe flooding nor rapid or extreme drainage as the TSW demand for water changes.  In other words, whatever transpires with TSW development in future, consequent to the Ecoplans Ltd. study or otherwise, the variable level of Jack’s Lake must be maintained in a fashion no worse than it has been since 1910, and hopefully better if modern procedures and technology permit.

3.  Concerns & issues re level, flow and management:  

Water level – Each year, Jack’s Lake reaches two water level extremes very roughly five feet apart on average. The first is high water in the spring, which may last for some considerable time, even well into July. This level, provided it doesn’t reach flood proportions, is easy to live with. Fish spawning beds are well protected, wetlands are well charged, loon nesting is facilitated, docks are functional, underwater hazards to boats are minimized, and so on.  Some beach areas disappear temporarily, but the lake is not known for its “sandy shores”. 

As summer moves along, the water level inevitably drops, generally reaching its lowest point in early fall, or even earlier during very dry seasons. Islands become isthmuses, shallows become reefs, floating docks become grounded catwalks, and some property owners are completely deprived of access to waterfront amenities, with their boats stranded ashore, and the like. The aquatic environment gets tainted with tangled weed beds, surfaced wood rot, and the products of excessive water warming in the shallows. Some properties suffer more than others, and the out-migration of cottagers towards the end of the summer is what saves many from the various low-water annoyances and inconvenience.

No environmental assessments have been completed in the past to assess the ecological impacts of the draw-downs on the Jack’s Lake environment, but likewise there has been no anecdotal evidence of significant or chronic ecological problems, with one exception:  shoreline erosion. This is a relatively new phenomenon. The combination of lowered water level and the artificial creation of wave action, particularly in areas out of the prevailing wind that have been unstressed by waves of any size for millennia, is a concern for many property owners who have shoreline trees collapsing, and undercut, dried out banks crumbling into the lake.   Lake level changes due to the TSW draw-down is one contributor to this, but the determining factor is boat wakes.

Water level management  – Out of necessity, the annual lowering of the level in Jack’s Lake is grudgingly accommodated by residents, e.g. alterations in navigable routes; repositioning of hazard marker buoys, pump inlets, floating docks, boat moorings, etc.  In really dry years, there is unfortunately nothing that can be done to work around some of the problems that arise from the vastly increased shallows.  

Adjustment, however, is much easier (and less frustrating) if the water level does not drop dramatically or at the wrong time in the season, as it can do if an error is made by the TSW authority in removing stop-logs, or if vandals have fiddled with the outflow mechanism. Hence, the level management system must make procedural and technological allowances for this, including real-time depth monitoring. 

Ideally, the level in the lake would be engineered to drop as slowly, as little and as late in the season as possible.

Water flow  –  Jack’s Lake has a number of small tributaries and an adequate watershed providing snow-melt and rainfall recharge, but is basically spring fed. There are really no water flow issues of concern related to the lake’s reservoir function. Lake currents, circulation and consequent effects like turbidity have not been noticeably affected by draw-downs for TSW purposes, except perhaps very near the lake outflow, once in a while.

4.  Equitable solution: 

As a reservoir for the TSW, from which it gains no benefit and only inconvenience, Jack’s Lake is surely due a reasonable quid pro quo in the final management scheme – 

(1)  The Jack’s Lake dam must be maintained in perpetuity to ensure that the optimum lake level is achieved during the passage of the seasons, as it essentially has been for a century.  It is obvious that this 100-year old structure is currently in need of basic repairs to deal with existing through-wall leaks, and this must be dealt with expeditiously.

(2)  The seasonal management of lake level must ensure neither severe flooding nor rapid or extreme drainage of Jack’s Lake as the TSW’s demand for water changes.  If possible, procedures and technology should be applied to avoid such things as erroneous dam openings, or openings due to vandalism, which lead to dramatic level drops.

(3)  Whatever transpires with TSW development in future, the level and rate of level change of Jack’s Lake must be maintained in a fashion no worse than it has been since 1910, and hopefully better if technology permits.  

(4)  The guaranteed navigable depth in the section of the TSW fed by Jack’s Lake should be re-evaluated, since a lowering by even a small amount might help minimize the lake’s annual water loss and stabilize its mean level.

5.  Next Steps:  

Trusting it can summon the resources, the JLCA would indeed like to be included on an on-going basis to help make decisions regarding water management issues and concerns for the TSW, that impact on reservoir lakes.  The Association has no particular interest in the specific day to day functions of the TSW with regard to water usage, for example traffic volume, speed or fees, bridge clearances, etc., but is vitally concerned with what any changes to the TSW might do to affect the Jack’s Lake water level regime. It would therefore be fair and reasonable for the Association to have some input in this area.

Appendix 1

General Issues:

Boating Safety – sudden draw-downs expose rocks and reefs creating hazards on the lake to cottagers and other visitors to the lake.  The Cottage Association tries to mark unsafe boating areas but cannot guarantee that all hazardous locations are marked.  Often the draw-down is so sudden that within one week, an area previously safe has become a hazard, and keeping up with the change is a strain on volunteer resources.

Climate Change effects at Jack’s Lake may prevent the ongoing future reliability of using Jack’s Lake water supply to feed the TSW.  If winter snow precipitation is low and the lake water level is not restored or the ground water is not recharged sufficiently in the spring there will not be any available water to use downstream.  Climatologists predict that the area around Jack’s Lake will experience and 80% decrease in snowfall– there was no snow at Jack’s Lake during the Christmas holidays of 2006 – in fact there was no ice on the lake.  

Docking – Structures such as docks and bridges along the shoreline of Jack’s Lake are also negatively affected by the sudden decreases in water levels – some cottagers have returned to their cottages between visits and discovered their docks and boats high and dry on land, sometimes causing serious property damage.

Fish Habitat – Jack’s Lake is currently working with the Ministry of Natural Resources to re-establish the walleye population in the lake.  Through our research and observations the lake trout population also appears to be recovering.  Fishing at the lake has historically been a very important activity for cottagers and the community but in recent years fish populations have been rapidly declining.  Depending on when the draw-downs occur, fish reproduction success can be negatively affected.  It has recently been discovered that the walleye at Jack’s Lake are spawning along shorelines, and those areas were recently improved to provide better habitat for the young walleye to hide from predators and succeed.  Jack’s Lake also has other species of attractive game fish including muskellunge, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass which are all adversely affected if unnatural water level draw-downs interfere with spawning habitat.

Geography – Jack’s Lake is divided into two main basins. If the water level was reduced lower than the current sill of the dam this would separate the two basins at a currently navigable channel known as The Narrows, and prevent access by cottagers located in the south basin to the marinas and other businesses located in the north basin.  It would also seriously affect the friendships, relationships and families who have cottages located in both basins. Many cottagers have islands in the south basin and moor their boats at marinas in the north basin, which would be pointless if catastrophic drainage of the lake were to occur.

Invasive Species – The lower water levels facilitate new areas where invasive plants may propagate and cause more damage in the ecosystem.  Combine more space with potentially longer growing seasons due to climate change, and invasive species could spread more rapidly 
and have greater detrimental effects.  These may include degradation of water quality due to increases in the biological oxygen demand caused by the increase in decomposition of the plants, which could reduce oxygen for fish and other aquatic organisms.  

Loon Nests – The population of common loons on Jack’s Lake has a long established record of success. However, due to the location of their nests on small islands dispersed in various bays around the lake, there have been years when rapidly falling water levels exposed the nests and made them vulnerable to predators.  The opposite problem occurs when water is held back at the dam causing the loon nests with their vulnerable eggs to be flooded by higher than normal water levels.

Marina Access and Boat Launch – the two marinas and one campground currently operating on Jack’s Lake provide docking and various other services to cottagers and visitors to the lake.  Access to fuel pumps can be affected when the water level is too low.  Docking systems themselves are seriously affected and create unsafe walking conditions as the slope of the ramps become too severe to safely walk when water levels are low.

Property Values – Jack’s Lake residents pay premium amounts of municipal taxes as shoreline property owners. Assessments are high, and many have paid a handsome price for their property. The effect of lower lake levels along shallow shorelines may be a turnoff for potential purchasers and therefore an investment loss may be incurred on resale.

Shoreline Erosion – This is accelerated when the unnatural lowering of water exposes previously protected land to increased wave action.  Some shorelines that are planted with vegetation to help add stability are weakened and lost when plant roots are exposed due to the loss of soil. 
 
Species at Risk – The blandings turtle population in the area of Jack’s Lake is higher than normal and this habitat needs to be protected to ensure this species continues to thrive in the area.  Five lined skinks are another vulnerable species which is relatively common in the area.   Ospreys have been reproducing successfully at the lake for decades and bald eagles are frequently sited at the lake during the winter months. 

Wetlands – There are several back bays, wetlands and marshes at Jack’s Lake which provide a diverse community of plants, amphibians, reptiles, wildlife and birds.  The draw-downs cause these areas to dry up in the summer months, displacing many species and making them vulnerable to predation, and providing new habitats for invasive plants to become established.

Wildlife – Jack’s Lake lies within the Peterborough Crown Game Preserve and supports a rich and very diverse population of wildlife including beavers, musk rats, martins, porcupines, raccoons, mink, red foxes, wolves and white tailed deer.

Appendix 2

Sources of Information – please note not all links have been tested to ensure accurate web addresses:

JLCA Smoke Signals Newsletter 2001 – “How Low Can It Go?”
Cottage Life Magazine April/May 1990 – “High and Dry” by Yvonne Cox
JLCA Smoke Signals Newsletter 2004 – “The Dam – a bit of history”
“Up the Burleigh Road” published 2005-06
“Historical Atlas of Peterborough County” published in the 80’s
Environment Canada - Science and the Environment Bulletin May/June 2000: Smoke on the Water, www.ec.gc.ca/science/sandemay00 
Environment Canada – The Management of Water – Water Use – Recreation www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/manage/use/e_recre.htm 
Environment Canada - Envirozine May 2002 – Ecotourism: the Way to Travel www.ec.gc.ca/envirozine/english/issues/20/feature3_e.cfm
Environment Canada – The Importance of Nature to Canadians: The Economic Significance of Nature-related Activities www.ec.gc.ca/nature/tofc.htm 
United States Department of Transportation - Transportation GHG Emissions Report, Section 6
Great Lakes Information Network – Water Levels on the Great Lakes www.great-lakes.net 
Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Fact Sheet: Fish Habitat and Fluctuating Water Levels on the Great Lakes www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/regions/central/pub/fact-fait/t2_e.htm 
Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Fact Sheet: Fish Habitat and Dredging www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/regions/central/pub/fact-fait/i1_e.htm 
International Institute for Sustainable Development – The Effects of Climate Change on Recreation and Tourism on the Prairies
International Joint Commission – Climate Change www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/climate/part1/page 0006.htm
Environment Canada – Effects of Extreme Water Levels on Still-water Spawning Grounds in the Fluvial Section of the St. Lawrence River www.qc.ec.gc.ca/csl/pro/pro012aa_e.html
Environment Canada – Impacts of Water Level and Flow Fluctuations in the St. Lawrence River www.qu.ec.gc.ca/csl/pgr/pgr003_e.html 
Environment Canada – Impacts of Water Level and Flow Fluctuations in the St. Lawrence River on Fish Health www.qu.ec.gc.ca/csl/pro/pro011dm_e.html 
Environment Canada – Water-Vulnerable to Climate Change www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/info/pubs/FS/e_FSA9.htm
Parks Canada – Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada: Natural Wonders and Cultural Treasures www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/natcul/natcul3c_E.asp 
Geoffrey Wall, University of Waterloo – Implications of Global Climate Change for Tourism and Recreation in Wetland Areas www.springerlink.com/content/n01r097418x83x24/
Canadian Boaters Alliance – Trent-Severn Waterway Motion Passes Unanimously in the House in The Water Line, Winter 2007

Trent-Severn panel: “It’s all about the water”

The report of the Panel on the Future of the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) was made public Apr. 29, in Peterborough, by federal Environment Minister John Baird.  Mr. Baird evidently accepted all 26 of the panel’s recommendations, and pledged $62 million over five years to help see them implemented.  

The panel report’s title, “It’s all about the water” sets the stage for optimism among the long-suffering folks on the shores of the system’s reservoirs like Jack’s Lake. This is based in large part on the panel’s recognition of the fact that the Trent-Severn isn’t just a canal for boats that must be supplied with water, but rather a “vast water management system with a navigation system running through it.”

The panel attacks some long-held beliefs:  “Although there is currently a legal requirement to maintain a six-foot draft (in the canal,) managing water in such a way that navigation trumps, or is perceived to trump, all other demands makes little sense in the 21st century.”

The report deals with a number of jurisdictional issues that lead to problems.  For example, the federal government generally looks after water storage and flow, but strangely the provincial government regulates water usage by issuing permits, (quarries, golf courses, municipalities, etc.)

This is connected to concerns about operation, the state of components, and the impact on stakeholders:  “...studies have emphasized that this (federal-provincial) system is not working well.  The physical infrastructure of the waterway is old and leaking.  It relies for the most part on slow and labour-intensive log changes to manage levels and flows...Reservoir lake residents want less fluctuation and more equity with main system shoreline residents.”  

On the downside, the panel gives encouragement to more hydro power development along the TSW.  This isn’t great news for reservoir lakes, because hydro can drive the demand for water perhaps even moreso than canal navigation requirements.

The relative importance of the TSW’s parts to the whole may be measured in many ways, but it is instructive to look at the economics the report details:  the financial impact of taxes and economic activity from homes and cottages within the watershed is over a billion dollars a year;  tourism has a direct economic effect of “only” some $175 million, and recreational fishing beats that at $300 million. The report states that the economic impact of boating on the TSW is actually relatively small, and somewhat flat-lined due to the canal’s natural capacity limitations.

A quick review of the panel’s 26 recommendations reveal three that have an obvious relevance to Jack’s Lake:  11 – managing water storage, flows, allocation and use;  12 – assuring adequate water supplies throughout the region;  and 25 – repair and replacement of infrastructure, (like the Jack’s lake dam.)  

However, the report is worth reading in its entirety because it covers many of the reservoir lake concerns in less obvious places, and contains a wealth of information.  The report may be read or downloaded at  www.tswpanel.ca/english/report.asp 

The JLA submitted two briefs during the year-long TSW study, and spoke directly with the consultant doing preparatory studies. The JLA’s input was specifically cited in the consultant’s report.