I have been in touch with staff from both the Simcoe-Muskoka Health Unit (SMHU) and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MEPC) this week, and unfortunately, the MEPC’s laboratory analysis of the water sample(s) from the Oak Road blue-green algal bloom [referred to as a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)] area on November 11 has not yet been completed. They are analyzing for microcystin, a chemical toxin commonly associated with HABs. Ministry staff indicated to me today that the results can take up to 30 days, but as soon as the Sr. Environmental Officer who collected the samples receives the results from the Ministry laboratory, they will be relayed immediately to the SMHU. This differs from the information I was given by SMHU staff last Friday, as they expected the microcystin results from the MECP to be available by Monday (Nov 17).

I have also noted that the SMHU web site now shows a total of 12 ongoing HAB Alerts, one Lifted Alert and six Resolved Alerts for a total of 19 HAB Alerts issued in 2020 to date. One of those was reported even later than the one on Kahshe Lake. In total, there are now 17 different HAB-impacted lakes in the Muskoka-Simcoe area of Ontario, and this is more than twice as many as in 2019 (8) and three-fold greater than in 2018 (6). One piece of good news is that one of our KLRA members in the Beaver Bay area (west of Boyd Is) had his own lake water and filtered drinking water analyzed for microcystin at his own expense this week, and all three samples came back non-detected.   

I will continue to keep in touch with the MECP and SMHU staff and will update the KLRA as well as the Oak Road Cottagers’ Association members, the KL Community and KL Waterfront Community Facebook groups regarding the status of the water analysis as soon as I get the information.

Ron Pearson

Kahshe and Bass Lake Steward