[[Links to detailed annual Lake Steward reports are at the bottom of this page.]
Kahshe Lake is being monitored for water quality under two main initiatives as outlined below. Because of its smaller size, the water quality program for Bass Lake is limited to the more comprehensive Lake System Health Program.
This program is operated by The District Municipality of Muskoka (DMM), with support from the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC), the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MOECP) and several other participating agencies. For Kahshe and Bass Lakes, the DMM program consists of the following activities which are conducted every other year for Kahshe and lately, every year for Bass Lake:
This program is operated by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MOECP) through the Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC). Under this program, water sampling and measurement of water clarity is conducted by the Kahshe Lake Steward every year.
The program consists of the following activities:
Water clarity measurements | Clarity of the water is measured every two weeks during the ice-free period at three locations (Deep Bay, Kluey’s Bay and Grants Bay), using a Secchi disc, and these findings are forwarded to the MOECP for compilation and comparison with other lakes in Ontario. |
Water quality testing | Water is sampled from the same three locations in May each year and sent to the MOECP for analysis of total phosphorous, an indicator of the potential for algal blooms and nutrient enrichment and for calcium. |
A detailed report on the findings of this water quality sampling for both lakes has been provided in the Lake Steward reports from 2012 through 2019 and in related Executive Summaries in posts that follow.
Based on the findings from over 35 years of water quality sampling and analysis carried out every other year by DMM and every year for a more limited set of parameters by the MOECP with the assistance of the Kahshe Lake Steward, the following conclusions regarding the water quality and biological health of Kahshe and Bass Lakes have been drawn:
In the 2019 Lake Steward report (posted below), it was noted that several lakes in the Muskoka area have experienced harmful blue-green algal blooms in 2018 and 2019. Although no blue-green algal blooms had been detected at the time the 2019 Lake Steward report was published (May 2020), a late season blue-green bloom was confirmed by the MOECP in the Oak Road area on November 11, 2020 and is currently ongoing.
Although it no longer can be discussed in terms of a ‘likelihood’, it is still important to understand how the total phosphorus levels in Kahshe and Bass Lakes compare with levels in lakes where blue-green algal blooms have been documented. A chart of these findings has been inserted below and confirms that harmful blue-green algal blooms have developed in several of the impacted lakes that had total phosphorus levels well below those in Kahshe and especially Bass Lakes. Based on these findings, the presence of a blue-green algal bloom in November 2020 should not come as a surprise and this development underscores the importance of renewed efforts to drive our nutrient levels even lower than they currently are, as our climate is changing, and creating conditions that favour algal growth and bloom development.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sampling and analysis of Kahshe and Bass lakes by DMM and the MOECP’ Lake Partner Program was suspended, and as such, there are no results for 2020.
Based on the analysis of a large number of chemical and physical parameters by both the DMM and the MOECP, it is apparent the waters of Kahshe and Bass Lakes are in reasonably good condition and compare favourably with the results for other Muskoka lakes. However, given the initial signs of increasing water temperatures which are consistent with the findings from other lakes in Muskoka, we need to remain vigilant in our sampling efforts and overall lake stewardship, as warmer waters are more prone to algal growth and may negate potential improvements in nutrient enrichment and other chemical indicators of lake health. This has now been underscored by the confirmed presence of a blue-green algal bloom in the Oak Road area of Kahshe Lake on November 11, 2020. We can and must improve water quality and reduce the potential for future harmful algal blooms via these three main actions:
Ron Pearson
Kahshe and Bass Lake Steward - November 2020
Detailed Lake Steward reports are available below (PDF)
2019 Executive Summary - Lake Steward Report (750 KB)
2019 Kahshe Lake Steward Report-Final (4804 KB)
2018 Executive Summary (736 KB)
2018 Full Report (4613 KB)2017 Executive Summary (463 KB)
2017 Full Report (4915 KB)
2016 Executive Summary (404 KB)
2016 Full Report (5031 KB)
2015 Executive Summary (1101 KB)
2015 Full Report (5252 KB)
2014 Lake Steward Report (4030 KB)
2013 Lake Steward Report (15594 KB)
2012 Lake Steward Report (4807 KB)