Our mandate is clean water for all. That means safeguarding resources for local communities, as well as protecting the long-term health of Georgian Bay's aquatic ecosystems.
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We encourage, fund and direct water monitoring programs all along the shoreline, with the help of volunteers from both cottage associations and local municipalities. We have invaluable support from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Immediately after last spring's ice-out, we collected water quality samples with McMaster University. Researcher Rachel De Castanzaro's groundbreaking report into nutrient levels will soon be available. Georgian Bay's world-renowned water turns every shade of blue under the sun, so it must be clean, right? Maybe. There are a number of ways to purify your lake water, from simply boiling it for ten minutes to using ultraviolet or reverse osmosis systems. Consult a water purification expert and choose the best solution to suit your needs. We actively encourage every Bay user to test the potability of their water. More information can be found here. An ongoing concern in Georgian Bay is the impact of nutrient loading. Largely man-made, it threatens the precarious balance across the water system. To keep a keen eye on that balance, we must continue our longitudinal water quality studies. GBF works closely on water quality monitoring with the Georgian Bay Association, the Township of Georgian Bay and the Township of The Archipelago, and our volunteers are trained and supported in part by the Ministry of Natural Resources. To access past reports, please click here. Water quality is linked to water levels
GBF has conducted research and education into near-shore water quality on the east coast of Georgian Bay since 1995. Our network of volunteers carry out a bacterial sampling program in conjunction with detailed chemical, temperature, oxygen and fish community profiles carried out by our consulting aquatic biologist. Following the dramatic water loss that began in 1999, we began to see the impacts of decreased water exchange in enclosed bays along the coast. There are now seven bays that have elevated phosphous levels late in the summer. One of the bays has endured four years of health advisories due to toxic blue green algal blooms. Once that happens the problem becomes very difficult to solve, since the de-oxygenated waters result in more phosphorus being released from the decomposing sediments. To learn more, please download and read the latest report.
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