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INSIGHTS:
Influencing changes to lakes through lake planning
Randy French (French Planning Services, french@surenet.net)
Ian Gilmour (Peninsula Lake Association, igilmour@ceinstitute.on.ca)
Most cottagers and lake stewards value the timeless quality of the lake experience. We may view changes in city life or our work experience as exciting or challenging. At the lake, we view change as a threat to what we value most about our lake experience: water quality, tranquility, natural landscapes, privacy, encounters with nature, fishing and recreation. Our lakes are sacred to us because they are where we rest and recreate.
Many changes threaten that experience: cottage development, resort development, pollution, boat traffic, construction, noise, and the loss of special places of natural, social or historical significance. The biggest single source of change to lakes is property development within the watershed or along the shoreline.
Members of a lake community can influence the pace and direction of change and property development through lake plans. Lake Planning is a method to identify and protect important natural, physical and social values. Its purpose is to recognize and protect the unique character of a lake while considering the larger planning, watershed and land use context. Lake Planning involves a comprehensive lake wide approach to ensure development fits the context of a lake environment, yet it is flexible to utilize the talents of associations and local resource people.
Lake communities can create lake plans through a planning process that:
- Identifies the special character of their lake
- Consolidates information about the past and current state of the lake
- Provides future direction concerning lake development
- Educates lake community members
- Produces Official Plan policy at the municipal level.
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Lake plans vs official plans
A lake plan is analogous to an official plan at the lake level. A municipal Official Plan acts like a contract among municipal Councils, residents, property owners and developers to provide direction on how development will occur. OP’s are important to lake communities because all development must conform with the policies and direction they provide. Unfortunately, in some cases their polices may be too general and land use decisions are often made after developers submit their applications. To protect our lakes, we must try to ensure that official plans are more specific about development on and near lakes.
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Every municipality takes a different approach to its Official Plan. Most set “carrying capacities” based on constraints. For lakes, water quality is usually the only constraint established in Official Plans, and it often only applies to cold water or lake trout lakes. There are even fewer established constraints to development on warm water lakes, or cold water lakes that have lots of capacity. In the future, when phosphorus abatement technology becomes available, constraints to development on even cold water lakes could be relaxed. For these reasons, associations should initiate the lake planning process with their municipalities and local stakeholders to produce specific official plan policy for their lakes.
Lake Plans
Lake planning provides a process for all stakeholders to consider what makes their lake special. A lake plan can entrench lake development policy in a municipal Official Plan if the municipality is open to incorporating it. It also creates an action plan to deal with issues that are beyond the scope of an official plan, such as:
- Communication and education
- Rehabilitation, restoration of degraded environments
- Monitoring programs that measure the health of these values.
Table 1. Lake carrying capacity factors
Natural |
Social |
Physical |
Water quality
Wildlife habitat
Fish habitat
Littoral vegetation
Riparian vegetation |
Aesthetics
Cultural & historic values
Crowding
Boating limits
Recreation activities |
Soils
Topography
Land capability
Existing development
Hazardous areas |
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Lake carrying capacity
Lake planning allows lake stewards and other stakeholders to define the carrying capacity of lakes, individual basins and neighbourhoods. Carrying capacity is the total number of lots (or development) and recreational activity that a lake can sustain before diminishing any of its key factors. Each lake is different and so is its carrying capacity. Development in some lakes may be limited by trophic status. Others may be limited by wildlife or fish habitat. Lake carrying capacities are determined by a range of natural, social and physical factors (see Table 1). |
Lake plan elements
A lake plan will include elements that describe the built and physical environment as well as the natural heritage of the lake. It will also identify the social values of the lake community, the agreed upon development potential of the lake and an implementation approach for the official plan. Table 2 summarizes some of the elements of a lake plan.
Table 2. Elements of a lake plan
| Built & Physical Environment |
- General location and access
- Distinct areas or neighbourhoods
- Distinct physical features: as narrow water bodies, topography, landscape, shoreline features & hazards
- Location in watershed
- Existing land uses & public access points, open space, recreation areas or trails
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| Natural Heritage |
- Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- Wetlands
- Drainage basin and related watercourses
- Shoreline constraints and influences
- Water quality allocations
- Identification of natural areas or landscape features to be preserved
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| Social Values |
- Cultural and historic development and built heritage
- Boating capacity
- Recreational opportunities
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| Development Potential |
- Specific development policies, standards and tools
- Land use inventory and identification of contentious areas
- Development capability and constraints
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| Implementation Approaches |
- Official Plan policy recommendations & zoning standards
- Education & communication approaches and vehicles
- Restoration and Rehabilitation Plans
- Monitoring program
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Implementing a lake plan
Figure 1 shows a lake planning road map. The process begins with a visioning exercise and ends with an official plan amendment (if your municipality agrees) and continuing implementation.
Figure 1. Lake Planning Road Map
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To implement a lake plan for your lake community, begin with a relatively small Working Committee of key individuals who can use their networks to involve stakeholders and secure resources and expertise for the planning process. Involve your municipal councilors and be sure to get the municipal planners on board from the beginning. Determine whether your local municipality is open to incorporating your lake plan as an official plan amendment.
Work with the stakeholders in your lake community and watershed. Contact cottagers and residents, commercial and resort operators and representatives of other lake users.
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Maintain open communication with Council, stakeholders and members of your lake association to obtain early buy in, create awareness and increase the chances of success. Hold a stakeholder workshop at the beginning of the process to have them discuss what elements of a lake plan are important to them.
Use community and local government resources to save money and to create awareness and open communications. The lake plan should not be seen as a cottage association document.
Lake planning initiatives
The Township of Lake of Bays has incorporated the concept of lake plans in its Official Plan and the Peninsula Lake Association is the first to develop one. Many others have expressed an interest.
For years, cottage associations have reacted to new developments on their lakes. They have watched helplessly as key elements of their lake experience are eroded by change. Lake planning provides a new and powerful tool to help cottage associations and lake stewards to anticipate and influence future changes to their lakes.
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