Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FOTMW) has launched a community-led project to monitor chloride levels in local waterways, with support from the Township of Lake of Bays.
Through its Environmental Projects Grant Program, the township has awarded funding to FOTMW’s Watershed Fund. The funding will support monitoring and assessment of chloride levels in the Oxtongue and Boyne Rivers, both of which flow into Lake of Bays.
“Volunteers are being trained to use chloride test kits to collect data that will support education, awareness, and stewardship efforts across the community,” said David Zilkey, Climate Action Strategist for the Township of Lake of Bays. “Chloride, a component of road salt, is especially harmful to aquatic life in Muskoka’s soft-water lakes.”
While the township says it uses a low-salt sand mixture on its roads, salt application varies across private properties as well as municipal and provincial road networks throughout the region and surrounding areas. Officials say the project will help improve understanding of how chloride moves through the environment.
The project is an extension of FOTMW’s SALTYMuskoka program, which encourages responsible road salt use and provides residents with practical ways to help protect water quality.
