ROBINSON LAKE ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES

OBJECT

To preserve the water quality of the lake and therefore ensure its use for recreational activities, trout habitat, and to maintain its aesthetic appeal.

CONCERNS

• To inform members and non-members of the association that their actions on the lake, and on their private property, will impact the lake and that they have the responsibility to maintain the lake.
• To work with member and non-members to resolve any conflict with these guidelines.
• To prevent pollution of the lake by oil, chemicals, fertilizers, septic or biological wastes.
• To set guidelines for dredging of beaches and construction of floats, docks, decks or fences extending onto, or into, Lot 27 (normally referred to as "the lake"). These guidelines will be applicable to any access area, the park and any above water area within the boundaries of Lot 27.
• To ensure adequate water testing (biannually or as required) to be dictated by the condition of the lake.

PREVENTION OF CONTAMINATION
BY OIL, CHEMICALS, FERTILIZERS, SEPTIC AND BIOLOGICAL WASTES

1. No power boats shall be allowed on the lake.
   1. Exhausts contain oil residue and there is the possibility of mechanical, fuel or oil leaks.
   2. Due to the small size of the lake, even a small amount of liquid hydrocarbon will create a noticeable slick; therefore, any row boats previously using or interchanging gas motors, and having a fuel or oil residue on the inside, must be washed out before being placed in the lake. If you are unable to adequately wash the inside, and oil residue is present, do not drain or dump any accumulated water into the lake or onto the beach frontage.
   3. Power boats on this size of a lake would also be a hazard to swimmers and would cause a certain amount of noise pollution.
      
      
2. No future perimeter drains shall be allowed to drain directly into the lake.
   1. If the perimeter drains cannot be run to the roadside ditch, and absolutely must be on the lake side of a residence, it is necessary that the drain end in a catch-basin/seep-well, fifteen feet within the property line of the residential lot, to allow for filtration of any water through the soil prior to reaching the lake
   2. If perimeter drains are being used for dumping of hot tubs and water softening and treatment effluent, and possibly floor drains in garages and residences, the soil filtration should remove any spills of household chemicals or motor oils and would reduce the amount of salt-brine effluent reaching the lake.
   3. Any residences that are presently draining anything other than storm water or ground water into their perimeter drains, or are dumping anthing directly into the lake, must consider alternate ways of disposal.
      
      
3. It is recommended that no fertilizers be used within a sixty foot buffer area, extending outward from the lakes' high-water mark, or on any area where the ground slopes to the lake.
   1. Fertilizer can reach the lake through run-off from rain and lawn watering. Fertilizer can also leach downward until it reaches the water table and, subsequently, migrate into the lake.
   2. High fertilizer concentrations of nitrates and phosphates will cause algae blooms that, in extreme cases, will suffocate the trout and make the lake unpleasant for swimming
   3. A further consideration when fertilizing is the proximity to your well and the type of well you are using for your potable water supply. If you or your neighbours have a shallow surface well, your water quality may be affected by use of fertilizers. The following excerpt from The Water Quality Check Programme Interpretation Booklet, supplied by the laboratory that does the goverment water analyses, states:

   Nitrogen: Nitrate (as N) (Definition: the measurement of the most oxidized form of nitrogen in the water sample.) Importance: high nitrate values can decrease the blood's capacity to carry oxygen through the body. This is important with infants who may develop "methaemoglobinemia". The maximum limit is 10 mg/L of nitrate plus nitrate, measured as nitrogen.

4. No septic field shall be placed closer than 100 feet from the lake.
   1. The local Board of Health will not allow a septic field within 100 feet from a well or body of water.
      
      
5. It is imperative that septic fields be sloped away from a residence towards the roadside ditch.
   1. The risk to the lake of pollution from a septic field is minimal, but may occur if a field becomes hydraulically overloaded. Excessive rainfall in the winter could saturate a field and not allow the effluent in the field to evaporate as quickly into the air or through transpiration mechanism supplied by grass cover and other plants. Field saturation by excessive rain could raise the water table and slow down percolation of the effluent through the soil. In the case of field overloading, the effluent would rise to the surface and could travel to the lake with surface run-off if the ground slopes that way.
      
      
6. It is recommended that property owners inspect their septic tanks annuallyto check the sludge levels in the tank chambers
   1. A field may overload if it becomes clogged with organic matter. In time, all fields will plug; however, improper maintenance of a septic system could shorten its life span. A newly installed tank may not require vacuuming out until it has been in service from three to five years, depending upon the size of tank and volume of effluent. After the initial build-up of sludge the tank usually requires vacuuming out every two to three years (but you will only know if you inspect your chamber annually.) Over time, the sludge will fill the second chamber; when it becomes high enough in the second, the liquid portion of the effluent will overflow and be deposited into the porous structure of the field and stop percolation.
      
      
7. It is hoped that swimmers will use a biodegradable sun tan oil/sun-block. Experience on the lake has shown that, even a relatively small number of people swimming after using tanning oils, will cause an oil slick on the lake
   1. Parents should emphasize to children not to urinate or defecate into the lake
   2. Residents are reminded that pet excrement in the water or on the beaches is a major concern. Many pathogens and parasites can be transmitted to people from dog and cat excrement. A particular worry is children playing in sand that has roundworm infestation. Excrement from untreated dogs is the carrier of this parasite. Pet owners unfamiliar with coping with wells should consider that no dog or other pet should be allowed to defecate within sixty feet (the bare minimum) of their potable water supply.
      
      
8. All present emergent vegetation (such as bullrushes) be allowed to grow in the front of beaches if the lot owner wishes.
   1. It is recommended that present emergent vegetation not be allowed to encroach more than 30 feet into the lake from a lot's high-water mark. The concern is that some plants may over grow the shallower areas of the lake, making those areas unusable for fishing and/or swimming. The other concern is the build-up of plant debris on the central bottom area of the lake. This may prevent spawning and could cause suffocation of any eggs that are laid or kill the fry by irritating their gills.
      
      
9. No foreign flora or fauna will be allowed to be introduced into the lake.
   1. Do not introduce pets such as turtles, gold fish or tropical fish into the lake.
   2. Do not dump aquariums into the lake, because some fish diseases could spread to our trout population, as well as introducing an unwanted population of snails and some plant species.
   3. There is a fine line between a desirable plant and a weed. Some plants (such as certain water lilies) have been documented in studies to overtake water habitats where they have no natural predator. Duckweed from aquariums is another potential problem weed.
   4. Property owners are also asked to consider not placing or replacing deciduous trees near the beaches; in the fall, the leaf fall can contribute a large amount of debris to the lake.

GUIDELINES FOR BEACH DREDGING AND CONSTRUCTION ON LOT 27

1. Dredging will be allowed for the creation of beaches.
   1. The lot owner must consult with the environment director prior to commencing work outside of his/her property line.
   2. The owner must follow the agreed upon guidelines of the directors, or permission to dredge on association property will be retracted and this will be enforced.
   3. The owner shall be accountable for any oil leaks or spills from excavation equipment
   4. The owner shall not dredge to a slope greater than one foot in depth for every three feet out into the lake.
   5. Filling of the lake basin with soil and plant matter is a definite problem. Steep grades on a beach front encourages erosion of fine particles into the lake. It is therefore suggested that lot owners use retaining walls or a gradual slope down to the water. It is also recommended that birds-eye gravel or bedding sand be used instead of fine sand.
2. No structures shall be built into, or onto, Lot 27 without the approval of the Board of Directors.
   1. Fence posts and most lumber suitable for wet applications, may be pressure treated with oil or chemical preservations, fungicides and herbicides such as pentachlorophenol or copper sulphate. These chemicals can be harmful to fish and plant life.
   2. It is also recommended that no one use railway ties for landscaping on any areas where the water shed slopes into the lake. Railway ties are treated with oil, creosote and pentachlorophenol.
   3. The construction of floats and docks shall be limited due to the potential number and the subsequent loss of aesthetics of the lake.

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