The Villager 2013 July

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July 2013

“You are very knowledgeable and we can tell you love your job.” – a text from recent clients

Paul Cleary B.B.A., BROKER 705-327-6002 Direct 705-325-1373 Office paulcleary.com

Water levels cause frustration for boaters By Kim Goggins When Bill Macleod moved into his Couchiching Point home a decade ago he purchased a 20foot bowrider with a big motor to enjoy his summers boating. But after a few years of low water levels causing problems near the end of August, he decided to get a pontoon boat, instead. While this solved his immediate problem, he still wondered why Parks Canada would start to drain Lake Simcoe to prepare for winter so early every season. “Normally, in mid-August, they start pulling logs to get the level down to get back to the winter level to prepare for the freshet (water from heavy rain and snow melt) the next year,” he explains. “But what happens is when they pull those logs, it takes a long time to get Lake Simcoe down but Lake Couchiching drops like a stone. It’s smaller and it’s only another pipe from Simcoe down, through the falls, to the Severn (River).” There are three dams in Washago that control the water from Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe into the Severn River. Dam A is located near Oakridge and Donor Drive at County Road 169, Dam B is at Rama Road near the bridge and the railway tracks and Dam D is located

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Bobbi-Jo Corbett (front) and Cole Mendez invite everyone to participate in the Orillia Youth Symphony Orchestra’s 1st Annual Canoe-a-thon in Washago on Aug. 3. See the story on page 7.

at the Old Grist Mill. These are the largest of six dams in the area and are used to bring the level of Lake Simcoe down by removing logs. In the spring, the lake typically rises up to about 219 metres above sea level, due to the freshet, and then lowers throughout the summer due to evaporation. People on both sides agree that logs need to be removed from the dams to bring the lake to an acceptable winter level, but they can’t agree on when it should happen. A 1988 study by Acres International that was funded by Environment Canada suggested that a Modified Existing Rule Curve (MERC) was environmentally acceptable for flood Continued page 24

Business profile ��������������������������� 5 Canada Day photos �����������������12 News in Review �������������������������14 Recipe of the month ���������������18 Community Happenings �������26

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