Shoreline Preservation
Protecting the natural shoreline around Growler Lake is the best way to both ensure the health of the lake and preserve the property values of all cottages. Many lakefront communities across Ontario are grappling with ways to keep shorelines healthy and to remediate those already damaged over the years and the Haliburton is no exception. In 2020 The County of Haliburton began to look at ways to augment the county's Tree Preservation by law in order to preserve shorelines from erosion and other adverse outcomes. In 2021 the County hired a consulting firm to conduct scientific reviews and public consultation and to produce a draft of a Shoreline Preservation bylaw.
Quite simply, naturalizing shoreline property is the best protection cottage owners have against the risks of erosion, algae blooms, loss of recreational opportunities such as swimming and boating, loss of fish and wildlife habitat, as well as floods and nuisance Canada geese. It also ensures the best possible drinking water for those who draw their water supply from the lake rather than from wells. To keep the shoreline natural, or to renaturalize your shoreline, remember the following:
DO respect the Haliburton Tree Preservation by-law
DO NOT destroy or remove any trees within the shoreline areas*, 5 metres from the outer edges of any building or septic system, or what is reasonably required in order to install a pathway no wider than 5m to gain access to the water (see tree bylaw for further permissions and restrictions)
DO protect natural vegetation within shoreline areas*
DO NOT place or dump or remove fill or topsoil or alter in any way the grade of land in the shoreline areas unless granted in building permits
DO renaturalize shoreline areas following best gardening practices using native plants as much as possible
DO NOT introduce invasive plant species to your property or gardens under any circumstances
DO follow all ministry and provincial guidelines when building and installing docks on the shoreline
*shoreline areas = 30 metres inland measured over a horizontal distance from the high water mark as per County regulations):
Quite simply, naturalizing shoreline property is the best protection cottage owners have against the risks of erosion, algae blooms, loss of recreational opportunities such as swimming and boating, loss of fish and wildlife habitat, as well as floods and nuisance Canada geese. It also ensures the best possible drinking water for those who draw their water supply from the lake rather than from wells. To keep the shoreline natural, or to renaturalize your shoreline, remember the following:
DO respect the Haliburton Tree Preservation by-law
DO NOT destroy or remove any trees within the shoreline areas*, 5 metres from the outer edges of any building or septic system, or what is reasonably required in order to install a pathway no wider than 5m to gain access to the water (see tree bylaw for further permissions and restrictions)
DO protect natural vegetation within shoreline areas*
DO NOT place or dump or remove fill or topsoil or alter in any way the grade of land in the shoreline areas unless granted in building permits
DO renaturalize shoreline areas following best gardening practices using native plants as much as possible
DO NOT introduce invasive plant species to your property or gardens under any circumstances
DO follow all ministry and provincial guidelines when building and installing docks on the shoreline
*shoreline areas = 30 metres inland measured over a horizontal distance from the high water mark as per County regulations):
Shoreline Preservation
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Native Plants for the cottage
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Dysart Tree Preservation By-Law
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