Two open houses are scheduled for this week involving the Trout Lake Watershed Study and Management Plan.
Both take place on Wednesday with a morning session (9:30 am to 11:30 am) at the Corbeil Park Hall and an afternoon open house (3 pm to 6 pm) in the lobby at North Bay city hall.
The City of North Bay, Municipality of East Ferris and the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority are working together on the plan.
“It’s been quite a long time since we’ve done a fulsome review of the science behind the Trout Lake Watershed,” says Beverley Hillier, Manager of Planning & Building Services with the City of North Bay. “It was time to take a look and make sure the work we’re doing and the impact that it’s had on the lake, and make sure it stays a healthy, good quality lake.”
She says the plan largely looks at development-related management, but that’s not all.
“Potentially some recreational care and capacity, in terms of how the lake is functioning from a social perspective. On the development side, it’s about best practices for managing development and redevelopment around the lake and whether or not there is capacity available for development around Trout Lake and its major inflowing streams,” she says
The public can ask questions and offer comments about the management of the Trout Lake watershed at Wednesday’s sessions.
Along with the two open houses, comments can also be submitted online at https://www.northbay.ca/projects/trout-lake-study/.
A virtual presentation will also be posted before the open house.
North Bay draws its municipal drinking water from Trout Lake, which is also the source of water for many shoreline residents in North Bay and East Ferris.
The intent of the Watershed Study and Management Plan is to ensure policies and provisions protect the quality of water and visual and aesthetic characteristics of the watershed and to preserve opportunities for recreational, social and environmental experiences on its waterways.
