This document provides physical and chemical parameter details about Kushog Lake located in Algonquin Highlands, Ontario. It includes information on the lake's mean depth, surface area, maximum depth, shoreline perimeter, watershed area, and trophic status indicators like total phosphorus levels and Secchi depth. The document was created by Emily McDonald and Caitlyn Bondy through a community education project at Trent University to provide information on the health of Kushog Lake.

1. Kushog
Lake
Physical/Chemical
Parameters
Lake
Fact
Sheet
General
Characteris.cs
Municipality:
Algonquin
Highlands
Mean
Depth:
9.1m
Surface
Area
of
Lake:
679
ha
Maximum
Depth:
38.1
m
Watershed
Area
(Excluding
Lake):
7701
ha
Maximum
Width:
1.6
km
%
Wetlands
in
Watershed:
10%
Shoreline
Perimeter:
8.3
to
40.6
km
Total
Volume:
63
200
000
m3
North
to
South
Length:
17.2
km
ElevaFon:
332.8
mASL
Indicators
of
Lake
Health
Created
By:
Emily
McDonald
&
Caitlyn
Bondy
Trent
University
2015.
Community
Based
EducaFon
Project
carried
out
through
U-­‐Links.
Key
Terms
Trophic
Status:
is
a
measure
of
lake
producFvity
and
sensiFvity
in
terms
of
nutrient
input.
There
are
three
trophic
categories
with
respect
to
nutrient
status:
Oligotrophic:
less
than
10
µg/L
of
total
phosphorus
Mesotrophic:
between
10
and
20
µg/L
of
total
phosphorus
Eutrophic:
over
20
µg/L
of
total
phosphorus
Total
Phosphorus:
Total
phosphorus
concentraFons
are
ideally
used
to
interpret
lake
nutrient
status,
since
phosphorus
is
the
element
that
controls
the
growth
of
algae
in
most
Ontario
lakes
and
is
oUen
a
limiFng
nutrient.
High
levels
of
phosphorus
can
lead
to
algal
blooms.
Secchi
Depth:
Is
the
measurement
of
water
clarity.
It
is
measured
through
the
process
of
lowering
a
pole
with
a
disc
mounted
on
it
and
recording
the
water
depth
at
which
the
disk
is
no
longer
visible.
A
decline
in
water
clarity
is
usually
indicaFve
of
a
reducFon
in
water
health.
Algal
Blooms:
A
“bloom”
is
an
excessive
growth
of
one
or
more
species
of
algae.
Algal
blooms
are
less
likely
to
occur
in
lakes
that
have
low
total
Phosphorus
(oligotrophic
levels).
Conversely,
blooms
are
most
likely
to
occur
in
lakes
that
have
moderate
to
high
total
phosphorus
(mesotrophic
to
eutrophic
levels).
They
are
important
to
monitor
as
they
may
affect
water
clarity,
deplete
oxygen
levels
and
produce
toxins
harmful
to
the
ecosystem.
Calcium:
Commonly
enters
the
freshwater
system
through
weathering
of
rocks,
specifically
limestone,
and
from
soil
through
leaching
and
runoff.
Dissolved
Oxygen:
It
Is
a
measure
of
the
concentraFon
of
oxygen
dissolved
in
water.
Major
sources
of
DO
in
water
are
the
atmosphere
and
photosynthesis
by
aquaFc
life.
Adequate
concentraFons
of
dissolved
oxygen
are
necessary
for
the
survival
of
fish
and
other
aquaFc
organisms.
pH:
The
measurement
of
how
acidic
or
basic
a
substance
is
.
Values
range
between
0
to
14.
(1
–
acidic,
7
–
neutral,
14
–
basic)
Ontario
Standard
Guidelines
Kushog
Lake
For
an
oligotrophic
level:
<
10
μg/L
Total
Phosphorus
(20
year
avg):
5.5
μg/L
N/A
Average
Calcium
(2008
–
2012):
2.4
mg/L
Secchi
disc
visible
at
1.2
m
or
more:
1.2
m
Secchi
Depth
(20
year
avg):
4.77
m
pH
standard:
Recrea.on:
5.0
–
9.0
Aqua.c
Life:
7.0
–
8.7
Drinking
Water:
6.5
–
8.5
pH
(20
year
avg):
6.74
Dissolved
Oxygen:
5.5
mg/L
-­‐
6.5
mg/L
Dissolved
Oxygen
(2003):
5.40
mg/L
Trophic
Status:
Oligotrophic
The
analysis
of
the
data
collected
regarding
the
key
indicators
for
Kushog
Lake
suggests
that
this
lake
falls
within
the
recommended
standard
values
for
acceptable
health.
Map
Provided
by:
Scholars
GeoPortal

2. 0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
Calcium
(mg/L)
Data
provided
by:
The
Ministry
of
the
Environment
–
Dorset
Environmental
Science
Centre
(Lake
Partner
Program)
Health
Canada
–
Ontario
RecreaFonal
and
Drinking
Water
Standard
Guidelines
Canadian
Council
of
Ministers
of
the
Environment
–
Ontario
AquaFc
life
Water
Quality
Guidelines
Scholars
GeoPortal
SpaXal
and
Temporal
Analysis
of
ExisXng
Data
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
Secchi
Depth
(m)
TP(µg/L)
Oligotrophic
Phosphorus
and
Secchi
Depth:
This
line
indicates
the
upper
threshold
for
an
oligotrophic
status
Calcium:
0 5 10 15
0
5
10
15
20
Depth(m)
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
25-Jul-02Basin204-Sep-02Basin2
0 5 10 15 20 25
0
5
10
15
20
Depth(m)
Temperature (°C)
25-Jul-02Basin204-Sep-02Basin2
Dissolved
Oxygen
and
Temperature
Profiles:
Interpretation:
Phosphorus
and
secchi
depth,
combined,
are
the
best
indicators
to
determine
trophic
status
of
a
lake.
The
concentration
of
nutrients
within
a
lake,
such
as
phosphorus,
directly
in:luences
water
clarity
and
consequentially
the
lake’s
trophic
status.
Kushog
falls
within
the
range
for
an
oligotrophic
lake
with
less
than
10
µg/L
of
total
phosphorus.
Secchi
depth
follows
closely
the
trend
in
the
phosphorus
data
points,
and
remains
stable
around
5
m.
Overall,
There
is
no
consistent
temporal
trend
over
a
20
year
period
for
either
of
the
measurements.
Interpretation:
The
average
calcium
concentraFons
shown
are
based
on
a
four-­‐year
Fme
period,
between
2009
and
2012,
for
Kushog
Lake
and
9
other
lakes
within
the
Gull
River
Watershed.
Kushog
has
an
approximate
average
of
2.4
mg/L
of
calcium,
which
is
fairly
low
as
compared
to
several
other
lakes
such
as:
Gull,
Horseshoe
and
Moore.
Gull
Lake
has
approximately
7.1
mg/L
of
calcium,
the
highest
of
all
Lakes
displayed;
whereas
Big
Hawk
Lake
has
the
lowest
value
of
the
10
lakes,
at
approximately
1.7
mg/L.
It
is
evident
that
there
is
significant
variaFon
between
the
10
lakes.
This
variaFon
may
be
amributed
to
regional
differences
in
bedrock
geology.
Interpretation:
The
verFcal
profiles
provided
are
based
on
samples
obtained
from
the
middle
basin
of
Kushog
Lake
during
July
and
September,
2002.
Dissolved
oxygen
(DO)
is
highly
correlated
with
temperature.
The
relaFonship
between
the
two
parameters
is
important,
as
the
solubility
of
oxygen
tends
to
decrease
as
water
temperature
increases.
DO
levels
in
Kushog
lake
average
around
5.40
mg/L
and
remain
relaFvely
stable
with
increased
depth.
Water
temperatures
range
between
20
°C
to
25°C
near
the
lake
surface
in
summer
but
decrease
with
depth
to
only
8°C.
DO
should
remain
stable
as
it
is
imperaFve
for
the
survival
of
fish
species.
Any
future
decline
in
DO
could
be
amributed
to
increases
in
temperature
of
the
water.