Thanksgiving 2006 - page 2

Township Watch/Development

The site plan for Touchstone (the former Aston Villa property) was approved in September for 58 multiple bedroom units in 11 smaller buildings, plus the current main lodge with the restaurant and shared facilities. Greene Slate Inn also got their site plan approved. Another public meeting was held on the municipal quality sewage and water treatment facilities, which also result in a change to planning designations for Minett. A good first public meeting was held on the review of the Township's Official Plan and Zoning By-laws. We will be updating the TMLRA website with information regarding this and other issues that matter to Muskoka.

Muskoka — Ours to Care For!

Good water quality is the key to maintaining our wonderful Lake District. Having a well-maintained septic system is very important. The township has done many septic inspections on 3 Mile Lake after last years algae bloom. They have found that almost 10% of those inspected required changes in order to be in compliance. The "Docktalk" initiative has also helped educate those on the lake — no washing in the lake, minimize detergents with phosphates and so forth. It will be interesting to see the impact on water quality on this lake in the future.

All efforts to improve the water quality will also help to increase market values. The township will inspect any septic systems that are of concern. Older steel tanks are a priority to check out. And if you're worried about "telling on" your neighbours, don't worry — reporting possible septic system issues can be done anonymously.

To keep your Septic System healthy:

• Do NOT use anti-bacterial soaps
• Do NOT put cooking oil or grease down the sink
• Restrict use of garburators — use compost instead
• Send poisons to hazardous waste centres, not down your drain.

Furthermore, plants over the leaching bed should be restricted to shallow rooted, low-maintenance, low-water-use plants, like grass, carpet bugle, periwinkle, and Japanese spurge. Larger plants or small trees can actually damage the leaching bed, which can be very expensive to fix. You should never drive on the tile beds or put concrete or even mulch on it. Larger shrubs should be at least 30 feet away.

Enjoy the crisp fall weather and the spectacular colours and please remember to vote.
Louise Cragg, TMLRA President

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