A few Best Practices

 

 

Clean & Green 13  

 

Source from www.muskokaheritage.org/mwc for detailed information on how these actions protect your watershed.

 

The first initiatives developed by the Muskoka Watershed Council in 2002 was the Clean & Green 13, a program designed to inspire people to take a look at their every day lives and realize what kind of impact their actions have on the watersheds that we all share.


PROTECT AIR QUALITY: 
1. Reduce my gasoline consumption.
2. Buy fuel-efficient engines (in vehicles, lawn mowers, snowmobiles, etc.).

 

IN MY HOUSE/COTTAGE: 
3. Inspect my septic tank every 2 to 3 years and have it pumped regularly, as appropriate.
4. Use phosphate-free soaps and alternative cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar.
5. Take paint, batteries, aerosol cans and petroleum products to hazardous waste depots for disposal.
6. Recycle and compost in order to reduce my household garbage to 1 bag or less per week.

 

ON MY PROPERTY:  
7. Reduce my use of chemical fertilizers and eliminate my use of pesticides.
8. Preserve the natural vegetation and trees on my property.
9. Handle fuel, oil and other chemicals with great care and have an action plan to deal with any spills that occur.

 

ON THE SHORELINE: 
10. Ensure that my dock(s), boathouse and other structures do not occupy more than 25% of my shoreline.
11. Leave the remaining 75% (or more) of my shoreline in its natural state.

 

WHEN USING WATERCRAFT, SNOWMOBILE OR OTHER ENGINES: 

12. Prevent erosion by reducing boat wake effects on shorelines.
13. Buy a 4-stroke engine in any future boat or other recreational vehicle purchase.

 

Toxic chemicals 

  • No fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides on cottage property
  • Use Enviro Friendly products --NO PHOSPHATES, NO ANTI-BACTERIAL PRODUCTS, NO CHLORINE BLEACH
  • Do not use soap in the lake - EVER - including phosphate-free or biodegradable
  • Refuel gas tanks, chainsaws, generators, boats etc. away from the lake over a tray or use a siphon pump
  • Get the lead out of the tackle box (stop loon deaths from lead sinker poisoning)
  • Dispose of all residue from fireworks
  • Empty hot tubs after all chemicals have disappeared. Test your hot tub or spa to ensure chemical levels are as close to zero as possible before discharging it. These chemicals are deadly to the fish and other organisms that live in our creeks, rivers and lakes.
  • Do not dispose of wastes such as old paints, chemicals into drains. Dispose of them at hazardous waste centres. Click here for the locations and dates.

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