Issues on Ramsey Lake
Our Lake
Ramsey Lake is a central feature in the City of Greater Sudbury in Northern Ontario and provides drinking water to over 60,000 residents.
The Ramsey Lake Stewardship Committee is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of the Ramsey Lake watershed and its drinking water quality.
Our vision is to keep Ramsey Lake a drinkable, fishable, swimmable and enjoyable lake for many years to come for all Sudburians.
Our goal
Educate all Sudburians about how to maintain and improve the health of Ramsey Lake. 4,500 homes are in the Ramsey Lake watershed and the stormwater from these homes affect lake water quality. Healthy land means healthy water.
Ways to improve Ramsey Lake
1. Don't use fertilizer with phosphorus for your lawn. Use a formula with 0 in the middle like 10-0-10. You only need to add phosphorus when seeding a new lawn or laying sod.
2. If you own a shoreline property, keep a 15-30 metre natural shoreline buffer to prevent erosion and to filter pollutants.
3. If you own a septic system, keep it well maintained to prevent excess nutrients from entering the lake.
4. Don't wash your car on your driveway if you use soap with phosphate.
5. Encourage more Low Impact Development around Ramsey Lake and protect important wetlands.
Stormwater flowing into the lake with pollutants and sand. See the map of which streets drain directly into Ramsey Lake here. Solution? More Low Impact Developments with bioretention and green infrastructure. See photos of Bell Park storm outlet with green infrastructure.
Phosphorus from fertilizer and septic systems feed blue green algae.
Grass instead of natural shoreline buffers. For a list of native shoreline plants.
Salt levels are rising
Motor boats can cause erosion, disturb sediment rich in phosphorus and heavy metals and pollute our lake.
Can we get motorized boats off a lake?
Trains carrying hazardous chemicals along the shoreline.
Development pressures around the lake remove natural rainwater filters and replace permeable with impermeable surfaces. Our letter to the City's Planning Department about the Howey Drive development.
Heavy metals in the lake sediment are present from historic mining activity.
High bacteria levels close beaches in summer.
Garbage around the lake including waste from ice fishing huts.
Cars idling while ice fishing.
See what the City's Ramsey Lake Advisory Panel recommends to help protect Ramsey Lake.
