Musselman Lake, Ontario

Musselman's Lake is a community settled adjacent to a 118-acre (0.48 km²) kettle lake of the same name in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 6 km north-northwest of urban Stouffville, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area.

It is accessible from Highway 48, which links Toronto to Beaverton, and from Highway 404, a limited-access 400-Series Highway 9 km west of Musselman's Lake via Aurora Road or Bloomington Road. The main roads in the community are Ninth Line on the west side of the lake, and Lakeshore Road on the east.^[1] The area around the lake is dotted with a number of smaller kettle lakes, including Shallow Lake and Windsor Lake. The area around Musselman's Lake feeds a small tributary to the East Holland River, which flows to the west.

Environment

Musselman's Lake is on the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine; the land drains into both the Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe watersheds. Pine trees dominate much of the area, with farmland toward the north-east. Creeks and streams are also characteristic of the area.

Sand and gravel mining is widespread to the south and east of Musselman's Lake. The mining industry began in the 1950s and continues through the present.

Residential areas are concentrated around Musselman's Lake and Windsor Lake, and on a few other large lots. The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville forecasts the population of Musselman's Lake to decline slightly between 2012 and 2031.^[2]

The lake has a surface area of 118-acre (0.48 km²), with a maximum depth of approximately 27-foot (8.2 m). It is landlocked and fed by springs and surface runoff.^[3]

In 2009, the Musselman's Lake Subwatershed Assessment and Stewardship Opportunities Report recognized that the water quality of the lake was "impaired" and "degraded," and had declined since 1989 when a similar study had been done.^[4]

History

The area was first settled 1807 by Peter and Jacob Musselman, Mennonites from Pennsylvania.^[5]

In the 1950s and 1960s housing developments were built around Musselman's Lake.

A significant issue facing the Musselman's Lake community in the coming years is the federal government's proposed development of an international airport immediately south-east of Whitchurch–Stouffville (the Pickering Airport lands); under the current plan, an approach for one of the three landing strips would be directly above the communities of Ballantrae and Musselman's Lake, with planes descending (or ascending) from 500 to 450 metres. The plan calls for 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032.^[6] A "Needs Assessment Study" was completed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for the federal government in May 2010. After a "due diligence review," Transport Canada released the report in July 2011; in June 2013 the federal government announced that the plan would proceed.^[7] The 2013 announcement was not challenged by the community's municipal leadership.^[8]

Over the years, the community has been referred to both as Musselman's Lake and as Musselman Lake. In 2012, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville officially declared the name of the community as "Musselman's Lake."^[9]

Privately owned waterfront

Virtually all of the water front in the community of Musselman's Lake is private residential property. Use of the lake and its shorelines is regulated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in conjunction with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority; the Ministry of Natural Resources governs fishing regulations, town by-laws regulate the use of power boats on the lake, and laws are enforced by the York Regional Police Marine Unit. While the resources of all levels of government are used for the regulation, protection and preservation of the lake, the entire perimeter of the lake is currently in a few private hands, and homeowners and business alone benefit from exclusive access rights to one of Whitchurch-Stouffville's most significant natural and recreational assets.

Nearest communities

Musselman's Lake is situated near the eastern boundary of the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. Neighbouring communities within Whitchurch–Stouffville include Ballantrae to the north-east and Bloomington to the south. Goodwood, a community of the town of Uxbridge, lies to the east.

References

External links

• Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
• Musslemans Lake Residents Association
• Stouffville.com Stouffville's Online News and Events, Tourism and Business Directory

Coordinates: 44°1′51″N 79°16′23″W / 44.03083°N 79.27306°W / 44.03083; -79.27306