Silver Lake group looking for county help

Work to revitalize Silver Lake is ongoing but requires a boost from Norfolk County, says Jim Dover.

Speaking at a council-in-committee meeting Tuesday, Dover said the Silver Lake Revitalization Project Team needs to know the county still supports the project.

The team also needs to know the county is prepared to make a ‘significant investment” in support of the project. Without that investment, the project will not be able to leverage additional funds from provincial and federal programs, Dover, the project team’s volunteer project manager, said.

The project team needs to raise $125,000 to support Step 1 of a five-step process to revitalize Silver Lake.

Step 1 includes a study to measure how fast sediment is filling up the lake. It also includes a feasibility study to determine if there is way to trap and remove sediment.

If the feasibility study is positive, plans could be drawn up to move the project to the next step.

Dover told councilors that sediment has filled about two-thirds of the lake.

Following Dover’s presentation, Coun. Chris Van Paassen asked him to explain why Silver Lake is important to Norfolk County.

“Some would say Silver Lake is a storm water retention pond,” Dover said.

“The Lynn River flows into Silver Lake and there are storm water drains emptying into the Lynn River all the way down from Simcoe,” he said. “There are nine storm water drains that empty into Silver Lake itself.

“That’s the storm water management service.”

Dover said Silver Lake also holds back silt.

If nothing is done and Silver Lake fills up with silt, the silt would flow into the Lynn River to the Lower Lynn River – Port Dover Harbour, Dover said.

“The lower Lynn River is a hub of economic activity for freighters, commercial vessels and marine repair vessels,” he said. “That’s the economic impact.”

Dover told councilors the project team has, with the support of various community groups, accomplished a great deal to revitalize Silver Lake. The team eliminated a large quantity of phragmites from the lake and also got rid of purple loosestrife – two invasive species.

The team also put a floating dock in Silver Lake.

The work was accomplished with the support of numerous community groups who, Dover said, contributed $70,000 in cash and in-kind donations to support revitalization efforts.

Councilors accepted Dover’s presentation as information and directed county staff to work with the project team to determine how the county can best support the team’s work.

Plans call for the project to be considered when county councilors begin deliberations on their 2024 capital budget later this year.

The first meeting of the Silver Lake Revitalization Project Steering Committee was organized by the Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association in Feb. 2001. The committee includes representatives from the association, Long Point World Biosphere Reserve, Port Dover Board of Trade, Port Dover Harbor Authority, Port Dover Lions Club, Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association and the Port Dover Yacht Club.

The team’s goal is to revitalize and secure Silver Lake and its wetland forever.

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