Safety Message
Why You Shouldn’t Use Stormwater Ponds for Recreation
Newmarket, ON – January 15, 2021 – Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) is reminding residents not to use neighbourhood stormwater ponds for recreation activities.
While your local stormwater pond may look like a great place to have a game of pick-up hockey or a leisurely skate, don’t be fooled. These ponds have a specific job, and that’s to continuously collect stormwater runoff from neighbourhoods.
Because of this function, they are designed to have water flowing in and out of them all year long (from rainfall and snowmelt), making them an unsafe place to play. See for yourself – the next time you venture out to a storm pond, look around the edges of the pond and at the water outlets. You will often see open water, even in the winter!
No matter how deep into the winter or how thick the ice may appear, temperature changes can cause major variations in ice thickness. Air pockets are also easily formed under the surface and contaminants like salt weaken the ice. All these factors combined create dangerous and unpredictable conditions that put your safety at risk.
Now, more than ever, we know the global pandemic and the measures our Provincial government have put in place to keep us safe are creating a need to get outside, be active and enjoy nature. With that in mind, we’d like to assure watershed residents that our conservation areas and trails are open and can be used safely as long as visitors follow the safety guidelines, including:
- Visit only with your immediate family
- Maintain a distance of 2 metres/6 feet from all other park and trail users
- Be patient and respectful to other park and trail users
- Always having a mask on hand (yes, even when you’re outdoors) in the rare case you aren’t able to maintain proper social distancing from others.
Find out how to stay safe when visiting conservation area close to home.
It is the mission of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to collaborate, protect and restore the Lake Simcoe watershed with innovative research, policy and action.
Media Contact:
Sinem Connor
Senior Communications Advisor
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Toll Free: 1-800-465-0437
Mobile: 289-763-4507
Email: s.connor@LSRCA.on.ca