Lake Scugog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lake Scugog
Location	Ontario
Coordinates	44°10′N 78°50′WCoordinates: 44°10′N 78°50′W
Primary inflows	Nonquon River, Layton River
Primary outflows	Scugog River
Basin countries	Canada
Surface area	514 km²
Average depth	1.3 m
Max. depth	7 m
Surface elevation	249.9 m
Islands	Scugog Island
Settlements	Port Perry

Lake Scugog is a lake in Scugog Township near the town of Port Perry, Ontario. The lake has an area of 514 km² with an average depth of 1.3 m. The lake is fed by the Nonquon and Layton Rivers and drained by the Scugog River. The depth of the lake has become more shallow over the past century as development around the lake has removed most of its forest cover, allowing it to fill with silt.

The lake was formed when William Purdy dammed the Scugog River at Lindsay, Ontario in 1834 to power his grist mill. The new lake was originally very unpopular with the local residents; its formation also destroyed the wild rice stands and cranberries harvested by the native Mississaugas. Today, the lake is used for fishing and recreational boating. The lake is surrounded by swamps and marshes which provide habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Lake Scogog also has an array of fish, such as muskellunge, sucker, bullhead, carp, rock bass, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch and walleye. link title

The name "Scugog" may be an Ojibwe word meaning "marshy waters". However, according to Place Names of Ontario by Alan Rayburn, Scugog is a Mississauga word meaning 'waves leap over a canoe' in reference to the flooding of the river valley.

[edit] Fish deaths

In June 2007, residents in Port Perry, Ontario are finding that fish have begun dying in Lake Scugog, where mostly carp has been dying. Residents around the lake have found approximately 500 carp carcasses per day. After testing, it is suspected that the bacteria columnaris is one of the causes of this massive carp massacre. [1][2]