![Puslinch Lake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Puslinch_Lake.jpg)
Puslinch Lake is a
kettle lake
A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...
located in
Wellington County, Ontario
Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and is part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The County, made up of two towns and five townships, is predominantly rural in nature. However many of the residents in the so ...
, Canada. It is the largest kettle lake in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
The lake is "private", according to Puslinch Township Council, but some public access (beach and boat launch) was available near the trailer park until the owners closed both to the public in July 2020 after a snowmobile accident left the owners of the access point fiscally responsible. Prompting a quick closer of the public access point. In October 2020, Township of Puslinch announced that it "working towards creating a public access to Puslinch Lake".
The Puslinch Lake - Irish Creek Wetland, a provincially significant area, is adjacent to the lake.
Hydrography
The lake is normally fed by
surface runoff
Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil. This can occur when th ...
and underwater springs; there are no permanent inflow streams. Several
ephemeral stream
A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ar ...
s discharge into Mud Bay, however.
During high water conditions, the lake outflows into Puslinch Lake Creek, which is a part of the
Grand River drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
. There is a channel connecting Puslinch Lake to Little Lake, located to the northeast. However, it is devoid of moving water, except for high water conditions.
Ecology
The lake is relatively shallow, most of it being less than 2 m in depth; the maximum depth is approximately 5.5 m.
The deepest area corresponds to only 0.4% of the entire lake. Because of that, and due to very limited inflow and outflow, the lake actively undergoes the processes of
eutrophication
Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...
, with associated
algal bloom
An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompas ...
, low oxygen level, and periodic
fish kill
The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...
s. While these processes are natural, their rate is increased by anthropogenic factors, since a large portion of the lake's shoreline was modified from its original state to allow
residential development
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
. Increasing thickness of organic
sediment
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
s resulted in the necessity to
dredge
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
the lake.
Settling pond
A settling basin, settling pond or decant pond is an earthen or concrete structure using sedimentation to remove settleable matter and turbidity from wastewater. The basins are used to control water pollution in diverse industries such as agricul ...
s were constructed nearby; however, they were quickly deemed inadequate. A new approach was then implemented, involving moving the dredged material into porous bags, which allowed water to be released back into the lake. The remaining dried material is intended for sale as
topsoil
Topsoil is the upper layer of soil. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.
Description
Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic matt ...
enrichment.
Fish population
There are 16 species of fish present in the lake; some of them had been
introduced. The lake supports a population of
banded killifish
The banded killifish (''Fundulus diaphanus'') is a North American species of temperate freshwater killifish belonging to the genus ''Fundulus'' of the family Fundulidae. Its natural geographic range extends from Newfoundland to South Carolina, ...
, one of only a few known populations in the whole Grand River basin.
History
Permanent settlers first arrived to this area in the 1830s after it had been surveyed into lots for farms. Records indicate that the first settlers in the area were Peter and Alex Lamont in 1831; others subsequently arrived to replace the earlier squatters. In 1846, Rev. Father Simon Sanderl of Guelph had a small church build on the Big Island in Puslinch Lake as a mission; he left Wellington county in 1850 and later in that decade, two men converted the church into a hotel, which did not succeed.
The lake was a popular destination for picnics in 1867 and day trippers came often. By the 1870s, boat races were being held here on holidays and these "became a major attraction", according to one report. Guelph brewer
George Sleeman
George Sleeman (August 1, 1841 – December 16, 1926) was a brewer, a major figure in Canadian baseball, and a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was mayor of Guelph from 1880 to 1882 and from 1905 to 1906. Sleeman was also the president of the ...
purchased property here in the 19th century; he would eventually own 55 acres, some of it on nearby Little Lake. By the late 1880s,
Puslinch Lake "became a summer playground for residents of Wellington and Waterloo counties".
Sleeman built the Puslinch Lake Hotel in 1880 and purchased a steamboat for the lake that operated until 1883. (Hotels at the lake had been built previously by two other individuals, Alex Parks and Thomas Frame.)
After Sleeman encountered financial difficulties, the City of
Guelph, Ontario
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Welli ...
took over his properties at the lake in 1903. The city sold the acreage "for the development of private cottages" in the late 1920s according to a 2021 report. Another report, published in 2000, stated that the City placed the land on the market in 1916 after a plan had been completed to divide the eastern part of the City's property into 42 cottage lots and a resort.
A resort area known as Barber's Beach, called Swastika Beach until 1938, was developed in the 1920s by T. Ross Barber who imported sand to make the beach; he added a "change house, a bowling alley, and a big concession building that had a dance floor". This spot remained popular for decades and eventually housed 100 trailer sites and some cottages. The property was sold in 2000 and was developed into an area of luxury homes known as Irish Creek Estates. Barber had named the road near the beach Swastika Road long before the Nazi Party had gained power; some residents in the 21st century wanted it renamed but in December 2017, Puslinch Council voted to retain the original name.
Businessman J.W. Lyon owned property here at about the same time as Sleeman. He subdivided much of that land into 42 lots in 1916; most had been sold by 1932. The Eagle family owned the land at the east end of Puslinch Lake for decades; much of this was made into a subdivision of 26 lots in 1920, known as Eagle Park. According to the report published in 2000, "these subdivisions marked the beginning of the modern era of Puslinch Lake, which combined private cottages with publicly accessible facilities".
The property owners on the lake formed a charitable organization in 1997, Puslinch Lake Conservation Association, with a goal of "environmental restoration".
As of February 2021, the Township of Puslinch Web site indicated that "Puslinch Lake is a public lake with no formal maintained public access at this time".
Notable residents
*In July 2018,
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, &
Hailey Bieber
Hailey Rhode Bieber (; born November 22, 1996) is an American model, media personality, and socialite. She has been featured in major ads for Guess, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Early life and family
Hailey Rhode Baldwin was born in Tu ...
purchased a 9,000 Square foot and 101 Acres Manison for $5 Million dollars in Puslinch Lake. The Biebers spent their time at Puslinch Lake in 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
[https://bavarianwindows.com/inside-justin-biebers-home-on-puslinch-lake/]
References
{{authority control
Lakes of Ontario