RIDEAU LAKES — Lower Beverley Lake Park has some septic issues.
Rideau Lakes council received a staff report Monday outlining regulatory compliance issues at the municipally-owned park, but stopped short of giving direction on remediation or advancing a proposed tourist campground licensing bylaw.
The report, Lower Beverley Lake Park Compliance Matters, was received for information and will be considered as council continues discussions on the Tourist Campground Licensing By-law, which has been under development since 2024.
Lower Beverley Lake Park, often referred to as Delta Park, began development in 1967 as a Centennial project and has expanded incrementally over several decades. The park now includes about 235 campsites, including roughly 133 seasonal trailer sites, along with 11 cottages, two bunkies, washrooms, service buildings, and recreational facilities.
Septic and infrastructure compliance flagged
Manager of Development Services Tom Fehr told council on Feb. 2 the report was prepared to assess how the township’s own campground would measure against the standards proposed under the licensing bylaw.
“Late last year, the township received an engineering report from Egis in preparation for a future environmental compliance approval submission,” Fehr said.
He said the report reviewed 11 Class IV sewage systems serving facilities across the park.
“Of the 11 systems, all but one would need remedial work of some sort,” Fehr said, noting that some fixes would be minor, such as replacing an effluent filter, while others would require replacement of tanks and leaching beds.
While no immediate system failures were identified, Fehr said the systems would not meet current regulatory expectations without upgrades.
Building and planning concerns identified
Fehr also outlined potential building compliance issues, particularly in the seasonal trailer areas where accessory structures such as decks, sheds, and gazebos are present.
“There is potentially a significant gap between what has been built on individual trailer sites and the number of permits the township has on file,” he said.
From a planning perspective, Fehr said comprehensive site plan control approvals were largely absent following amalgamation, aside from a limited approval in 2008 related to the park pavilion.
“That site plan really just focused on the development of the pavilion and did not address the wider park as a whole,” he said.
Aerial imagery included in the report shows incremental expansion of the campground since about 2008, including increased trailer use in areas that were previously open fields.
“As you scroll through the imagery, you can see more rows and more trailers showing up,” Fehr said. “That’s development of the campground that would typically be subject to planning control.”
Rideau Lakes council debate centres on licensing bylaw timing
Council’s discussion focused largely on the status of the proposed campground licensing bylaw rather than on immediate remediation of the compliance issues.
Coun. Paula Banks questioned whether council would receive a detailed comparison between the compliance findings and the standards set out in the licensing bylaw.
“I just want to be clear what the motion is,” Banks said. “Are we going to do an actual comparison to the second reading, not in the next couple of weeks, but over the next couple of months?”
Fehr confirmed staff intend to bring forward another report addressing alignment between the park’s compliance status and the licensing framework.
Coun. Jeff Banks expressed frustration with further delays, noting the bylaw has been worked on over two terms of council.
“I don’t want to not pass it in this term of council,” he said. “This is the second term that’s been working on this.”
Jeff Banks suggested council could consider phased compliance timelines as part of the bylaw.
“That would allow us to go ahead and pass it,” he said.
Coun. Linda Carr also urged council to move the bylaw forward.
“The sooner we get this passed, the better,” Carr said. “A lot of people are waiting for this.”
Motion carried, no action directed
Council unanimously voted to receive the compliance report for information and to consider it as part of future implementation of the Tourist Campground Licensing By-law.
No cost estimates, timelines, or remediation plans were presented as part of the report, and council did not provide direction on next steps for addressing the compliance issues identified at the park.
Staff confirmed that a further report will be brought forward examining how Lower Beverley Lake Park aligns with the proposed licensing framework before any decision is made on third reading of the bylaw.
William Morris, manager of Lower Beverley Lake Park, said he preferred not to comment when contacted about the report’s findings.
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