Otter Lake Facts

Geography
    Otter Lake is a small headwater lake, situated in Leeds/Grenville County, and within the Township of Rideau Lakes in the heart of the Rideau Lakes Area. The lake lies close to Highway 15 between the villages of Lombardy and Portland, and is east of Big Rideau Lake. However Otter Lake is not part of the Rideau Canal System. It is part of the Otter Creek/Hutton Creek Complex which is an area with a large north-eastern drainage pattern towards the mid-part of the Rideau River. The lake is situated on a limestone plain which formed the bed of the western part of the Champlain Sea from approximately 13,000 to 10,000 years ago. The limestone plain abuts the Frontenac Axis of the Canadian Shield. As a result there are features around the lake which show the hard igneous rocks typical of the shield and also the soft light brown limestone typical of the Smiths Falls limestone plain.
     Otter Lake is about 5.3 km long and covers1700 acres. It is centered in an elongated drainage basin of about 10,000 acres. The catchment area draining into the lake is about 36 square km and the shoreline length is about 20 km. The lake is 124 meters above mean sea level and is part of the Rideau River drainage basin. There are several parent streams flowing into Otter Lake and one primary outlet, which is Otter Creek, which meanders about 33 km before flowing into the Rideau River south of Smiths Falls. Otter lake is also fed by numerous springs although little is known about the volume or source of these springs. Overall, the water in Otter Lake replenishes about every four years by surface runoff, precipitation and springs.
    There are numerous natural wetland areas around the lake that are important habitats for wildlife. Some of these wetlands have been classified as “Provincially Significant” Other wetland areas are considered "Locally Significant" and some have not yet been evaluated or classified. Despite it's relative small size Otter Lake holds a large volume of water and is quite deep, up to 120 ft at it's deepest location. This means that the lake is one of the last lakes in the Rideau Lakes region to freeze in winter. As a result, in late November and often most of December the lake is home to a large variety of water fowl. Development
     Otter Lake was named as early as 1805 and, in the early 1900s, it became a favoured fishing, camping and cottaging location. American visitors bought an island in 1917 and built a fishing club there. From the 1870s to the 1950s, the catchment basin was farmed. Some of the first families to settle the area during this period included Anderson, Frayn, Looby, Gillespie, and Wills. Between 1953 and 1991, a large degree of naturalization took place with farmland being abandoned and shrub and tree cover replacing open fields. Cottage development accelerated in the 1960's and 1970's. The majority of the first cottagers were residents of Smiths Falls. Camp Otterdale was founded in 1955 by the Harrisons at their family cottage on the west shore of Otter Lake. 3 camprgrounds/trailer parks were developed in the 1980's. Cuirrently only the wetland areas remain undeveloped, hence the development pressure on Otter Lake is relatively high with approximately 330 cottages and 4 commercial properties. However there is a large area bordering the shoreline in the southwest of the lake that is a conservation area owned by RVCA and which remains undeveloped.

Wildlife
     Otters experienced extirpation from Otter Lake in the first half of the twentieth century kely post 1930s. Anecdotal sightings suggested otters returned to Otter Lake in the mid-2010s with confirmed sightings in 2019 and 2020. Lake Trout also experienced extirpation from Otter Lake likely in the 1970s. There were a few attempts at stocking Lake Trout but they failed and the program was switched over to Splake in the 1980s and 1990s by MNRF. Since the 2000s, the lake was no longer stocked with Splake primarily because of low oxygen in deep waters during the summer months. However oxygen levels have increased considerably since 2010 so the lake could now easily support lake trout if they were introduced and could survive predation by other more established species of fish.
     The common loon is a frequent summer visitor arriving in early May and often staying until late November. The lake is home to about 4 or 5 loon pairs that nest in many of Otter Lake's wetlands and small islands. Their nests can often be found if you know where to look and occasionally a loon can be seen sitting on it. Hatching usually occurs towards the end of June or early July. While the young loons are natural swimmers they cannot dive so they have to be fed by their parents. In addition to loons mergansers can often be found sitting on docks in the early Spring and swimming close to shore with their large families of ten or more chicks. Canada geese often stop off at Otter Lake in the early Spring to raise their families. While the goslings are really cute when they first take to the water, the geese family has to stick around until the young are able to fly and they love to eat juicy fresh grass close to the shore. As a result they also leave lots of stuff behind on that same shore! The lake is also home to many great blue herons who mostly spend their time in and around wetlands. While generally a rather timid bird one may occasionally stay long enough on a dock to be photographed.
     There is an abundance of wildlife on land too. Deer are frequently sighted on cottage access roads and even in property owners yards. The occasional black bear has also been sighted though not as yet photographed. Raccoons are frequent visitors all year round along with many chipmunks and frogs near the shore who give propery owners a chorus of song in the Spring. Snapping turtles are often found in many strange places when they leave the lake and come ashore to nest and lay eggs.
     Because Otter Lake lies more or less in a north/south direction, there are often some spectacular sunrises and sunsets that can be viewed from property owners docks, balconies and decks. We also get some spectacular sound and light shows along with our late evening summer thunderstorms. Otter Lake has several islands. Most of the larger islands are privately owned with cottages, however the smaller ones, many of which are mere granite outcrops make for excellent picnic or camping spots often with excellent swimming.
     In late November and often most of December before freezeover the lake is home to a large variety of water fowl. Loons, Goldeneyes, Mergansers and even the occasional Trumpeter Swan will use the lake as a stopover point during their migration South for the winter.