2023 and 2024:

In 2023 and 2024, the TLA partnered with Friends of Temagami (FoT) on an important project. FoT built 14 thunderboxes (privies) specifically for Lake Temagami, as part of their Temagami-wide initiative to install 30 to 40 of these design wonders across the region in 2023.

The 14 units designated for Lake Temagami were delivered as prefabricated packages to the TLA Headquarters Building in 2023 – with easy-to-assemble instructions and FoT signage included. TLA members and other residents installed them at campsites of their choosing around the Lake in 2023 and 2024. A spade was left on each site to allow for easy relocation of its thunderbox, as the need arises.

Friends of Temagami VP, Emily Lebek, Resting on Her Laurels (photo by PJ Justason)

Thunderbox/privy installation and maintenance is an important way to safeguard the water quality of Lake Temagami. They must be well-constructed, located a distance from the shoreline (based on MOE recommendations), and the pits should be dug a minimum of one metre into the soil.

As of October 2024, approximately a dozen new thunderboxes/privies had been placed by TLA members and others on campsites around the Lake – including the NE Arm, in Loon Bay (near Kokoko Bay), and the mainland west of Cattle Island.

If you’re aware of a thunderbox/privy that should be replaced or repaired, please send a message to tla@onlink.net.

If you have a favourite campsite that you would be interested in improving, instructions for both the construction and installation of a privy are available below.

Privy Box Building Materials and Instructions:

• PrivyBoxes_rev2014 (PDF)