Plume of silt heading north toward Tiny Township
source: AeroCamera Services Ltd./SSEA

The Nottawasaga River Plume
By Judith Grant

Four years ago, we published a picture of the plume of silt that emerges from the Nottawasaga River after heavy rain – a plume that is often carried north along the shore of Tiny Township, dropping silt as it goes. That picture was taken by the Severn Sound Environmental Association, and it graphically illustrated the SSEA’s suspicion that the river is the primary source of the high E. coli counts in Tiny’s swimming water immediately after storms. Since 2005, nothing has been done to confirm or disprove those suspicions, and so it has been impossible to decide on appropriate actions to take.

Unpleasantly high E. coli counts persist, particularly on the beaches of Concessions 1, 2 and 3. Under particular wind, wave, and rain conditions, they range at intervals all the way to Concession 9.

FoTTSA decided to address the matter with the Ministers of the Environment for Canada and Ontario, Jim Prentice and John Gerretsen. On January 16th, we wrote letters supplying information about the data gathered by the volunteer water sampling program and about the Township’s attempts to find a solution through the septic re-inspection program, its participation in the North Simcoe Geese Management Task Force, and its hiring of the SSEA to investigate possible sources of swimming water pollution. We referred to the investigative work that had been undertaken by both the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and Environment Canada (DOE) on the southeast shore of Lake Huron, where scientists have shown that the major rivers have a negative impact on lake water quality.

The letters concluded:

“We ask that your ministries undertake an Environmental Survey of the impact of the Nottawasaga River on water quality along Tiny Township's beaches, and we are requesting that the expertise within MOE and Environment Canada be made available to assess the problem. Specifically, we want the following questions answered:

(1) What are the contaminant levels in the discharge plume in Georgian Bay from the Nottawasaga River, before and after storm events?

(2) Do contaminants from the discharge plume of the Nottawasaga River reach the beaches of Tiny Township via currents and wave actions?

(3) What environmental factors lead to elevated levels of contaminants on the beaches of Tiny Township?

(4) What health risks do the contaminant levels present to swimmers using the beaches of Tiny Township?

(5) How can the beach pollution problem in Tiny Township be addressed and remediated? Finally, we ask that MOE bring together in an appropriate Working Group local beach associations, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, the Town of Wasaga Beach, the Township of Tiny, the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and local community groups to monitor the conduct of the requested Environmental Study and the subsequent programs to reduce contaminant loadings to the Nottawasaga River, with the ultimate goal of reducing the present unacceptable health risk on beaches of Tiny Township.”

The Council of Tiny Township, which was copied on the letters, had staff send letters to both Ministers supporting our request. Those letters were copied to the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) and to the Town of Wasaga Beach.

The response from Ministers Prentice (DOE) and Gerretsen (MOE) was discouraging. Neither proposed to have their departments address the problem through investigative work.

There were positive results, however. In February, Mayor Breckenridge and CAO/Clerk Doug Luker met with George Vadeboncoeur, CAO of Wasaga Beach, and Wasaga’s Deputy Mayor David Foster about FoTTSA’s letter and Tiny’s letter in support. The Wasaga representatives agreed to work with Tiny and share the information they receive in regular reports from the NVCA and from a community committee whose members live along the Nottawasaga River and monitor its water. They revealed that they too are concerned about what is happening to the river upstream. All four agreed that Tiny’s residents need to be aware of the results and trends of the testing of water quality in the Nottawasaga River, and agreed that a presentation by the NVCA, possibly during this summer’s Caring for Our Beaches conference on July 10, would be useful. This is going to happen. The NVCA has been invited to give the presentation “Is the Nottawasaga River affecting the water quality of the Bay?” at the conference.

On March 3, Mayor Breckenridge hosted a meeting of the mayors of municipalities from the Town of the Blue Mountains around the Bay to Georgian Bay Township, all of them members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. Among the topics discussed were three suggested by FoTTSA – controlling Phragmites australis, opposing major transfers of water from one Great Lake Basin to another, and cleaning up rivers that flow into the Great Lakes.

Out of this meeting came an “Information Session and Discussion” at Wasaga on April 16th organized by Janette Anderson of Environment Canada and hosted by Mayor Ellen Anderson, Mayor of the Town of the Blue Mountains. Those invited were political representatives from municipalities around southern Georgian Bay, representatives from key federal and provincial government agencies and groups, and, because of the January letters, the president of FoTTSA, the only citizens’ group invited. Experts made brief presentations about a range of environmental issues. At the end, Mayor Anderson asked each of the municipalities represented whether they wanted to work together on “Southern Georgian Bay Shoreline and Watershed Issues.” Everyone declared support.

This is very hopeful. Almost all environmental problems are larger than municipal boundaries. It’s important that they be managed on a regional basis. The government agencies appear to be strapped for cash when it comes to acting on the problems they perceive. They could, however, provide guidance for municipalities, the jurisdictions closest to the issues that require solution, as they work together to solve them.

While brainstorming and meetings are interesting, what must result is a series of actions. We’ll be keeping a watching brief on this one – and will report on what we observe.