Ramsey Lake Subwatershed Study and Master Plan – Phase 2 Report

On May 1, 2020   /   Blue Green Algae, Climate Change, Concerns, Drinking Water, Heavy Metals, Junction Creek, Natural Heritage, Ramsey Lake, Septic Systems, Stormwater, Studies, VRS Comments, Water Quality, Watershed Studies  

If the design objective is to meet and provide peak flow control for storm events, it is necessary to plan beyond the 1:100-year peak flow, and instead plan for the new norm of a 1:1000-year flood event.  Planning for the appropriate peak flow is crucial to building climate resilience and meeting the demand over the full lifecycle of the infrastructure.  If an inadequate peak flow formula is used it could result in significant additional costs to the City if it has to repair or tear up failing infrastructure to rebuild and increase capacity before it has reached its end-life.  “Even a 1000-year return period has a 5% risk of being equalled or exceeded in a 50-year period.”

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Bill 66 – Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018 – Request to Mayor & Council

On January 12, 2019   /   Concerns, Heavy Metals, Life on the River, Mining, Natural Heritage, VRS Comments, Water Quality  

It is crucial that we reject Bill 66, as risky development decisions made in this jurisdiction or adjacent municipalities could have negative impacts on Sudbury’s air, land and/or water, as well as the Great Lakes and many other highly valued ecosystems. Being “Open for Business” is a good thing, unless it is at the expense of public health and safety or the environment. 

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Assessing landscape and contaminant point-sources as spatial determinants of water quality in the Vermilion River System, Ontario, Canada

On August 14, 2017   /   Concerns, Heavy Metals, Mining, Studies, VRS Water Quality Study  

As part of the Lower Vermilion Source Water Quality Monitoring Project, funded through a 3-year Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, Carrie Strangway completed her Master’s Thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Science, Applied Bioscience, University of Ontario Institute of Technology.  What follows is Carrie’s published Thesis:

Abstract The Vermilion River and major tributaries (VRMT) are located in the Vermilion watershed (4272 km2) in north-central Ontario, Canada. This watershed not only is dominated by natural land-cover but also has a legacy of mining and other development activities. The VRMT receive various point (e.g., sewage effluent) and non-point (e.g., mining activity runoff) inputs, in addition to flow regulation features.

Further development in the Vermilion watershed has been proposed, raising concerns about cumulative impacts to ecosystem health in the VRMT. Due to the lack of historical assessments on riverine-health in the VRMT, a comprehensive suite of water quality parameters was collected monthly at 28 sites during the ice-free period of 2013 and 2014. Canadian water quality guidelines and objectives were not met by an assortment of water quality parameters, including nutrients and metals. This demonstrates that the VRMT is an impacted system with several pollution hotspots, particularly downstream of wastewater treatment facilities. Water quality throughout the river system appeared to be influenced by three distinct land-cover categories: forest, barren, and agriculture.

Three spatial pathway models (geographical, topographical, and river network) were employed to assess the complex interactions between spatial pathways, stressors, and water quality condition. Topographical landscape analyses were performed at five different scales, where the strongest relationships between water quality and land-use occurred at the catchment scale. Sites on the main stem of Junction Creek, a tributary impacted by industrial and urban development, had above average concentrations for the majority of water quality parameters measured, including metals and nitrogen. The river network pathway (i.e., asymmetric eigenvector map (AEM)) and topographical feature (i.e., catchment land-use) models explained most of the variation in water quality (62.2%), indicating that they may be useful tools in assessing the spatial determinants of water quality decline. Read more →

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Lower Vermilion Source Water Quality Monitoring Project – Final Report, by VRS

On March 31, 2016   /   Blue Green Algae, Concerns, Drinking Water, Heavy Metals, Mining, Sediment, Studies, VRS Comments, VRS Water Quality Study, Water Quality  

This is the result of a 3 year water quality sampling project on the Lower Vermilion River, within the Vermilion River Watershed.

A big thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding this important Project!!

Another big thank you goes out to KGHM International Ltd. for their generous donation and for Conservation Sudbury’s in-kind contribution towards the extension of our Project into the 3rd year!!

 

 

 

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Recovery of Chironomidae from metal contamination in a multi-stressor environment, by Zara Jennings, 4th year Thesis

On January 11, 2015   /   Concerns, Heavy Metals, Mining, Sediment, Studies  

Queen’s University student, Zara Jennings

In 2013, Zara Jennings, a Queen’s University 4th year student and her professor, Brian Cummings, undertook sediment core sampling on Wabagishik Lake.  Results indicated that the heavy metal contamination has steadily improved over the years; however,  heavy metal contamination is still well into the “severe effect level” and severe contamination lies within centimeters of the sediment surface.   Heavy metal contamination in the “severe effect level”, include nickel, copper, arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, cadmium and zinc.  Zara has provided an outstanding 4th year Thesis that will be a major part of the final project report for our 2-year Lower Vermilion Source Water Quality Monitoring study.

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Heavy Metal Contamination on Wabagishik Lake, Vermilion River – ORA presentation to MOECC

On January 11, 2015   /   Concerns, Dams, Heavy Metals, Mining, VRS Comments, Wabagishik Rapids  

In July of 2014, the Chair of the Vermilion River Stewardship made a presentation to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change staff regarding concerns about heavy metal contamination in the Vermilion River that was not properly addressed by the proponent in consideration of the Wabagishik Rapids Generating Station Environmental Report:

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