This is Volume 3, Issue 1 of the Healthy Lake Huron - Clean Water, Clean Beaches e-Newsletter. This May 2019 edition is the first issue of 2019 of the Lake Huron News Update. This is a free, regular e-newsletter with email news updates from the Healthy Lake Huron: Clean Water, Clean Beaches Partnership. Thank you for your interest in the work that has been done, is being done, and needs to be done to protect and improve the southeast shore of Lake Huron.
Welcome to spring on Lake Huron's southeast shore! We hope you had a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend for the unofficial start to summer. We encourage you to visit healthylakehuron.ca to find out about ways to help keep this Great Lake great. We have had several people subscribe recently to this e-newsletter and we thank you for your interest.
Learn about Great Lakes, fish, turtles, mussels and more at speaker series hosted by Lambton Heritage Museum during visit of interactive Canada’s Waterscapes travelling exhibit
Healthy Lake Huron partners included among speakers at Lambton Heritage Museum’s speaker series for visit of Canada’s Waterscapes travelling exhibition
Partners in the Healthy Lake Huron - Clean Water, Clean Beaches initiative are among the fascinating list of presenters in a summer speaker series hosted by Lambton Heritage Museum as part of the visit of Canada’s Waterscapes travelling exhibition.
Lambton Heritage Museum is located at 10035 Museum Road, south of Grand Bend (across from Pinery Provincial Park). To find out about the upcoming speaker events visit the Lambton County Museums’ website:
Canada’s Waterscapes is produced by the Canadian Museum of Nature in collaboration with the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council. This “engaging, family-friendly, interactive” travelling exhibit is at the Lambton Heritage Museum for five months only and it is being called “... a rare opportunity to see this interactive exhibition here ...” in the local area.
The Canada’s Waterscapes exhibit opened at Lambton Heritage Museum in May of 2019 and the travelling exhibit continues there until September 30, 2019. The Lambton Heritage Museum held an opening reception, for the travelling exhibition, on Saturday, May 4, 2019 during Museum Month. Museum hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission prices are $5 for adults; $4 for students and seniors; and $3 for children ages 5-12. (A family admission is $15). The speaker series and PA Day events are special programs included as part of the regular museum admission price.
Here are just some of the speakers this summer as part of this interesting speaker series:
You can celebrate World Turtle Day as Hope Brock, Healthy Watersheds Technician with Ausable Bayfield Conservation, presents about turtles on Thursday, May 23, 2019, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road? An introduction to Ontario’s turtles and what you can do to help them. Watch for a scheduled live broadcast of this talk on Facebook: WATCH LIVE
Mari Veliz, Healthy Watersheds Manager at Ausable Bayfield Conservation, presents about Great Lakes Need Great Watersheds on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
You may celebrate Family Fishing Week with Kari Jean, Aquatic Biologist at Ausable Bayfield Conservation, as she introduces local animals, and discusses efforts to help protect their habitat, in her talk Feisty Fish and Mighty Mussels: An introduction to the globally rare, local aquatic species on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
There are several other presenters of interest during the museum’s speaker series.
Topics include The Old Ausable Channel of Pinery Provincial Park: An ecological time capsule, presented by Alistair MacKenzie, the Supervisor of Natural Heritage Education and Resource Management at Pinery Provincial Park, on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Max Morden, of Lakeshore Eco-Network, will talk about the network’s work planting native trees and raising awareness of issues of biodiversity and climate change. His talk, Tree-mendously Important: The 5000 Trees Project, is Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at 6 p.m.
You can learn about “Canada’s worst invasive plant” from Nancy Vidler on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with her talk on Invasive Phragmites Australis: Why do we need to be concerned? She will talk about how a volunteer community group came together to restore and protect the natural habitats in Lambton Shores.
During the first Professional Activity (PA) Day in June, on Friday, June 7, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., conservation educators, from St. Clair Region Conservation and Ausable Bayfield Conservation, are at Lambton Heritage Museum to teach on special ways water has shaped our local area. Activities include touchable tables (with items like turtle shells and mussels); raccooning for mussels (digging through muddy water for mussel shells); a scavenger hunt; and a chance to use sieves and magnifiers to investigate sand. Attendees are welcome to tour Lambton Heritage Museum’s Canada’s Waterscapes exhibition during their visit.
These are just some of the rare and engaging events taking place at Lambton Heritage Museum. Visit their website at www.heritagemuseum.ca to find out more.
Funding available in Huron County for septic system upgrades through Huron County Clean Water Project
The Huron County Clean Water Project is gearing up to tackle another potential source of water pollution: septic systems
Huron County people living in the countryside and hamlets – including homes and cottages along Lake Huron – have septic systems to treat household waste from kitchens and bathrooms. When functioning properly, septic systems are a cost-effective, efficient method of treating waste. But they have a lifespan and faulty septic systems are a daily source of contamination.
“Failed septic systems are demonstrated point sources of nutrient loadings, infectious agents, residual medication and domestic products that can have a chronic negative effect on watercourses in Huron County,” said Doug Hocking of Maitland Valley Conservation. “All septic tile beds eventually require replacement.”
The County of Huron, through the Huron County Clean Water Project, is allocating a total of $40,000 to the septic system upgrade category in 2019 with a maximum grant of $2,000 per project. Systems that have the potential to contaminate drinking water and those near municipal drinking water wells are the main focus. Residences west of Highway 21 are also high priority because of their potential impact on swimming beaches.
The grant approval process is similar to other Huron County Clean Water Project projects. Staff will help landowners complete the application form which is evaluated by the grant review committee. Applicants will need a cost estimate from a licensed contractor in order to apply. When the project is approved, completed and paid for, staff do a final site visit and the grant is issued.
The first application deadline is May 31, 2019 and the second intake period ends August 31, 2019.
The Huron County Clean Water Project has 17 project categories to help landowners, residents, and community groups in Huron County to improve and protect water quality. The county program has provided grants to more than 2,800 projects since 2004.
Huron County people interested in applying are invited to call Doug Hocking at Maitland Valley Conservation (519-335-3557, extension 236) or Kate Monk at Ausable Bayfield Conservation (519-235-2610, extension 227).
Love Your Greats this Saturday, August 10, 2019
A day to celebrate our Great Lakes, called Love Your Greats, takes place on Saturday, August 10, 2019.
Love Your Greats is held the second Saturday of every August.
Love Your Greats Day promotes education, local action to protect our Great Lakes.
This day encourages making changes to reduce plastic use (to reduce plastic, microplastic, and nanoplastic pollution); education about Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes and sustainable practices; and water protection projects such as rain gardens, wetlands, tree planting, and responsible purchase of products that don’t pollute.
Jen Pate, of Bayfield, said local communities can take action to protect Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes.
There are many residents and landowners, businesses, community groups, and other organizations that are partners in this work to encourage education and positive local actions. There are many ways people can help to protect and improve their lake, whether it’s a two-minute beach clean with an app (visit beachclean.net); reducing plastic pollution by refilling your reusable water bottles at Blue Bayfield’s Blue Betty bike or at the water refill station at Grand Bend’s Main Beach or at a number of other local locations; or visiting participating sustainable businesses and markets within walking distance of local communities.
“Change starts with the smallest steps,” according to Love Your Greats organizers.
Bayfield is one of several lakeshore communities doing projects to help protect the lake. Homeowners, community groups, the Municipality of Bluewater, and other organizations are working to help protect the quality of water entering Lake Huron and the Bayfield River. The community has embarked on projects help to improve the quality of water with rain gardens and soakaways, rain barrels, tree planting, permeable pavement, and more.
You are invited to take a Stormwater Stroll self-guided walking tour in Bayfield, along the shores of Lake Huron, and to check out different urban initiatives in the village. To learn more, and to download the Bayfield Stormwater Stroll brochure, please visit the Ausable Bayfield Conservation website at abca.ca at this link:
The Bayfield Stormwater Stroll self-guided walking tour includes stops to view residential and community rain gardens, permeable driveways, rain barrels, tree planting, planting of native species, and more.
“To keep Lake Huron healthy, we need to look at what we can do on our own properties to minimize stormwater pollution,” according to the Stormwater Stroll brochure. “Stormwater is water from rain or snowmelt that does not soak into the ground. Instead, if flows over the land and can pick up sediment, fertilizer and bacterial pollutants and carry them to the lake.”
On Love Your Greats Day you may check out Yellow Fish Road™ education efforts. In local communities, young people, including Guides and Scouts, have painted yellow fish beside some storm drains. These fish are a reminder that only rain water should go down the drain. Anything else can have an impact on fish and water quality.
These are just some of the projects and locations in shoreline and inland communities that showcase what is being done, and what can be done, to keep our Great Lake great.
There are ways to learn about tree planting, cover crops, and other best management practices online at local conservation organizations. People can learn about the role of soil health in protecting water in creeks, rivers, and the lake at the Huronview Demonstration Farm near Clinton (Visit huronview.net to find out more). You are also invited to visit businesses and locations, in local communities, striving to be more sustainable for a healthier Lake Huron future.
LEVELnews is a newsletter that provides a monthly update on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River water levels.
Based on March water levels, the April newsletter reported that " ... all the Great Lakes remain well above their average levels when compared to their seasonal values from 1918 to 2018 ..." and "... above-average water levels are expected to continue."
The newsletter reported that "... beginning-of-April levels of lakes Michigan-Huron and Erie were the highest they have been in over 20 years for this time of year ..." The newsletter also reminds us that water levels seasonally rise in the spring so everyone "... should be prepared for impacts from potential flooding in low-lying areas and shoreline erosion."
Lake Huron is above average but we may not reach record levels this year: "The probable range of values to July for Lake Michigan–Huron are between 36 cm and 71 cm above average, and even if the lake receives exceptionally wet conditions, the levels are forecasted to stay below record high values ..."
Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association holds 2019 Annual General Meeting
The Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association (BPBA) will be holding its annual general meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Head Rotary Hall. Everyone is welcome.
Presentations include:
Dr. Bulent Mutus - Going to the roots: A way to mediate nutrients in wastewater
Dr. Jaclyn Cockburn - Looking back to see forward: How paleolimnology can inform environmental management
To learn more visit the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association website:
The BPBA's Six Streams Water Quality Initiative is one of six priority areas (sentinel watersheds and beacon areas), along Lake Huron's southeast shore, of the Healthy Lake Huron - Clean Water, Clean Beaches Partnership.
The Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association recognizes water quality is fundamental to ecological and human health and it is a necessary foundation for our region’s economic prosperity.
To ensure action to match the "clean water, clean beaches" words, the BPBA started a multi-year Six Streams Initiative to reduce phosphorus, nitrates, E. coli, oil, and other pollutants from entering our streams and our lake.
The association's objectives for the project include:
Gather information on the quality of the water in our streams
Provide cattle with alternative watering sources, other than streams
Reduce phosphorus and sediment loading from soil erosion into the streams
Fix failing septic systems
Improve shoreline stewardship
Visit local public health websites, social media channels in 2019 for info on recreational beach water quality
Warm, dry weather for swimming may seem like it's some time away but it will come! As you plan your time on Lake Huron in 2019, don’t forget to visit your local public health unit websites and sign up for their social media feeds to find out about safe swimming practices.
Local public health is an important partner in the Healthy Lake Huron – Clean Water, Clean Beaches partnership.
In some cases, local beaches may be posted if health units believe there may be a risk to the public when the levels of E. coli exceed (or are predicted to exceed) the federal guidelines and provincial standard (200 E. coli per 100 mL of beach water) for recreation.
Other factors such as environmental conditions may also cause beaches to be posted. However, even though local public health agencies conduct monitoring and testing on a number of public beaches, swimming and recreational conditions can change quickly. It’s important to know about recent weather events and to follow best practices.
Health units can’t monitor all beaches and they can’t do it all the time or monitor for all pollutants – also, they don’t test other bodies of water such as creeks and streams, rivers, ravines, gullies, and dams. Residents should be aware these areas could be unsafe for swimming.
When beaches are monitored they are usually monitored for Escherichia coli levels only. There may be other harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or pathogens in the water.
Sources of E. coli may include, among other things, animals and waterfowl, malfunctioning sewage disposal systems, and stormwater runoff carrying chemicals and excess nutrients into creeks, rivers, and the lake. The number of E. coli can be influenced by rainfall, turbidity (water clarity), air and water temperature, as well as the features of the coastline.
The return of warm swimming days may be a few days away – but it’s never too early to follow your local public health channels for information on beaches and water quality – and other local public health issues. Here’s how to find out more:
Online:
Here are some of the local public health websites with information on water quality and safe swimming:
Recreational water use is popular in Grey and Bruce counties. These activities can deliver important benefits to health and well-being. Yet, there is the possibility of injury or illness resulting from recreational use if the water is polluted or unsafe. Human illness and infection can be caused by organisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) that may be present in pools; spas and hot tubs; and natural bodies of water.
Beaches in Grey and Bruce County have a history of being safe. However, water quality can change from day to day or even hour to hour depending on the weather and other conditions. High bacteria levels usually occur due to weather-related events.
The health unit encourages beachgoers to make an informed decision about beach water quality in real time before you go swimming. “You are the best judge of whether the water is safe to swim!”
Grey-Bruce Health Unit provides these four questions to guide beachgoers in their decisions:
QUESTION:
Is the beach posted with a warning sign? ANSWER:
If you answered yes – Do not swim.
QUESTION:
Has there been a heavy rainfall in the last 24 to 48 hours? ANSWER:
If so, bacteria levels may be higher. In that case, Do not swim.
QUESTION:
Can you see your feet at adult-waist depth? ANSWER:
If you can’t see your feet at adult-waist depth, cloudy water can mean that bacterial levels may be higher. In that case, Do not swim.
QUESTION:
Are there any other problems with the beach such as a large number of waterfowl, dead fish, algae and/or scum, or dangerous debris, etc. ANSWER:
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any one of the four examples in the question above - you should not swim. The water may have high levels of bacteria that could increase the risk of skin, eye, ear, nose and throat infections or gastrointestinal illness.
Also – the health unit reminds you to avoid swallowing beach water no matter how clear the water looks!
In Huron County:
The quality of Lake Huron water can change dramatically day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute with either heavy rainfall, high wave action, or both. The Huron County Health Unit encourages recreational users of Lake Huron to read the signs to reduce health risks.
To find out about the beach water sampling program please visit the website and follow Huron County public health on Twitter @huronbeachinfo during the 2019 season.
There are a number of initiatives underway in Huron County to improve water quality at the beaches and throughout the watershed. One of those projects involves monitoring stormwater outfalls at the Bayfield Main Beach. This project is organized by the Bluewater Beach Committee whose members include Pioneer Park, Municipality of Bluewater, Ausable Bayfield Conservation, and Huron County Health Unit. The most recent water test results can be found on the Bayfield Beach Stormwater Monitoring web page.
During the summer, Lambton County beaches provide tourists and local residents with a relaxing place to swim and play recreational sports. To ensure water is safe for swimming, Lambton Public Health tests and monitors seven public beaches from the beginning of June to the end of August for levels of E. coli bacteria.
There is also information for boaters, beachgoers, and other water enthusiasts here:
