2018-Apr-18
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GBA continues to closely monitor the impacts on water quality from the fish farm operation at Lake Wolsey, an embayment of the North Channel on the north coast of Manitoulin island. We received photographs taken on the August Civic Holiday weekend by a local resident of the nasty blankets of algae in this bay, which prohibited normal enjoyment and impacted the safety of the waters. View the photos here: Algae on Lake Wolsey The same embayment has had annual toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) outbreaks as seen in the photo. These outbreaks pose a threat to humans, wildlife and pets. Public Health warnings are issued when this occurs. There appears to be a rise in dog deaths in North America from ingesting water containing cyanobacteria. Read more about it here.
High water levels are expected to continue on the Great Lakes despite the fact that all of the lake are expected to decline over the next month. Lakes St. Clair and Erie are 2 and 3 inches, respectively, above their highest monthly average August levels. Lake Ontario is 4 inches below its highest monthly average August level. All of the Great Lakes are forecasted to decline over the next month as follows: Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario by 2, 3, 5, 6, and 12 inches, respectively. Lake Superior’s outflow through the St. Marys River and the Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for August. Outflows from Lake St. Clair through the Detroit River, and outflows from Lake Erie into the Niagara River, are als
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has directed Hydro One to eliminate the seasonal rate class affecting secondary and seasonal use properties, but Hydro One is recommending an alternative approach - read about it here. Eliminating the seasonal rate class means that the majority of current seasonal rate customers would be reclassified into one of two other rate categories depending on their location: R1 class for properties located in medium density areas, or R2 class for properties in low density areas. Customers moving to the R1 class would see a slight decrease in their monthly distribution charges because R1 designates an area of higher population and concentration and is therefore easier to service. These customers would see a decrease in their annual hydro bills estimated at $7 - $9 p
A $2.2 million investment from the federal government is ensuring that rural communities in the Parry Sound area will receive new or improved high-speed internet connectivity. Read more about the program and which communities will benefit here.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has just announced 26,514 acres, or approximately 60 percent of Cockburn Island, just west of Manitoulin Island, have been protected. The island contains hardwood forest, wetlands and inland lakes that provide habitats and migratory stops for a wide variety of plants and animals. Read more about the acquisition and the island’s ecological significance here.
Although Great Lakes water levels are beginning their seasonal declines, they remain near record high levels. Over the last month Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie have declined 2 to 4 inches, Lake Superior is unchanged and Lake Ontario has declined by 10 inches. The projected net change in levels over the next month show water levels declining by 2 inches on Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron, by 5 to 6 inches on Lakes St. Clair and Erie, and by 12 inches on Lake Ontario. Lake Superior’s outflow through the St. Mary’s River and the Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for August. Outflows from Lake St. Clair through the Detroit River, and outflows from Lake Erie outflow into the Niagara River, are also projected to be
UPDATE: The Wasauksing Swing Bridge is now back up and running. Further to the article below, the bridge is now operating on it's regular schedule. Wasauksing Swing Bridge Is Currently Unable To Open To Traffic The historic Wasauksing Swing Bridge to Parry Island is currently stuck in road traffic-only position. Large sailboats, the Island Queen and all other vessels that require the bridge to open for them will not be able to use the south channel around Parry Island from Parry Sound until the problem is fixed. Read more about the issue here. For the latest updates on the bridge, check the Government of Canada website.
Water levels across the Great Lakes remain high. Lake St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are forecasted to exceed their highest recorded monthly average for August by 2 to 5 inches, Lake Superior is projected to meet its record, and Lake Michigan-Huron will be 2 inches below its record. Lake levels exceed last year by 8 to 15 inches on all lakes except for Lake Ontario, which is 27 inches above. The forecasted levels for September 9th for Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are 1, 2, 4, 6 and 12 inches, respectively, below their current levels, in accordance with the usual seasonal declines. Outflows from all lakes: Lake Superior’s through the St. Mary’s River, Lake Michigan-Huron’s through the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair through the Detroit River, Lake Erie
With support from the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, municipalities around Georgian Bay have signed onto the Partners for Climate Protection program (PCP) to work toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. Read more about the initiative here.
[caption id="attachment_8553" align="alignleft" width="188"] Enjoying ice cream on Craganmor docks[/caption] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/great-lakes-water-problems-1.
The Great Lakes basin precipitation was 17% below average in July, the first month since March that the Great Lakes experienced below average precipitation. The water levels of the Great Lakes continue to be considerably above average. Lakes Superior, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are above their record high August monthly mean levels by 1 to 6 inches, while Lake Michigan-Huron is 2 inches shy of its record high August monthly mean. The Great Lakes are either nearing their seasonal peaks or have already started their seasonal decline. Lakes Michigan-Huron, Erie, and Ontario are 1, 3, and 7 inches respectively, below their levels of a month ago. Lake Superior’s level is an inch above what it was a month ago, whereas Lake St. Clair is near its level of a month ago. Looking a month into th
Intuitively we know how valuable our Georgian Bay environment is, but this report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) places a dollar value on all nature and biodiversity. This should help frame how governments make decisions on environmental protections and the need to strengthen them. Read more about the economics of nature here.