Newsletter - December, 2015

Dr. Rob Stewart of the Faculty of Geography and the Environment at Lakehead University (front right) leads a group of students from around Lake Superior to a viewpoint overlooking Thunder Bay Harbour near Centennial Park.

Youth Symposium Engages Lake Superior Students

Canadian and U.S. students from schools around Lake Superior met in Thunder Bay this spring as part of the Lake Superior Youth Symposium hosted by Churchill High School. The three day symposium in May allowed participants to explore the challenges and accomplishments of protecting and managing Lake Superior.

Students were lead by various local organizations to unique learning locations and the Infosuperior office at Lakehead University participated by taking students on a tour of the North Shore Steelhead Association’s George Creek Habitat Rehabilitation Project at Centennial Park. Students were shown why and how a small stream, heavily impacted by “landscaping” had been rehabilitated to restore ecological integrity, including fish habitat and ease of passage for native fish species.

After the visit to George Creek, students walked from the Centennial Park chalet to a lookout over the Current River put in place by organizations including the City of Thunder Bay, Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, Hydro One Networks and the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists. Students then walked to a location overlooking Boulevard Lake and Lake Superior where information was provided about the ships, grain elevators and islands they were seeing. Students were fortunate in seeing an ocean-going vessel being loaded at Richardson's grain elevator. Michigan students along on the tour were proud to point out Isle Royale in the distance beyond the Sleeping Giant, making sure all were aware that this U.S. national park was part of Michigan.

Mayor Gary Nelson of Red Rock

Red Rock Treatment Plant Construction to Proceed

Construction of a new nine million dollar wastewater treatment plant for the Town of Red Rock is proceeding. The federal and provincial governments are each providing half the funds for construction.

Red Rock Mayor Gary Nelson, Chief Administrative Officer Kal Pristanski and Public Works Superintendent Dave Pettersen attended the December 9th meeting of the Public Advisory Committee to the Nipigon Bay Remedial Action Plan in Red Rock. Town officials told the group that the Ontario Clean Water Agency had been named construction manager and construction tenders had been let on November 28th, to be opened on December 18th. Kal Pristanski noted that five companies had taken part in a site visit on December 9th.

Advisory Committee members learned that construction would begin in the fall of 2016 and be completed by 2018. Upon completion, a one year warranty is included for the plant.

Red Rock representatives were asked whether stormwater would flow through the new plant or be separated from sanitary flow. Town officials responded by saying a plan providing for separation was part and parcel of the project. Stormwater infiltration to a wastewater treatment plant can add unnecessary volume, stress and cost to plant operation since the plant is, in effect, treating clean rain water.

Town officials concluded their presentation by thanking Remedial Action Plan representatives for their assistance in procuring funding for the new plant.

Original Nipigon Bay Public Advisory Committee members, some still active committee volunteers, with debris pulled from Nipigon's Clearwater Creek - early '90's.

Environmental Action in Nipigon Bay

 The Nipigon Bay Remedial Action Plan (RAP) hosted an open house on May 7th at the Nipigon Recreation Centre including a presentation, question, answer and public comment period. The event was an opportunity for residents of Nipigon, Red Rock, Lake Helen and area to find out about completed RAP actions to restore environmental quality in Nipigon Bay. Ongoing monitoring and environmental programs for Nipigon Bay were also outlined. Representatives from the RAP Public Advisory Committee, Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry were on hand to answer questions/comments and discuss concerns.

 Efforts to restore ecological integrity to Nipigon Bay have involved several significant projects. Completed actions include:

• A Nipigon River Water Management Plan limiting water level fluctuations impacting fish populations

• A new secondary municipal wastewater treatment plant for the Town of Nipigon

• Substantial work to remove garbage/debris and rehabilitate Clearwater Creek in the Town of Nipigon

• A stormwater management plan for Clearwater Creek and the Town of Nipigon

• A Marina in Red Rock incoporating fish habitat features.

 Ongoing work in Nipigon Bay includes:

• Environmental monitoring

• Construction of a secondary wastewater treatment plant for the Town of Red Rock.

Nipigon Bay was originally listed as a Great Lakes "Area of Concern" because water quality and environmental health were severely degraded. This situation was due to industrial and municipal effluent discharges, accumulation of wood fibre and bark from log driving and fluctuating river flows due to hydro-electric generation. These factors caused several environmental problems, including heavily impacted fish populations. Work to implement remedial actions in Nipigon Bay has been ongoing since this location was identified as an Area of Concern in 1986 by the International Joint Commission in conjunction with the governments of Canada and USA.

May 7th Nipigon Bay RAP Open House Transcript.

Photos of the May 7th Nipigon Bay RAP Open House.

Log booms cover a substantial portion of Thunder Bay Harbour inside the breakwall in this 1938 aerial view. Infosuperior's mapping tool graphically displays historic conditions, cleanup actions and present day conditions.

New Infosuperior Mapping Tool

Go directly to the mapping tool...

Infosuperior has posted a new mapping tool providing an overview of the Thunder Bay “Area of Concern.” The online map shows the entire Thunder Bay Harbour which comprises this Great Lakes Area of Concern.  The map allows viewers to focus on specific harbour locations where remedial actions have been implemented to address issues like degraded habitat or contaminated sediment. Textual information is also provided outlining the specific environmental issue addressed, the action taken, the partners who put the project in place and the cost for each project. Links are provided to associated photos, video clips, documents and reports. Historical imagery is also provided for several project sites, allowing visitors to view specific project locations both before and after construction.

View the many Great Lakes mapping tools available on Infosuperior.

View real-time Lake Superior data including water levels on Infosuperior.

Volunteers Frank Edgson and Amy Godwin work on the George Creek rehabilitation project in Thunder Bay's Centennial Park. The project was completed in 2014.

Superior Streams Supports Ongoing Rehabilitation and Monitoring

Individuals and organizations with an interest in restoring the ecological integrity of area streams are cooperating as part of a group they’ve named Superior Streams. Members recognize the value of even very small streams as nursery habitat for fish in area waterways, including Lake Superior. Attention to water quality, flow, substrate material and vegetation are only part of the picture as this group understands the importance of the wide range of ecosystem processes in and around streams, all contributing to biological diversity and healthy aquatic ecosystems.

Many area streams have been degraded by various developments. Problems include culvert placement high above the streambed precluding fish passage, stream damage from nearby construction and “hardened” shoreline where habitat is eliminated by “improvements” like concrete retaining walls.

Representatives of the Northshore Steelhead Association have played a leading role in the work of Superior Streams. Lakehead University and the Thunder Bay Stewardship Council are also key participants. Work is strongly supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Environment Canada.

Progress to date includes stream rehabilitation projects at Kama Creek on Nipigon Bay and at George Creek, a small stream in Thunder Bay’s Centennial Park. In addition to identifying future streams which could benefit from rehabilitation, the group feels environmental monitoring is a critical next step. Members stress that monitoring is essential in establishing conditions before a project takes place and in scientifically documenting project benefits, as well as room for improvement, upon project completion.  Documenting parameters like water quality, flow rates, fish populations and species diversity will assist in determining where scarce resources should be allocated. Superior Streams will be expanding monitoring to the many North Shore streams flowing into Lake Superior. Once this “baseline” has been established, the group hopes further rehabilitation projects can be completed, assisting the fishery in and around Lake Superior and restoring ecological integrity to area streams.

View photos of the George Creek rehabilitation project.

View photos of the Kama Creek rehabilitation project.

What is Infosuperior?

Infosuperior is an organization based at Lakehead University focusing on Lake Superior restoration, protection, research, and information exchange. Infosuperior coordinates Remedial Action Plans, or cleanup plans, in three Lake Superior locations.  These locations are Thunder Bay, Nipigon Bay and Peninsula Harbour (the main harbour at Marathon) All of these points were designated by the federal and provincial governments as Great Lakes areas of environmental concern. Infosuperior also coordinates activities in an area of environmental concern designated as being in recovery. This is Jackfish Bay, just east of Terrace Bay.

Infosuperior is also involved in broader lakewide efforts and has begun partnership with the Great Lakes Research Centre at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan and the Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, Michigan. Engaging area residents, organizations and institutions in Lake Superior restoration and protection is critical for progress.

InfoSuperior operates within the Faculty of Geography and the Environment at Lakehead University under the direction of Dr. Rob Stewart. Support for Infosuperior's activities comes from Lakehead University, Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and from the volunteer efforts of public advisory committees in Lake Superior communities. View Ontario's Great Lakes Strategy here.

The www.infosuperior.com website contains a wide variety of information about Lake Superior including news, upcoming events, maps, marine charts, live water level data, documents and podcasts.