4.0 Limnology of Long Point Bay

4.5 Agency and government responsibility for the limnological integrity of Long Point Bay

The primary governing bodies and agreements responsible for Great Lakes ecosystem functioning and rehabilitation in Canada are the binational arrangements represented by the International Joint Commission (IJC) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), and three Federal-Provincial agreements: the Strategic Plan for Ontario's Fisheries; the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Great Lakes Water Quality, and the Canada-Ontario Accord for Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality (Francis et al. 1985). The federal Department of the Environment (DOE) and the provincial Ontario Ministry of the Environment (OMOE) are also involved in Great Lakes water quality issues.

In response to the extreme eutrophication of Lake Erie in the 1960s, the International Joint Commission implemented phosphorus limitations for sewage treatment facilities in the Great Lakes. By 1983 phosphorus loads entering the Lakes were below that required by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (IJC 1983). Consequently, water quality on Lake Erie is much better now than in it was in the 1970s. In keeping with the agreement, the public sewage treatment facilities in the Long Point region are required to maintain less than 1 mg/l of phosphorus in discharge effluent. Ninety-eight percent reductions in the amount of phosphorus permitted in detergents, as required by the Department of the Environment in 1970, also contributed to improved water quality (Francis et al 1985).

While there are strict regulations for allowable levels of phosphorus in discharge waters, few other chemicals are specifically regulated. This should be cause for concern because many thousands of different chemicals are in use in the Great Lakes basin and new ones are continually being introduced (IJC 1984). Consequently, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act needs to implement more strict regulations for the development, manufacture, transport, distribution, use, and storage and disposal of toxic chemicals (Downey et al. 1994). However, plans for amelioration do seem to be progressing: the Pollution Prevention Initiative developed by Environment Canada has been striving to virtually eliminate contaminants in the Great Lakes by the year 2000. One of the mandates of the plan is to promote the substitution of traditionally used chemicals with safe alternatives which are non-toxic, less hazardous or recyclable (Downey et al. 1994). This will directly eliminate or reduce the amounts of hazardous waste entering the Great Lake system (Environment Canada 1991).

The OMOE monitors the quality of effluent leaving all public sewage treatment plants in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of the Environment 1992). The Port Rowan Sewage Treatment Lagoon discharges into Dedrick Creek (which drains directly into the Inner Bay) semi-annually in March and October (Downey et al. 1994). The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total phosphorus (TP) content of the effluent are below critical levels and meet provincial standards. Surprisingly, OMOE does not require treatment plants to test for allowable levels of contaminants in sewage effluent. In the past the Long Point Region Conservation Authority provided technical assistance and public education with regard to private septic systems under the Clean Up Rural Beaches Program (CURB). Private waste disposal in the Long Point and Turkey Point cottage areas remains a concern, as overextended disposal systems permit denitrification and seepage during high water levels. In addition to sewage effluent monitoring, the OMOE is also responsible for regular water quality monitoring of major rivers and streams, as well as for the prevention and cleanup of environmental catastrophes.