2011 Getting Worse!
NOTE: Boiling the water or using
home water treatment devices will NOT destroy the
toxins.
All fresh water ends
up in the ocean.
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Picture
taken by Allister d'Entremont over the northern
end of Lake Vaughan today..june 22,2011.
Click on picture to see
enlargement :-(
The Vanguard
-More
Info
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Pictures 2009-2010
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Boat launch
on Hamilton rd
west side Lake Vaughan
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| Cottage
on Carleton River |
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| http://www.yarmouth.org/magazine |
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Line where boat
made it's way through algae in Lake
Ogden
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Lake Fanning
June,27 2010
More
Pictures
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| Mink Stink
Song |
| Government Home
> Agriculture
> Contact
Us > Staff Directory |
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Trophic
Status
Low to High
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Total phosphorus (µg.L-1
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Ulta-oligotrophic
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<4
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Oligotrophic
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4-10
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Mesotrophic
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10-20
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Meso-eutrophic
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20-35
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Eutrophic
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35-100
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Hyper-eutrophic
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>100
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| Historical
Records of This Web Site:
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This
web site started 15
Apr
2009
at the request of Mr.John Horton
The records from then to now Nov 11 1010
are located HERE!
Pictures of polluted lakes can be found in
this section.
Carleton Group
Lawyer: Lisa Mitchell B.A,
LL.B, (Curriculum
Vitae
)
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Eutrophication
syndromes
Eutrophication
is a syndrome of ecosystem responses to
human activities that fertilize water
bodies with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus
(P), often leading to changes in animal
and plant populations and degradation of
water and habitat quality.
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Mink: www.Zibabin.com
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Mersey
Tobeatic Research Institute
ACPF
Volunteer
Water
Quality
Monitoring
Protocol.pdf
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East side
shore of Pickle Pond, Lake Fanning.
27 June 2011(Fact
Sheet PDF)
Sun, Jun 26 - 5:32 AM
YARMOUTH — Pond scum has been noticed
creeping across the top of Yarmouth County’s Lake
Vaughan. Other Yarmouth County lakes including
Ogden and Fanning are also reported to be in
bloom, said Debbie Boudreau of the Tri-County
Watershed Protection Association. More....
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As the nutrient
level in a water body increase it promotes algae
growth which uses up the nutrients.
Therefore testing of water will show high levels
or low levels depending on when the tests are
made.
Hourglass:
2008 15.0 Eutrophic/* 60
2009 3.8 Mesotrophic/*** 134
2010 13.0 Eutrophic/** 58
The results above may not show a change in
nutrient levels as much as it dose a change in the
time when tests were taken.
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Atlantic
Whitefish (Coregonus huntsmani)
Link:http://www.gov.ns.ca/Fish/sportfishing/species/atlwhite.shtml
From: Gilbert
Chandler <gjcchand@yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Subject: acadian or white fish white cedar
and lichen
One of the protected and
rare species that is here and no
where else in the world is the
Acadian or Atlantic White fish. It
is in the Annis river and Tusket
river system. No other known place
on earth.
Also the White Cedar, and a
certain kind of rare Lichen lives
in a protected area in the danger
zone of this mink farm,
the Black Water Brook
system. The Annis river
system is very close, a km maybe
from the mink land. Why
locate a mink farm here?
Why would we want to destroy or
endanger this. Forever is a long
time.
Please forward this to anyone
you wish.
Thanks
gil
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June 6, 2011 Vanguard
news
Town
exploring water concerns
The Town of Yarmouth is exploring
what impact a reported new mink
operation in Digby County could have
on the town’s Lake George water
supply.
Councillor Ken Langille, the chair of the
town’s water utility, says the issue was brought
to his attention by a Digby County resident who
said the Municipality of Clare had granted a
permit for the construction of a mink ranch.
Langille said the location is “approximately six
kilometres as the crow flies” from Lake
George. More.......
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Wed, 01 Jun 2011
FYI
Is Yarmouth Town & Municipality
next in line for Lake George Water
being polluted with cyano
bacteria from a new mink farm?
Please
read and forward.
Alain
Belliveau works for MTRI and teaches at
Dalhousie University.
Hello:
I've caught wind of news that the
construction of a new mink ranch is proposed for
the Annis Lake area, which affects a large
watershed in both Digby and Yarmouth counties.
I've attached a map of the watershed, and also
of the other three major watersheds currently
affected by mink ranch operations according to
very strong suggestions in a recent report
published by the Nova Scotia Department of
Environment and the Acadia Center for
Estuarine Research. The report is also
attached.
It's nice to have jobs for folks, and it's
nice to make a profit and bring in money to the
region so we can all prosper, but it can be done
better and it can be done right. This email is
just a heads-up for community members that are
affected by the health of these watersheds, in
case you may want to be involved in getting this
right. It is entirely possible to have "model"
mink ranches that are beneficial to the
environment, increase the region's food security
(by using the composted carcasses and manure for
food production), and keep the jobs and profit.
For now at least, it seems as though we'll need
a bit of a community push to reach this
goal.
If you have any concerns, contact
municipalities, get to know the voices in your
area and provide support of any kind. Read the
attached report, look over the watershed maps,
forward this message to folks you believe may
also share your concerns.
Take care,
Alain
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May 22-2011From: John Horton
<halleyhort@hotmail.com>
The Promise of Political
Protection For Polluters
The lake is beautiful to look at, so named
because of its resemblane to the
ancient timepiece. HOURGLASS LAKE is a
headwaters lake, and one might expect it to be
pristine....NOT SO.,for this public
watercourse fully absorbs the leachant of a
mink farm and a fish hatchery ..
this aerial photo shows the subject of a
promised Department of Environment investigation
into sources of nutrient in watercourses of south
western Nova Scotia..... a fish hatchery
that pumps large volumes of lakewater through
thousands and thousands of fish,expelling the
fouled water back into the lake, and a mink farm
that leaches its nutrients down that
hill into the lake......
Enlarging the image shows some of the
circular plastic lined above-ground pools used in
the operation. Other pools are housed underneath
the plastic covered 'greenhouse' structures.
What about waste management costs.? No
big expense to this operation ..thanks
to a public waterway carriying
water soluble nutrients 'away'..
The 2008 Department of
Environment waterways study named the
aquaculture operation as a 'possible source of
pollution', and recommended further study
and mitigation. Nothing happened.
Three years later, the recognition of a
highly visible pollution source
that somehow avoided prosecution for all these
years.
Take a drive along route 340 and see for
yourself...Isn't Hourglass Lake Beautiful? I
wonder why there are no cottages........?
You can talk all you want about dead seagulls,
rotting mink carcasses,stinkpipes
,pesticides,industrial chemicals,foecal count,
sky-high nutrient levels , serious health hazards
.........and property values..This government is
determined to stay the course throughout its
political duration, and has promised BUSINESS AS
USUAL to polluters. Like it or not, there
will be 3 more years of criminal neglect of our
Environment while the NDP carry out
their
Promise of 3 more years of
Political Protection for Polluters.
They're poisining our rivers, and some very greedy
people keep telling us that we will
have to "share our waterways" with industry.
No government has the right to give away our clean water...
this government already did.
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27apr2011:
Suzuki
Foundation supports citizen
groups in "mink stink"...
A
letter written by the David
Suzuki Foundation and
four Nova Scotia citizen
groups concerned with water
conservation and protection
has been sent to Nova Scotia
Premier Darrell
Dexter and
Nova Scotia mink breeders,
stating that unregulated mink
farming in southwestern Nova
Scotia is polluting local
lakes, putting human health at
risk and threatening wildlife.
The
letter is accompanied by an
"overview of concerns" , with
headings such as: threatened
lakes and ecosystems, health
impacts of cyanobacteria,
management of phosphorus, the
mink industry, etc.
The
Foundation expressed specific
concerns, including: Department
of Agriculture Fur
Industry Act was
passed following several years
of input by the fur industry
but virtually no input from
other members of the public. saying that new
regulations will not
consider the cumulative
effects of multiple mink
operations in one watershed;
the Department is the primary
promoter of the fur industry
and is also the primary
regulator; the
1. Copy of letter sent by http://www.davidsuzuki.org/media/news/downloads/mink
letter - final.pdf
2. Publication in Vanguard April 26, 2011 Link
3.
http://www.shelburnecountytoday.com/
4.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/media/news/2011/04/groups-call-on-nova-scotia-government-and-mink-breeders-to-clean-up-fur-farming/
Mink in the Nova Scotia
Legislature................... Read More
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| Introduction |
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While other
provinces and countries are phasing out mink
factories, in our area they are increasing. The
number of mink, in SWN, in several hundred
square miles, almost equals the total number found
in the whole of the USA (2.8 million (S)).
The
concentration
of
mink
in
South
West
Nova
is
problematic.
The
need
for
employment
opportunities
in
our
area
is
a
major
concern.
Our
luck
with
political
solutions
is
complex
beyond
comprehension.
Parts
of
the
Carleton
aquatic
system
and
habitats
resemble sewers. I cannot believe that
anyone, including ranchers, wants to see this
happen. But it is happening!
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| What will 2011 bring?................. |
Yarmouth Bureau Tue, Mar 15 ..Carleton
River pollution blamed on mink farms Report: Home
septic tanks not at fault By BRIAN MEDEL http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1233079.html
The report is the first one to suggest the problem
comes from mink ranches and not from the local
homeowners themselves, said Carleton resident
Allen Hall, a medical doctor.
Microcystins:
Introduction
to one of the dangerous organisms found in
nutriant rich waters.
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Vanguard February
11, 2011
Whether or not Camp Wapomeo will open this
summer is still unknown but the outlook isn’t
good.
http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/2011-02-11/article-2218341/Camp-Wapomeo-in-limbo/1
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February 9, 2011 Murky
Waters: Contentious mink farm
development given green light
YARMOUTH COUNTY, NS—A proposed mink ranch
development on Sloans Lake appears to be
moving forward, much to the consternation of
area residents who had been under the
impression that the development application
had been rejected under a municipal land-use
bylaw.
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3847
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Documents: 2010-2011
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January 2011 M.
Brylinsky Acadia Center for Estuarine
Research Acadia University Wolfville Nova
Scotia:
In 2008, as a
result of concerns that water quality was
becoming seriously degraded within a number of
lakes located within the Carleton, Meteghan,
and Sissaboo River watersheds, the Nova Scotia
Department of Environment initiated a program
designed to evaluate the water quality status
of nine lakes located within these watersheds.
The results of this initial evaluation
indicated that water quality was impaired in a
number of the lakes surveyed, particularly
with respect to high nutrient concentrations
resulting in the development of high algal
concentrations. In some instances the high
algal concentrations contained species of
blue-green alga known to produce microcystins,
a toxin that, under certain conditions, may be
harmful to humans, livestock and wildlife. As
a result, further studies were carried out in
2009 and 2010 to better document the extent of
the degradation in water quality and to
determine its potential causes. This report
summarizes the results obtained during the
three survey years with a focus on water
quality parameters that, when impaired, are
potentially harmful to humans or can lead to
the deterioration of conditions necessary to
support aquatic life.
Full Report:
Link below
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/surface.water/docs/Yarmouth.Area.Lakes.Water.Quality.Assessment.pdf
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| The quantities of nitrogen,
phosphorus,
and other biologically useful nutrients are the
primary determinants of a lake's trophic state
index (TSI). A lake's trophic index may
sometimes be used to make a rough estimate of its
biological condition.
Hypereutrophic lakes are very nutrient-rich
lakes characterized by frequent and severe
nuisance algal
blooms and low transparency. |
Nutrient levels
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Trophic
Status
Low to High
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Total
phosphorus (µg.L-1
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Very low
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Ulta-oligotrophic
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<4
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Low as in
(Lake Vaughn)
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Oligotrophic
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4-10
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intermediate level |
Mesotrophic
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10-20
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intermediate level |
Meso-eutrophic
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20-35
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| Excess
(promotes algae) process of eutrophication
may occur |
Eutrophic
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35-100
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| Extremely
high (upper lakes like Nowlans)
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Hyper-eutrophic
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>100
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In
a normal ecosystem the
upper lakes are lower
in nutrients and the
levels increase as we
go down the
river. In the
Carleton this is
reversed due to the
massive influx of
nutrients at the head
waters. The
Impacts of the Mink
Industry on
Freshwater Lakes in
Nova Scotia An
Overview of Concerns
(Read)
A WATER QUALITY
SURVEY OF NINE LAKES IN THE CARLETON RIVER
WATERSHED AREA YARMOUTH COUNTY, NOVA SCOTIA
Prepared by Water & Waste water Branch
Nova Scotia Environment
Darrell Taylor Project Lead March 18, 2009
Link:
pdf/FinalRpt_Yarmouth-area-lakes-report-with-appendices-INA-%281%29.pdf
Copy
Pdf Format)
A WATER QUALITY
SURVEY
OF
TEN
LAKES
IN
THE
CARLETON
RIVER
WATERSHED AREA YARMOUTH AND DIGBY
COUNTIES NOVA SCOTIA Prepared by Water &
Wastewater Branch Nova Scotia Environment
Darrell Taylor Project Lead October 2010
Link:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/surface.water/docs/Yarmouth.Area.Lakes.Water.Quality.Assessment.2010.pdf
May
05, 2010 - NS LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY:
http://nslegislature.ca/pdfs/committees/61_2_LACSubmissions/20100505.pdf
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water.strategy/
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Where
are our lakes heading?
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........Hope this is
not our future.......
The Quebec
government has posted warnings on the
Internet for 72 lakes and rivers
people should not drink from -- three
times the number from last year.
From
Australia. If contact with affected river
water does occur, users should remove any
affected clothing and wash themselves thoroughly
with clean water after coming ashore. Wetsuits
should be thoroughly rinsed before being worn
again to remove any traces of algae.
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CRWA Charles
River
Watershed Association Massachusetts
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Field guide to algae (PDF) |
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Personal
observations
and reflections on Fur Farm Regulations
A meeting held at Carlton Fire Hall on July
19th 2011.
Attendance at the meeting was very poor, perhaps because
it was first announced as invitation only and then changed
to a public meeting. A lot of important stakeholders
and or there representatives were absent.
I found that presenters of the act had little knowledge of
the amount of mink harvested, or the amount of waste
produced. Individuals responsible for tested knew
nothing about similar testing results done by their
colleagues working in the same area and on the same
project. They knew the act but the bigger picture was not
part of their knowledge package. Is what they are
suggesting even possible. Before this act can be
established it should have the seal of approval from the
Dept of the Environment and because of the present health
issues the approval of the Dept of Health.
As it was explained at the meeting the Act seams like it
should work. All manure ( solid and liquid
) will be removed from the farms, no discharge from mink
activities are permitted. Zero discharge. What could
go wrong? However, these were part of the
environmental regulations for years. Is the act a lot of
"smoke and mirrors"?
Problem: The industry is self regulating, self
policed. Even if the municipality wanted to verify
the data they would not be permitted. Farmers
collect their own samples for testing. "Not
acceptable"
Problem: This problem was pointed out by a
Mr.LeBlanc from Clare.Water sampling wells are 5 meters
(15 feet) deep. Because clay or hard pan, is found a
few feet below the surface, polluted water will travel
mostly near the surface. It will not readily penetrate to
lower levels. Drilling wells 15 feet could go
through the clay layer into lower purer ground water and
it is possible that this scenario will yield acceptable
results even in areas that are extremely polluted.
"Questionable"
Problem: The responsibility of dealing with the hazardous
waste will be in the hands of an independent group, it
will no longer be the responsibility of the farmers.
How much waste? I had given estimates before, but
since the act includes urine as part of the waste that
estimate will have to be increased. "Irresponsible"
Problem: Your free to input more.
We're all aware of what is it stake with regard to the
habitat, property values, recreation, etc.etc.
Another real loss here is time! Good times, bad times,
time lost, maybe next time, maybe next year, maybe
never.
Comments in and outside of the meeting:
One man talked about how we set up a swimming pool next to
the lake so that his kids and their friends from Ontario
could swim safely. Other people I know stopped using
the lake because they were getting infections and
rashes. An elderly couple spending their golden
years by the lake were very angry, it's safe to say they
were devastated, maybe they wanted to take a "midnight"
dip in the lake, maybe next year, maybe not.
Time! The morning after the meeting I watched as my
son left my world and returned to his own and I realized I
spent the past week on this mink sh-t. Precious
moments lost forever?
This Act is very important.... get it right! PLEASE! |
