Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt's Creek Subwatershed Plan

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The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and Hewitt’s Creek Subwatershed Plan can have significant impacts on wildlife communities, as metals can bioaccumulate within organisms, cause chronic toxicity, and adversely affect organisms’ behaviour, growth, metabolism, and reproduction (Wright and Welbourne, 2002). In 2008, Landre, et al. took sediment samples from Lake Simcoe, at the same 22 locations of an earlier study (Johnson and Nicolls, 1988). Sampling sites were located in the main basin, at the outlet from Lake Couchiching, and in Kempenfelt Bay and Cook’s Bay. Each of the samples was tested for 17 metals: aluminum, arsenic, barium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, mercury, manganese, nickel, lead, rubidium, antimony, strontium, vanadium, and zinc. This study found high concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, and zinc near the shore in Kempenfelt Bay, with concentrations decreasing farther away from shore and into the main basin. A similar pattern was seen in Cook’s Bay, with sites closest to the shore having the highest metal concentrations (Landre et al., 2011). Higher concentrations close to shorelines are not unexpected as these are the areas of the subwatersheds experiencing urban growth, both in the residential and commercial sectors, and is where streams running through agricultural and urban lands deposit loads into the lake. In addition, metal pollution historically was not regulated from metal finishing facilities and tanneries that were operating in and around Kempenfelt Bay in the past. When comparing current results to the results of the earlier study (Johnson and Nicolls, 1988), metal concentrations had remained the same or decreased, with the exception of copper and zinc in Kempenfelt Bay. The concentrations of these two metals were on par with the peak levels seen in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s (both decreased slightly in 1980s). Additionally, cadmium, mercury, lead, and antimony were found at concentrations that were three to seven times higher than pre-1900s conditions (Landre et al., 2011). Of all the metals studied, chromium was the greatest concern, as it exceeded the Ontario Sediment Quality Guidelines severe effect level at three sample sites. This makes it one of the metals of most concern to ecological systems. Depending on the chemical form of chromium, the type of organism and the life stage of the organism, contamination over the guideline can impact the growth, activities, reproduction, and survival, as well as causing changes to chromosomes and physical formation, due to its carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic properties (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). Overall though, because of a decrease in industrial activity, better wastewater treatment and an increase in urban area, there has been a shift in the source of metals from industrial discharge to urban runoff (Landre et al., 2011). Hence, to manage the concentration of metal contaminants in Lake Simcoe, it is important to install and maintain sufficient stormwater treatment facilities and to decrease metal inputs into stormwater. 3.3.2.7. Bacteria The presence of bacteria in surface waters has become a significant concern in recent years. Municipal health units monitor the health of local beaches at regular intervals throughout the summer to ensure that they are safe for human contact. The Provincial Water Quality Objective (PWQO) for body-contact recreation has been defined by the Ministry of the Environment by using the relative numbers of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria as an indicator to assess the risk to human health. When the E. coli population exceeds the PWQO, the beach is designated unsafe for bathing activities. E. coli is a fecal bacteria found in the intestines of mammals that can cause serious illness and even death. The presence of high levels of E. coli in the lake’s waters is an indication of contamination by human sewage or animal wastes. While there are other reasons for beach postings, including Chapter 3: Water Quality – Surface and Groundwater 111
The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and Hewitt’s Creek Subwatershed Plan water turbidity, the presence of blue-green algae, or poor aesthetics, closures in Lake Simcoe are generally due to high levels of E. coli. The number of beach closures due to high concentrations of E. coli varies from year to year, as they are heavily influenced by precipitation levels. Stormwater carries with it animal waste (e.g. from farms with livestock, as well as from pet and waterfowl waste), which can contaminate beaches when it reaches them either through direct runoff from adjacent areas, or being carried to tributaries and discharged when it reaches the lake). From 2006 to 2011, no beaches were closed in the Town of Innisfil and beaches in the City of Barrie have only been closed once, in 2006, in response to a major sewage spill. In 2011 there were three advisories at two City of Barrie beaches [Minets Point Beach (2) and Wilkins Beach (1)], and 2 at Leonard’s Beach (Town of Innisfil) (SMU, 2011). 3.3.2.8. Emerging contaminants As anthropogenic activities increasingly impact our natural areas, the potential for introduction of harmful substances becomes more of a concern. It is for this reason that a Toxic Pollutant Screening Program was initiated by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in 2004. The goal of this project was to develop a better understanding of the location and prevalence of certain elements, chemicals, and chemical compounds that have the potential to negatively impact either human or aquatic life in the watershed. Sampling through this program revealed that there are currently some substances whose levels exceed regulatory guidelines in some Lake Simcoe tributaries. In addition, there were some substances, such as pharmaceutical products, that were not included in this monitoring work. Many of these substances have the potential to impact humans and affect aquatic life. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals which adversely affect the endocrine system, which is a set of glands and the hormones which guide development, growth, reproduction, and behaviour. Harmful effects have been observed on wildlife and humans including reproductive disorders, impacts on growth and development, as well as the incidence of some cancers. EDCs can come from both natural and man-made sources including pesticides; hormones, including both natural and synthetic which are used in oral contraceptives and in livestock farming; and can be the product of industrial processes such as incineration. In nature, EDCs including PCBs and other man-made chemicals have caused, among other issues, severe reproductive problems in fish and birds, swelling of the thyroid glands in numerous animal species, reduction in frog populations, and, in birds, the thinning of eggshells. Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the natural environment has been a growing concern over the past two decades, and will become more prevalent with the growing population and increasing use of these products. While the effects of pharmaceuticals on humans during the course of treatment are very well studied; the impacts of their by-products after use is not. Although some of the products and their by-products can be broken down incidentally at Waste Pollution Control Plants, the plants are generally not equipped to remove PPCPs from waste water. Studies have shown hormones, antibiotics, antiinflammatory drugs, fragrances, antiseptics, sunscreen agents, and a host of other PPCPs in varying amounts in the environment, though they are mostly seen within 100 metres of a waste water treatment plant discharge. In general, the levels in the environment are quite low; however, the effects of prolonged exposure to low levels are not well known. Some studies have Chapter 3: Water Quality – Surface and Groundwater 112
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Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and He
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Acknowledgements The Barrie Creeks,
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• East of the Barrie Creeks subwa
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Fish Habitat -Fish communities in t
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Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS
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3.5.4 Water Temperature - thermal d
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5.3.11 Climate Change 237 5.4 ASSES
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6.5.10 Improving data management 31
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LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER 1 Figure 1-
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Figure 2-34: Annual precipitation (
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CHAPTER 4 Figure 4-1: Hydrologic cy
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Figure 5-11: Pathways by which impe
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Figure 7-11: Riparian area with app
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Table 3-4: Surface water quality co
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CHAPTER 5 Table 5-1: Fish species c
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The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and
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Creek ANNE ST N BAYFIELD ST N LINE
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7.4 Urban interactions - land use,
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Figure 7-9: An urban landscape with
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7.5 In-stream interactions - activi
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7.7 Developing an implementation pl
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Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt's Creek Subwatershed Plan

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