Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...
Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...
Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...
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LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED PLAN<br />
Special Studies<br />
Riparian Buffer Tax<br />
Incentive Program<br />
Septic System Education<br />
and Funding Program<br />
Septic System Re-<br />
Inspection Program<br />
Road Salt Impact Study<br />
Subwatershed<br />
Hydrogeologic<br />
Characterization<br />
Fish Habitat Classification<br />
Groundwater Intrinsic<br />
Susceptibility Studies<br />
Potential Contaminant<br />
Sources of Point Source<br />
Pollution<br />
Site Specific Water Quality<br />
Sampling<br />
reimbursed for 90% of the total project cost after all receipts, invoices, and water well decommissioning records<br />
are submitted to the NPCA.<br />
Recommendations for Further Study<br />
Partial exemption on property taxes for the establishment and maintenance of effective riparian and conservation<br />
buffers on property. Buffers provide a wide range of functions and benefits depending on their location (e.g.<br />
adjacent to watercourse or separating land uses).<br />
Improperly functioning septic systems and abandoned septic systems are a known threat to water quality. A<br />
septic system education and funding program should be developed and implemented to ensure that private septic<br />
systems are functioning properly, and to ensure that abandoned systems are decommissioned.<br />
Faulty or improperly maintained septic systems have been identified as a concern by participants at public events<br />
for the study area. Therefore, areas along the lakeshore that have a high intrinsic susceptibility should be<br />
considered priority for such a program. Municipal councils could approve and endorse the allocation of funds from<br />
property taxes or general revenue to fund the program. This approach may be facilitated with council knowledge<br />
that a percentage of inspected septic systems will also require remedial action on the part of some property<br />
owners, including the installation of new septic systems. Owners may also pro-actively undertake action if they<br />
are aware that a program is underway. Both will affect the number of permits issued in a municipality, and may<br />
generate revenue as a result (MMAH 2001).<br />
Through RMN‟s Salt Vulnerability Study (2005) the entire LENS study area has been ranked as having a<br />
moderately high vulnerability to road salt from regional roads, however this study was not conducted on local<br />
municipal roads; therefore it is recommended that a similar study be completed by the respective local<br />
municipalities to determine the impact of road salt applications on local municipal roads to the surrounding natural<br />
features.<br />
Development of subwatershed scale hydrogeologic characterizations would provide optimal information to make<br />
informed decisions in regard to applications and for use in planning decisions and policy development.<br />
The watercourses in this subwatershed have not been evaluated in terms of importance for fish habitat. It is<br />
recommended that this assessment be completed so this information can be used for proper resource<br />
management and land use planning decisions.<br />
The Groundwater Study (2005) has identified nearly the entire Bay Beach Area Drain subwatershed as having a<br />
high shallow intrinsic susceptibility (Figure 16a & 16b) The intrinsic susceptibility of groundwater considers only<br />
the physical factors affecting the flow of water to, and through, the groundwater resource. Additional studies<br />
should be conducted in this watershed to ensure that current and future land uses do not conflict with the<br />
protection of groundwater resources in susceptible areas as part of the NPCA‟s Groundwater Study (2005) and<br />
proposed Source Protection <strong>Plan</strong>.<br />
An inventory of potential contaminant sources and threats to water quality was identified as part of the objectives<br />
for the NPCA‟s Groundwater Study (2005). An updated inventory to confirm potential contaminant sources and<br />
locations is recommended as well as further investigation into the possible effects these potential contaminants<br />
may have on surface water quality and aquatic habitat and whether or not a contaminant management plan is<br />
needed.<br />
Enhanced sampling methods upstream and downstream of potential points of contamination should be<br />
considered to help identify priority areas for remediation and/or restoration.<br />
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