 |
Spanish Harbour
Area In Recovery
|
 |
General Information
Where?
The Spanish Harbour Area in Recovery covers the lower 53 kilometres of
the Spanish River from Espanola to the Whale Back Channel. It is located
on the north shore of the North Channel of Lake Huron.
Why was this area listed?
The Spanish Harbour was designated an Area of Concern in 1985 as a result
of:
- tainting of fish flavour
- impaired communities of bottom-dwelling organisms (benthos)
- nutrient enrichment
In all, nine impaired beneficial uses were identified.
What is being done? How is it being done?
In order to improve the environmental conditions noted above, a Remedial
Action Plan (RAP) was developed for the Spanish Harbour. The Spanish Harbour
RAP was a partnership between the federal and provincial governments with
cooperation from the Public Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC was a group
of citizens who represented industry, labour, municipal agencies, farmers,
environmental organizations and recreational groups.
In 1997, a RAP assessment was completed. Results indicated that at that
time, six of the nine benificial use impairments were completely restored
and one was partially restored. The remaining two impairments related
to fish consumption restrictions and issues related to elevated levels
of metal in sediment.
Natural recovery is expected to mitigate these impairments over time.
Therefore, in 1997 Spanish Harbour went from being an Area of Concern
to an Area In Recovery. This notable improvement is due to significant
investments by the communities, industry and governments.
HIGHLIGHT of the RAP
One of the benificial use impairments identified in Spanish Harbour was
the loss of muskellunge from the fish community. When it was determined
that the reintroduction of muskellunge was feasible, the Government of
Canada's Great
Lakes Sustainability Fund (formerly the Great Lakes 2000 Cleanup Fund)
and 12 other partners teamed together to re-establish a self-sustaining
population through the release of hatchery reared fish. Local school children
participated in an "Adopt a Musky" contest which provided educational
opportunities.
|
