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: |
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
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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
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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) |
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 .|
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! |
