CREDIT VALLEY CONSERVATION

LAKE ONTARIO INTEGRATED SHORELINE STUDY BACKGROUND REVIEW AND DATA GAP ANALYSIS

APPENDIX D Water Quality Final Report

Prepared By:

AQUAFOR BEECH LIMITED #6-202-2600 Skymark Ave Mississauga, ON L4W 5B2

May 5, 2011 Project No.: 64967 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ...... 3 2 Background Information ...... 5 2.1 The 1960s – PWQMN and the IJC ...... 5 2.2 The 1970s – GLWQA and PLUARG ...... 5 2.3 The 1990s – Watershed Studies...... 7 2.4 The 2000s – Water Quality in the Nearshore...... 11 3 Sediments ...... 18 4 Beach Closures...... 19 5 Data Assessment...... 20 5.5 Water Quality Monitoring Stations...... 20 5.6 Contaminant Loadings...... 21 5.7 Nearshore versus Offshore Data ...... 25 5.8 Lake Ontario Circulation ...... 28 5.9 Lake Hydrodynamics...... 29 6 Historic Phosphorous Concentrations for Credit river...... 31 7 Information Gaps...... 34 8 References ...... 36

List of Tables Table 1: LOISS Watersheds Draining into Lake Ontario...... 4 Table 2: City of Mississauga Sewersheds Areas Draining into Watercourses and into Lake Ontario...... 4 Table 3: PWQMN and IWMP water chemistry stations and sediment chemistry stations ...... 19 Table 4: Beach Closures 2006-2009...... 20 Table 5: PWQMN and CVC IWMP Stations ...... 20 Table 6: Detailed sampling locations in the Credit Valley Watershed...... 21 Table 7: Nearshore and Offshore Water Quality data (Means and ranges of values) from U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Division (Duluth MN) and E.S. EPA GLNPO. Data from 2002 – 2007 (SOLEC, 2009)...... 26

List of Figures

Figure 1: Annual TP Loadings (Welland Canal to Oakville Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR)...... 22 Figure 2: Annual TP Loadings (Wedgewood Creek to Pringle Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR)...... 23 Figure 3: Annual TP Loadings (Oshawa Creek to Farewell Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR)...... 23 Figure 4: Daily TP Loadings to Lake Ontario from Duffins Creek at WPCP for 2007 and 2008 (University of Waterloo 2009) ...... 24 Figure 5: Annual TP Loadings to Lake Ontario from Duffins Creek at WPCP for 2007 and 2008 (University of Waterloo 2009) ...... 25 Figure 6: Annual Dry and Wet Total Phosphorous from Watercourses, Storm Sewers Discharging Directly to Lake Ontario and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent...... 25

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Figure 7: Nearshore Sampling Locations in the Toronto to Ajax Area in 2008...... 26 Figure 9 Total Phosphorus (TP) and Total Filtered Phosphorus in the Nearshore Lake Ontario at stations within 10 kilometres of the Toronto Waterfront ...... 28 Figure 10: Total Phosphorus (TP) and Total Filtered Phosphorus in the Offshore Lake Ontario at stations within 10 kilometres of the Toronto Waterfront ...... 28 Figure 11: Mean Circulation Patterns and Average Velocities in Lake Ontario from May to September 2007...... 29 Figure 12: Mean Circulation Patterns and Average Velocities in Lake Ontario from May to September 2007...... 29 Figure 13: Intake Protection Zone (IPZ) for Lakeview and Clark Water Treatment Plants...... 30 Figure 14: Time Trends in mean annual phosphorus in the Credit River and Fletcher’s Creek (1964-2000)...... 32 Figure 15: Conceptual Phosphorus Cycle in Freshwater Lakes with Zebra Mussels...... 33

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1 INTRODUCTION

It is important to know what the 13 urbanized and urbanizing watersheds within the Credit Valley Conservation jurisdiction are discharging into Lake Ontario and how the lake is coping. Some long-term trends are available to see what has changed, or is changing and where we should look if we want to do something about it.

In most cases, phosphorus has been a key water quality parameter and has been cited as the culprit when things go visibly awry, whether it is the loss of prey fish, the resurgence of nuisance algae, taste & odour episodes in drinking water or beach closures.

There have been two major ecosystem perturbations of the Great Lakes over the past 40 years that have consequences on water quality. Both of these involve phosphorus. The first, in the 1970s, came about with the reduction in phosphorus inputs due to two near-simultaneous events:

(1) the regulatory decrease in the phosphate content of detergents; and , (2) Implementation of the bi-national Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to reduce phosphorus in water pollution control plant (WPCP) effluents to 1 mg/L.

The second perturbation resulted from the explosive growth of invasive species in the 1990s, particularly as the dressenid (zebra and quagga) mussels, along with other creatures, such as the spiny (or fish hook) water flea ( Cercopagis pengoi ), a predatory cladoceran that feeds on zooplankton.

Paradoxically, and perhaps as a result, phosphorus concentrations in Lake Ontario have decreased over the last four decades: the lake has become more oligotrophic, water clarity has improved, zooplankton concentrations have decreased offshore and phytoplankton production has decreased 1. Paradoxically, there has been a resurgence of nuisance algae ( Cladophora glomerata ).

This section reviews the water quality studies on Lake Ontario tributaries and for the nearshore and offshore waters of Lake Ontario, with particular reference to the LOISS area. The historical water quality information is presented in three distinct, if overlapping, periods: The 1960s, the 1990s and following 2000.

The area under consideration falls within the Credit Valley Conservation jurisdiction and comprises 13 watersheds that drain into Lake Ontario. These are listed in Table 1, from largest to smallest. All watersheds include a areas of storm sewersheds that either drain into the watercourses or directly into Lake Ontario. These are listed in Table 2.

1 Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Plan 2008, Chapter 1: Lake Ontario Status.

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Table 1: LOISS Watersheds Draining into Lake Ontario Watershed Watershed area (ha) Comments Credit River 100,000 Incl. Port Credit East (97 ha) Cooksville Creek 3,529 Incl. Cawthra Creek Sheridan Creek 1,035 Applewood Creek 450 Lornewood Creek 422 Birchwood Creek 352 Tecumseh Creek 330 Incl. Port Credit West (167 ha) Turtle Creek 257 Serson Creek 235 Cumberland Creek 205 Avonhead Creek 166 Clearview Creek 134 Moore Creek 19

Table 2: City of Mississauga Sewersheds Areas Draining into Watercourses and into Lake Ontario. Storm Sewershed Sewershed area (ha) Storm outfalls in Lake Ontario Clearview Creek 116 Avonhead Creek 166 Lakeside 438 8 outfalls into Lake Ontario Sheridan Creek 774 Turtle Creek 249 Birchwood Creek 338 Moore 22 1 outfalls into Lake Ontario Lornewood Creek 426 3 outfalls into Lake Ontario Tecumseh Creek 168 Port Credit West 78 2 outfalls into Lake Ontario Credit River 11,001 2 outfalls into Lake Ontario Port Credit East 78 4 outfalls into Lake Ontario Cumberland 136 4 outfalls into Lake Ontario Cooksville Creek 3,316 1 outfalls into Lake Ontario Cawthra 202 2 outfalls into Lake Ontario Serson 245 Applewood Creek 438

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2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

2.1 The 1960s – PWQMN and the IJC Water quality studies in tributaries to Lake Ontario began with the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN), established in 1964 by the Ontario Water Resources Commission. The stated purpose of the PWQMN was to monitor the quality of Ontario's surface waters and to address a number of key information requirements for management of water quality:

1. to establish long-term baselines for various water quality parameters; 2. to monitor compliance with Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO's); 3. to detect, characterize and define trends in the quality of surface waters; 4. to provide information required for monitoring, compliance and control orders on industries and municipalities; 5. to provide data for waste assimilation studies; 6. to provide surveillance support for the International Joint Commission (IJC), by reporting nutrient and pollutant loadings into the Great Lakes and their tributaries; and, 7. To act as a mechanism to activate intensive surveys, enforcement proceedings and other policy actions related to water quality. The concepts changed and became more refined as problems were recognized.

The PWQMN currently has 390 monitoring stations operated in partnership with 30 conservation authorities. The PWQMN has been running continuously for many of these stations and provides a starting point for most water quality studies and trends.

In 1969, the “Report to the International Joint Commission on the Pollution of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the International Section of the St. Lawrence River” , indicated that the levels of pollution, particularly phosphorus, could not be ascribed uniquely to water pollution control plants and industrial discharges.

Also in the 1960s, the Canadian Government established the multi-disciplinary Canada Centre for Inland Waters under the direction of Dr. Richard Vollenweider. The mandate of the Centre was to study the physics, chemistry and biology of the Great Lakes and recommend management policies for preservation and restoration of the resource.

2.2 The 1970s – GLWQA and PLUARG In 1972, the Canada-United States Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality was signed in Ottawa. The agreement had two main outcomes. Firstly, the phosphorus concentrations in effluent from municipal waste treatment plants discharging in excess of one million gallons per day (and smaller plants as required by regulatory agencies) shall not exceed a daily average of one milligram per litre (1 mg/L) into Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the International Section of the St. Lawrence River. Secondly, the International Joint Commission (IJC) was requested to conduct a study of pollution in the boundary waters of the Great Lakes. This led to the creation of the International Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group (PLUARG).

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The PLUARG study examined the pollution potential from different land uses: agricultural, forest, urban, transportation and waste disposal. Parameters included phosphorus, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides (DDT), mercury, suspended sediment and microorganisms. The multi- disciplinary PLUARG study lasted six years at a cost of $15 to $20 million and produced several dozen detailed reports and analytical databases 2.

With regards to phosphorus in Lake Ontario, PLUARG estimated that 32 percent of phosphorus input was from non-point sources and atmospheric fallout. A management strategy was proposed to control non-point sources, which involved two specific criteria: land use and intensity and land characterization. This was illustrated by means of seven pilot watershed studies, of which three were in Canada. These were the Saugeen River (agricultural watershed), the Grand River (agricultural and urban), both of which empty into Lake Erie. The third watershed was in Kenora in northwestern Ontario (representative of a forested watershed). The final report concluded with recommendations for management plans (i.e. watershed studies) that were revolutionary at the time (although they sound intuitively obvious today). Management plans must be a synthesis of four essential elements: (1) planning; (2) fiscal arrangements; (3) information, education and technical assistance; and (4) regulation.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was renewed in 1978, and included the Phosphorus Load Reduction Supplement:

• Construction and operation of municipal waste treatment facilities in all plants discharging more than one million gallons per day to achieve, where necessary to meet the loading allocation being developed for local conditions or an effluent concentration of 1.0 milligram per litre total phosphorus (for plants in the basins of Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron) and of 0.5 milligrams per litre total phosphorus (for plants in the basins of Lakes Ontario and Erie), whichever are more stringent • Regulation of phosphorus introduction from industrial discharges to the maximum practicable extent. • Reduction to the maximum extent practicable of phosphorus introduced from diffuse sources into Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron; and the reduction by 30 per cent of phosphorus introduced from diffuse sources into Lakes Ontario and Erie, where necessary to meet the loading allocation or to meet local conditions, whichever is more stringent. • Reduction of phosphorus in household detergents to 0.5 per cent by weight where necessary to meet the loading allocation or to meet local conditions, whichever are more stringent. • Maintenance of a viable research program to seek maximum efficiency and effectiveness in the control of phosphorus introductions into the Great Lakes. • The U.S. and Canada pledged to seek the virtual elimination of the discharge of persistent toxic substances to the Great Lakes.

2 http://gis.lrs.uoguelph.ca/AgriEnvArchives/pluarg/pluarg_reports.html

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However, by 1983, a report to the International Joint Commission 3 concluded:

“In terms of the effectiveness of programs in dealing with loadings of nonpoint source problem parameters to the Great Lakes, there is little evidence of success. Most programs do not have a monitoring component for assessing results. However, given the very low level of program effort to date and the limited adoption of best management practices by most basin farmers and municipalities, significant progress cannot be anticipated.

Analysis of existing relevant programs has shown a number of key weaknesses which must be rectified if improvements to Great Lakes water quality are to be realized. A lack of Great Lakes specific loading objectives, inadequate funding and staff, inconsistent planning procedures and lack of program evaluation are among the main shortcomings. In Canada, the necessary program components exist to implement a nonpoint program. What is clearly needed is an assignment of lead responsibility amongst the many agencies and jurisdictions involved, the provision of long-term funding support and the development of a comprehensive plan.”

2.3 The 1990s – Watershed Studies In the 1990s, a number of studies were initiated in watersheds and subwatersheds. Within the CVC jurisdiction, there are several notable examples that summarized water quality concerns:

• Credit River Water Management Strategy – Phase I (Triton Engineering 1990) focused on flood and erosion control; • Credit River Water Management Strategy – Phase II (Beak Consultants, Aquafor Engineering and D.G. Weatherbee Associates 1992) emphasized water quality on a subwatershed basis for both point sources and non-point sources of pollution. • Water Quality Strategy Phase I Report: Condition Assessment and Analysis Approach (D.G. Weatherbee Associates, EBNFLO Environmental, D.W. Draper & Associates and Schroeter & Associates, 2003). Water quality was assessed using PWQMN data for chlorite, total phosphorus and nitrate to determine trends. Fourteen water quality parameters, plus temperature, were identified as potential candidates for modeling. This study model examined water temperature, total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate (NO 3), copper, zinc and E. Coli , using flow and water quality data from 1996 to 2000. • Integrated Watershed Monitoring Program – 2003 Report (CVC 2004). The study indicated that CVC had 150 monitoring stations across the 950 km 2 Credit River Watershed, including meteorology, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, terrestrial biology, hydrogeology (11 stations) and water quality (16 sites). Water quality was assessed by ranking data from 1999-2003 with respect to federal or provincial guidelines or standards. The ongoing results of the IWMP are documented in annual reports created in the spring of each year. A 5-year summary of the program and the identification and discussion of spatial trends has been developed in 3 separate documents: a four page brief summary of the Watershed Report Card (2005), a Detailed Summary of the

3 Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement in the Great Lakes Basin - An Overview of Post-PLUARG Developments. A Report Submitted by the Nonpoint Source Control Task Force of the Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission (Windsor, Ontario, August 1983).

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Ecological Health of the Credit River Watershed (2006) and a Technical Document (in progress) that outlines the methodology, analysis and protocols behind the IWMP and the 5-year review; • Interim Watershed Characterization Report for the Credit River Watershed (CVC 2007). The Credit River Watershed Characterization Report provides a comprehensive summary of the key hydrologic, hydrogeologic and ecologic resources of the Credit River Watershed (the Watershed). It also identifies the major water demands in the Watershed as well as many of the key threats to water quality and water quantity in the Watershed. There are no surface drinking water sources in the Credit River Watershed. The Credit River flows into Lake Ontario which is a source, with water intakes for Peel Region to both the east and west of the mouth of the Credit River. The water quality within Lake Ontario and establishment of intake protection zones (IPZs), are part of a municipal grant study. • Making it Work: The Credit River Water Management Strategy Update (CVC 2007). The objective of the WMS Update was to integrate the findings of CVC’s initiatives occurring over the intervening years since the completion of the 1990 Credit River Water Management Strategy. In keeping with the key principles of Adaptive Environmental Management (AEM), the update incorporated the findings of these initiatives in order to adjust the long term plan for managing the water and environmental resources of the Credit River watershed. • Water Quality Strategy Phase II Report (EBNFLO Environmental, 2009). This study used HSP-F and PWQMN data for 1996-2000 to calibrate the model and streamflow data from seven sites (1999-2000) to validate the models. The model for water quality impacts was projected to future scenarios (25% urbanization) and two possible climate change scenarios.

These studies, and the numerous concomitant subwatershed studies, constitute an evolving synthesis of the entire Credit River watershed.

CURB Numerous beach closings in 1983 and 1984 drew public and government attention to the severity of this water quality problem. In 1985, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy’s (MOEE) Water Resources Branch formulated the Provincial Rural Beaches Strategy Program. Directed by the Provincial Rural Beaches Planning and Advisory Committee, it included representatives from Ministry of Environment and Energy (MOEE), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). In 1991, the Ontario Government initiated the Provincial Beaches Program, which had two components. The Clean Up Rural Beaches (CURB) program was meant to address cattle fencing, milkhouse wastewater, manure storage and septic systems. The Beach Improvement Program (BIP) provided municipalities with funds for combined sewer overflows, stormwater management, sewage treatment and construction of beach remedial works.

The CVC participated in the CURB program, targeting the West Credit River Watershed and the downstream swimming beach at the Belfountain Conservation Area. The CURB model for the total seasonal bacteria load to the beach concluded that 71% of the bacterial load originated from faulty sewage disposal systems. Cattle access contributed 14%, urban stormwater 7% and

Aquafor Beech Limited 8 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study wildlife accounted for 8% of the total load. Barnyard runoff, manure stack runoff and milkhouse washwater disposal systems combined accounted for the remaining 1% of the total beach bacteria load.

SOLEC The State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) is hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada. It occurs every two years on behalf of the two countries in response to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).

The first conference, held in 1994, addressed the entire system with particular emphasis on aquatic community health, human health, aquatic habitat, toxic contaminants and nutrients in the water, and the changing Great Lakes economy. The 1996 conference focused on the nearshore waters of the ecosystem where biological productivity is greatest and where human activities have their maximum impact. Emphasis was directed to nearshore water quality, coastal wetlands, changing land use, dissemination of relevant information availability and overall management. The nearshore of the Great Lakes, its water quality stressors, trends and information gaps were the topic of a comprehensive background paper for the 1996 SOLEC by Edsall and Charlton (1997). This theme was revisited in the 2008 SOLEC in more detail.

SOLEC 98 was in support of further development of easily-understood indicators which represent the condition of the Great Lakes ecosystem. These would be used every two years to inform the public and report progress in achieving the purpose of the GLWQA, namely “ to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Ecosystem” . The SOLEC indicators would reflect conditions of the whole Great Lakes basin that could be used for more specific purposes, such as Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) or Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for Areas of Concern.

The proceedings, background papers and presentations are available on the web 4.

Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) The U.S. EPA Region 2, Environment Canada (EC), the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) are the Four Parties working in partnership to restore and protect Lake Ontario. In May of 1998, after consultation with other natural resource agencies and the public, the Four Parties finalized the Stage 1 LaMP for Lake Ontario.

The Stage 1 LaMP identifies the problems (known as beneficial use impairments) lakewide in Lake Ontario, and the chemical, physical, and biological causes of these impairments. It also includes a binational work plan which identifies the activities that LaMP partners undertook over three years towards the restoration of beneficial uses of the lake. The Four Parties, through the LaMP, are working to restore these beneficial uses by reducing the amount of critical pollutants in the Lake Ontario ecosystem and by addressing the biological and physical factors that were identified as ecosystem goals. These are:

4 http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec and http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/solec

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• That the Lake Ontario ecosystem should be maintained and as necessary restored or enhanced to support self-reproducing diverse biological communities. • That the presence of contaminants shall not limit the uses of fish, wildlife, and waters of the Lake Ontario basin by humans and shall not cause adverse effects in plants & animals. • That we, as a society, recognize our capacity to cause great changes in the ecosystem and conduct our activities with responsible stewardship for the Lake Ontario basin.

During the period from July 1997 to March 1998, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada conducted a joint survey of critical pollutants in six Canadian tributaries to Lake Ontario. Sampling consisted of wet and dry weather samples using large-volumes and low detection limits protocols to characterize trace chemicals of concern that require. The six sampled tributaries were: Twelve Mile Creek, Twenty Mile Creek, the Credit River, Humber River, Ganaraska River and Trent River.

While the relative volumes of flow from these rivers and streams may be smaller than the Niagara River, these tributary inputs have the potential to degrade water quality in the narrow littoral zone of the lake, representing about 23% of the Lake’s surface area.

A preliminary review of the data indicated: (1) None of the samples contained levels of chromium, mercury, mirex or any other organochlorine pesticides above the provincial water quality objectives for the protection of aquatic life; (2) Depending on the location, total PCB was detected at median concentrations between 3 and 5 ng/L. Previous biomonitoring data for sport fish and juvenile fish clearly show a downward trend of PCB concentrations over the last two decades; (3) The influence of urban land use on water quality was particularly apparent in the monitoring results for PAH. Median PAH concentrations were higher at the more urbanized Credit River and Humber River sites than at less urbanized sites; and (4) Analyses for critical pesticides, such as DDT and its metabolites and dieldrin, showed low level detections at most locations, at levels well below the provincial objectives.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canada have established a long-term 5-year rotating cycle of special monitoring years for each of the Great Lakes; 2008 was designated as the intensive monitoring year for Lake Ontario.

LaMP 2009 Update for Lake Ontario refers to the 2008 Binational Collaborative Research and Monitoring Initiative. The purposes were:

• To assess the impact of invasive species on native fish; • To conduct a lakewide assessment of lake trout pollution; • To determine the status of legacy pollutants (DDT, PCB, dioxins and furans); • To understand the role of zebra mussels in preventing the flow of nutrients into deeper water; and, • To implement a Lake Ontario Sources and Loadings Strategy to reduce the loadings of critical contaminants from both point sources and non-point sources.

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MOE Water Quality Studies In addition to the PWQMN, the MOE initiated the Enhanced Tributary Monitoring Program (ETMP) in the late 1970s. The ETMP focused on the mouths of 16 strategically chosen watersheds throughout the Great Lakes Basin representing approximately 50% of the total flow into the Great Lakes from Canadian watersheds (Edie and Onn, 1980). The Lake Ontario tributaries were:

• Twelve Mile Creek; • Welland River; • Humber River; • Don River; and, • Trent Rivers.

The program tracked long-term changes in water quality and contaminant loadings. Approximately 20 samples per year were collected at each station, emphasizing the spring freshet which typically accounts for a significant proportion of annual contaminant loadings. Samples were analyzed for the same parameters as the PWQMN samples with additional analysis for trace organics (e.g. PCBs and organochlorine pesticides, and other in-use pesticides at selected locations).

This program was to provide a means of assessing spatial and temporal trends in water quality and contaminant loadings among and within major watersheds, and allow the screening of potential “problem” watersheds.

2.4 The 2000s – Water Quality in the Nearshore The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) noted that the Ministry of Environmental and Energy (MOE) 2001/2002 Business Plan commits to leadership in the monitoring and dissemination of environmental information and knowledge. At the time there were a number of monitoring strategies in place for Ontario’s lakes, rivers and streams, including:

• Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network • Enhanced Tributary Monitoring Program • Great Lakes Tributary Toxics Monitoring Program (including high-volume toxics sampling) • Great Lakes Water Intake Biomonitoring Program • Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program • Streamflow Monitoring Network (funding partner with MNR) • Great Lakes Nearshore Monitoring and Assessment Program • Inland Lakes Monitoring Programs (Including Lake Partner Program)

The ECO stressed that these programs addressed water quality issues that have impacts on human and ecological health issues and human values that affect lakes:

• High bacteria counts in lake water and beach closures (12% of all Great Lakes beaches were posted at least 10% of the summer in 2006) • Cyanobacteria blooms lead to taste and odour (T&O) problems in drinking water supplies

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• Resurgence of nuisance filamentous algae ( Cladophora ) in water intakes and on shorelines • Fish consumption advisories • Anoxic bottom waters, fish kills and outbreaks of botulism E in birds.

The realization that water quality in streams has chronic impacts on the nearshore of the Great Lakes was the subject of a very relevant review paper for SOLEC 1996 by Edsall and Charlton (1997). The nearshore was conveniently defined as water depths extending from shore to a depth of 30 metres. This distinction has physical meaning, since that depth is also the thermocline during the late summer or early fall stratified period (Rao and Murthy, 2001; Rao and Schwab, 2007).

In 1999, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) published the results of surface water monitoring of tributary and nearshore conditions and trends (MOE, 1999). The study summarized trends in key water quality parameters (chloride, phosphorus, turbidity, nitrate, PCB, zinc, PAH, copper) from the watershed (from PWQMN) and tributary mouths, nearshore index stations and drinking water intakes in Lake Ontario. The study included an update on sediment quality along the Toronto waterfront. The data is available through the MOE.

The same year, the MOE published a study with Environment Canada on large volume sampling at the mouth of six rivers flowing into Lake Ontario (Boyd and Biberhofer, 1999) (Humber, Credit, Ganaraska and Trent Rivers and Twenty Mile and Twelve Mile Creeks.) The analytical work concentrated on standard water quality parameters along with organochlorine pesticides, PCBs and their cogeners and metabolites. Benzo(a)pyrene was selected as a surrogate for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The database is appended to the report.

Lake Ontario Modeling Team has conducted wet and dry weather sampling of several watercourses in the City of Toronto:

• Humber River at Old Mil Mill • Don River at Pottery Rd • Etobicoke Creek at QEW • Rouge River at Markham • Highland Creek at Westhill • Mimico Creek at Islington

Ontario Water Works Research Consortium Utilities on Lake Ontario established the Ontario Water Works Research Consortium (OWWRC) in 1999 to study the biology, chemistry and physics of Lake Ontario.

The OWWRC has proven to be an effective model for cooperative research, bringing together municipalities that draw their drinking water from Lake Ontario with federal government, provincial government and university researchers. The missions of the OWWRC are :

• To link member utilities to government and university researchers and through those links facilitate the completion of research that is of value to member communities.

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• To ensure the long-term, proactive and strategic protection of Lake Ontario-based drinking water.

In November 2005, the Government of Ontario announced that it would be providing funding for technical studies in support of source protection planning under the Clean Water Act, 2006. Through the Source Protection Technical Studies Grant Program, municipalities and others were able to apply for funding to complete the following tasks:

• Intake Protection Zone Delineation and Vulnerability Assessments for Lake Ontario based drinking water supplies, • Threats Inventory and Issues Evaluation, and, • Water Quality Risk Assessment for Drinking Water Systems.

The Ontario MOE’s Source Protection Technical Studies Grant Program supports studies on the Great Lakes and other water sources. The MOE’s Source Protection Program allowed an expansion of both the OWWRC partnership and the study program. In 2006, the “Collaborative Study to Protect Lake Ontario Drinking Water” was initiated, with support from NSERC, utility corporations and Environment Canada studies on watershed and shoreline threats, scientific support, pathogen monitoring and data management.

Studies in 2006 included:

• Weekly or biweekly sampling of stations was conducted at two stations (offshore and inshore near Lakeview between WTP intake to determine the inshore-offshore distribution of phytoplankton, physicochemical factors (nutrients), taste & odour (T&O) compounds and zooplankton. • Upwelling/downwelling and mixing regime to examine the role of physical disturbance and large-scale water movements/weather in taste and odour (T&O) production • Transects were sampled across the entire lake North-South and East-West at inshore and offshore sits, including AOCs with eutrophication as a listed impairment (e.g. Hamilton Harbour, Bay of Quinte, Rochester and Oswego). • Derivation of preliminary intake protection zones to water treatment plants (IPZ-1)

The increased concern regarding nuisance algae ( Cladophora ) led to a study by the University of Waterloo funded by the OWWRC (University of Waterloo, 2007).

As part of the OWWRC mandate, a study was initiated to determine watershed loadings of all tributaries flowing into Lake Ontario from the Welland Canal to the Bay of Quinte. The results of these studies are summarized in talks and workshops presented by Bill Booty (EC) and Gary Bowen (TRCA). The databases for water quality were from the PWQMN, the ETMP, precipitation data from AES, flow data compiled by EC and loading data from PLUARG (see Section 5.2 below).

LOSAAC In 2005, Aquafor Beech Limited completed a detailed study of watercourses and storm sewer outfalls in the Region of Halton to measure discharge and loadings of pollutants that may

Aquafor Beech Limited 13 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study contribute to the growth of nuisance algae (Aquafor Beech, 2005). The study concentrated on three storm sewer outlets and three watercourses (Tuck Creek, Sheldon Creek and Bronte Creek) discharging into Lake Ontario. The effluent loadings from WWTP (Oakville South West and Oakville South East) were also compiled (see Section 5.2 below).

Ontario Power Generation The University of Waterloo (2009) conducted a two-year study for Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to determine the cause of nuisance algae clogging of the intake for the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS). This report presented a model combining the Cladophora Growth Model (CGM) with a 3-dimensional model for water quality variables (ELCOM-CAEDYM).

The study concluded that runoff from the Duffins Creek watershed and the Duffins Creek WWTP were not a significant influence on algae growth in the vicinity of the PNGS intake.

Environment Canada Environment Canada (EC), through the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), operates the only long-term Lake Ontario surface water contaminant surveillance program. The Great Lakes Surveillance Program was initiated in 1968 and by 1975, a station pattern and methodology was standardized.

The results of the Great Lakes Surveillance Program, specifically for major ions and nutrients, have been published by Alice Dove (2009), who graciously made her database on phosphorus available. These data are discussed in Section 5.3 (below).

In 2004, a pilot project to measure organic contaminants in the surface waters in the western portion of Lake Ontario was initiated; full coverage of the lake was to have been obtained in 2005.

Region of Peel In 2006 the Region of Peel participated in a survey of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) in Ontario’s drinking water systems. The study (Survey and Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Ontario Drinking Water Systems) was funded and managed by MOE as part of the expansion of the Lakeview Water Treatment Plant.

SOSMART The Southern Ontario Stream Monitoring and Research Team (SOSMART), formerly known as the Lake Ontario Modeling Team (LOMT) is a coalition of partners from along the north shore of Lake Ontario, that currently includes Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of the Environment, Environment Canada, the City of Toronto, Conservation Authorities (Toronto and Region, Central Lake Ontario, Credit Valley, Lake Simcoe and Region, Nottawasaga Valley, Lower Trent, Otonabee, Ganaraska Region and Conservation Halton), along with several non-government agencies.

To date, the principal outcome of this team has been to further the science and understanding of watershed processes and influences, develop decision support tools, influence policy direction, and to facilitate training and science transfer. The (SMART) networks provide a forum for

Aquafor Beech Limited 14 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study exchange of ideas, data and science. They facilitate collaborative study design development that enables broader questions to be answered.

United States Environmental Protection Agency The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) has conducted summertime sampling of nearshore (depths to 30 metres) and offshore portions of the Great Lakes between 2002 and 2007. Over 500 individual analyses were summarized with means and ranges for total phosphorus, nitrate, silicate and chlorophyll a for all the Great Lakes in SOLEC (2009).

NYSDEC The most recent “Lake Ontario and Minor Tribs Basin Waterbody Inventory/Priority Waterbodies List Report” was issued as a Final Draft Report in August 2007. This report includes an overall evaluation of water quality in the Lake Ontario (Minor Tribs) Basin, as well as assessments for specific waterbody segments in the basin.

The Lake Ontario (Minor Tribs) Basin is located along Lake Ontario at the northern border of New York State. This drainage basin comprises smaller watersheds that lie between the larger rivers that empty into Lake Ontario in New York State (those larger basins are assessed in separate reports). Excluding the drainage area of the other Great Lakes, the Lake Ontario Basin is 24,720 square miles. About 13,500, or 55%, of the basin lies in New York State, with virtually all the remaining 45% in Ontario. The area drained by the Minor Tributaries of Lake Ontario (excluding the Black, Oswego, Genesee and Niagara Rivers) totals about 2,460 square miles. The drainage area of the minor tribs includes most of Jefferson and Orleans Counties, large portions of Oswego, Wayne, Monroe and Niagara Counties, and smaller parts of Cayuga and Lewis Counties.

About one-third (36% or 2,100 miles) of the river miles in the Lake Ontario (Minor Tribs) Basin is included on the Priority Waterbodies List as either not supporting uses or having minor impacts or threats to water quality. The large majority (78%) of these river miles are considered Stressed or Threatened waters that fully support appropriate uses, but that have minor impacts/threats to uses. Only about eight percent (8%) of basin river miles are Impaired and do not fully support appropriate uses.

Eighteen of the 60 separate lake segments in the basin are also reported as having impaired uses or minor impacts/threats to uses. However, these 18 impaired/impacted lakes represent two- thirds (66%) of the total lake acres in the basin.

All of the 326 miles of Great Lake Shoreline in the basin is assessed as being impaired and not supporting uses due to the fish consumption advisory for Lake Ontario. This advisory is the result of organics and pesticides contamination of lake sediments related to past/historic industrial discharges to the lake, the Niagara River and the Upper Great Lakes.

City of Mississauga Water Strategy The City of Mississauga Water Quality Strategy Update presented statistical compilations of PWQMN data within the City of Mississauga, covering the period 1996 – 2008.

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City of Toronto Wet Weather Flow Master Plan The City of Toronto Wet Weather Flow Master Plan (WWFMP) addressed the issue of wet- weather flows and impacts from combined sewer overflows (CSO), stormwater discharges and inflow/infiltration (I/I), and management options (Snodgrass and others, 2003). The HSP-F modeling approach was used.

The model calibration and verification would be based on using meteorological data for 1991 to 1996 (three years for calibration and three years for verification) and that model application would be based on simulating one of those six years that was most representative of long-term conditions. The year 1991 was selected. The model would be limited to the period from April 1 to October 31. This decision was based on a number of considerations including the fact that hourly precipitation data were not always available for the months of November to March, as well as the fact that modeling uncertainty would increase with any attempt to provide continuous simulation of snowpack accumulation and ablation.

The watershed HSPF models were constructed. In the first stage, the hydrologic component of the model was calibrated by comparing simulated streamflow to observed values, and adjusting selected hydrologic parameters to improve results. In the second stage, the water quality simulation component of the model was calibrated and verified using available data from the watershed. Water-quality calibration was achieved by adjusting the applied EMC values once the hydrologic calibration was completed.

Average “wet” and “dry” concentrations were computed at locations of interest, including the mouth of the main watersheds and the mouths of tributaries within the City of Toronto. Wet and dry time intervals were defined using a hydrograph analysis technique.

The average wet concentration was then computed as the arithmetic average of wet-hour concentrations, and the average dry concentration was computed as the arithmetic average of dry-hour concentrations. The average wet and dry concentrations were compared against estimates of actual average wet and dry concentrations at locations where sufficient water quality data were available. The primary source of observed data was the Toronto and Region Remedial Action: Assessment of Six Tributary Discharges to the Toronto Area Waterfront - Volume 1 (MOE, 1999).

Event mean concentrations (EMC) were selected that reflect the hydrology and water quality for different land uses.

Legacy Pollutants There are several studies of legacy pollutants as part of the GLWAA and LaMP (2008). These include PCBs, mercury, dioxins and the insecticides DDT, mirex and dieldrin. As of 2008, contaminant concentrations in young-of-the-year fish from New York State (1997) showed that mercury, dioxin, total DDT and dieldrin concentrations were below their respective criteria at all sampled locations; in fact dieldrin was not detected at any location. However PCBs and mirex were found to exceed their respective criteria at some locations. Mirex was above the GLWQA criteria of “non-detect” at most locations, although results were mixed depending on where sampling occurred. Five sites along the Ontario shoreline (Twelve Mile Creek, Burlington

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Beach, Bronte Creek, Credit River, and Humber River) showed total PCBs and DDT levels declining but still above guidelines. Mirex levels are at or below guidelines (SOLEC 2007).

PCBs, dioxins, mirex and mercury are still responsible for a number of lakewide fish consumption advisories. Overall, the proportion of the piscivorus fish community assessed has experienced a dramatic reduction in contaminant levels since the mid-1970s. The U.S. EPA monitoring program shows PCB concentrations have declined from >6 µg/g in 1978 to <2 µg/g in 2000. Annual reports from the Canadian federal fish contaminants program show concentrations of PCBs, DDT and mercury in similarly aged fish have generally declined in most monitored fish species. After a period of consistent decline total PCB levels have remained virtually unchanged since 1998 at a level of 1.27 µg/g. Total DDT concentrations continued a pattern of a steady decline since 1994. Whole fish concentrations of DDT have been consistently less than the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement objective of 1.0 µg/g since 1995.

In the Credit River, concentrations of total PCB, mirex, mercury, and total DDT in Coho salmon have been decreasing steadily since monitoring commenced in the late-1970s. Total PCB concentrations have decreased from >1.5 ppm in late-1970s to approximately 0.5 ppm in 2000. Over the same time period, concentrations of mirex have decreased from >0.1 ppm to <0.05 ppm (Figure 1.5). Similar trends have been observed for mercury and DDT.

Struger and others (2002) investigated the presence of lawn care pesticides and fertilizers in the Don and Humber River watersheds. Surface water samples were collected and tested for nutrients, phenoxy acid herbicides, triazine herbicides, organophosphorus insecticides, and other pesticides associated with lawn care use. Samples were collected from several sites in the Don and Humber River watersheds during base flow periods and runoff events each year from 1998 through 2000.

Nine pesticides and a metabolite were detected in surface waters of the Don and Humber Rivers; samples were analyzed for up to 159 pesticides. The Canadian Water Quality Guideline for the Protection of Aquatic Life for carbofuran was exceeded once in 133 samples. The Ontario Water Quality Objective for the Protection of Aquatic Life for diazinon was exceeded in 20% of the samples taken. All other pesticides detected were below available water quality guidelines.

Temporal trends of legacy and current persistent organic pollutants of concern are reported for a Lake Ontario sediment core from two Lake Ontario stations; one station is located 16 km north of Fort Niagara (near the mouth of the Niagara River) and the other from the offshore of Lake Ontario near its centre. This study aims to assess historical inputs of legacy and current-use persistent compounds into Lake Ontario, examining progress towards virtual elimination of priority pollutants and providing information for setting lake-wide management priorities on chemicals of emerging concern. These studies provide a baseline of information for assessing management of these compounds in Lake Ontario. The offshore site showed trends of legacy contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) slowing their rates of declines in recent years after significant reductions.

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Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP) have been an increasing concern in raw and finished drinking water drawn from rivers and Lake Ontario, particularly where intakes are proximal to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). A recent study (Servos and others (2007) found that raw water from lake sources (un-named) low but detectable levels of ibuprofen (trade names Advil and Motrin), gemfibrozil (a statin for treating cholesterol) naproxen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as Aleve) and triclosan (a phenolic antimicrobial in use since 1972). Ibuprofen was detectable in the finished water of almost all treatment plants that used surface water as a source, demonstrating the potential of Ontario source waters, particularly river water sources, to contain trace levels of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The authors conclude that there is a need to complete a more comprehensive assessment of these compounds in source waters and of the factors influencing their treatment and removal from finished drinking water.

3 SEDIMENTS

Sediments are an integral part of water quality studies, as they may serve as sinks, sources and stressors of affecting water quality.

The sediment chemistry stations in the Credit River Watershed are listed in Table 3. Related studies include in the neighbouring City of Toronto included sediment sampling of the Toronto Harbour by the MOE 1997.

A reconnaissance survey of sediment quality in Lake Ontario Tributaries was conducted by the Ecosystem Health Division of Environment Canada in 2002 (Dove and others, 2003). The sediments were analyzed for a suite of organochlorine pesticides, PCB cogeners, PAH and metals. All analytical data are appended to the report. Within CVC jurisdiction, the tributaries included:

• Applewood Creek • Birchwood Creek • Cooksville Creek • Credit River • Lornewood Creek • Sersons Creek • Sheridan Creek • Tecumseh Creek • Turtle Creek

There are several studies of offshore suspended sediment settling in the deep water basins in Lake Ontario (Marvin and others, 2004).

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Table 3: PWQMN and IWMP water chemistry stations and sediment chemistry stations Sediment Chemistry Station PWQMN IWMP Original Station's List Credit River d/s Orangeville Dam 6007601902 501190004 BLACK CR @GLEN LAWSON Credit River d/s Orangeville WTP SILVER CR @MOUNTAIN VIEW RD Credit R d/s Mill Creek 501190033 SILVER CR @HWY #7 Credit River @ North crossing Hwy 10 6007600602 501190005 BLACK CR @ACTON STP Credit River @ Melville Dam 6007602302 501190006 FLETCHER'S CR @STEELES Credit River @ Beech Grove Sideroad 6007601802 501180005 LEVIS CR V/S OF DERRY RD Credit River @ Caledon Landfill CREDIT R. @DUNDAS Credit R @ Terra Cotta Heritage 6007601002 501120008 CAROLYN CR. @ BRISTOL Black Creek @ Acton STP 6007600502 501100004 CREDIT R. V/S OLD DERRY RD Black Creek @ Glen Lawson 6007600802 501100002 MULLET CR V/S OF Hwy 403 Silver Creek @ Mountainview Rd 6007602202 501110005 CREDIT R. D/S ORANGEVILLE DAM Silver Creek u/s Hwy 7 Norval 6007600402 501110001 CREDIT R. D/S ORANGEVILLE WTP Credit River @ 10th Line CREDIT R. NORTH CROSSING HWY 10 Credit River @ Heritage Rd. CREDIT R. @ CALEDON LANDFILL Credit River u/s Old Derry Rd 6007601702 501090001 CREDIT R. D/S MILL CR Levi Creek v/s of Derry Rd CREDIT R. @ MELLWILLE DAM Fletcher's Creek @ Steeles 6007601602 501050002 CREDIT R. @BEECH GROVE SDRD Fletcher's Creek d/s Hwy 401 FLETCHER'S CR. D/S 401 Mullet Creek v/s of Hwy 403 CREDIT R. @ HENTAGE RD. Carolyn Creek @ Bristol Rd CREDIT R. @ MISSISSAUGA GC Credit River u/s Dundas St 501090003 CREDIT R. @ 10TH LINE Credit R @ Mississauga Golf and CC 6007605002 501090009 CREDIT R. @ TERRA COTTA Sheridan Creek @ Rattray Marsh 6006800102 501210004 SHERIDAN CR @RATTRAY MARSH

4 BEACH CLOSURES

Beach closures and postings are a visible sign if water quality problems, based on bacteria contents, although other factors not involved in beach postings (e.g. algae) may detract from pleasurable recreational use of lakefront areas.

Beach closure statistics for the City of Toronto are published annually 5. Beach closure statistics within CVC jurisdiction for 2006 – 2008 are summarized in Table 4. The 2010 data were furnished by Stefan Herceg (Region of Peel).

5 http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2009/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-18573.pdf

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Table 4: Beach Closures 2006-2009 Beach Name Dates of Posting Dates of Posting Dates of Posting Postings Postings 2006 (E.coli Geo. 2007 (E.coli Geo. 2008 (E.coli 2009 2010 Mean) Mean) Geo. Mean) Albion Hills, 2 1 (July 31) 0 0 0 Caledon Teen Ranch, 0 0 0 0 0 Caledon Heart Lake, 4 3 1 - - Brampton Professor’s 1 1 2 0 0 Lake, Brampton Jack Darling, 2 1 1 0 0 Mississauga Richard’s 1 2 2 1 0 Memorial, Mississauga Lakefront 3 2 1 2 0 Promenade, August 29 Mississauga

5 DATA ASSESSMENT

5.5 Water Quality Monitoring Stations The PWQMN and CVC IWMP stations within the CVC LOISS area are summarized in Table 5.

Table 5: PWQMN and CVC IWMP Stations FIRST LAST TOTAL MISSING STATION NAME LOCATION STATUS AUTHORITY GAUGE YEAR YEAR YEARS YEARS Rattray Marsh, 06006800102 Sheridan Meadowood Active PWQMN - CVC 1976 2009 34 0 (501210004) Creek Road Lakeshore Rd, Credit 06007600102 Reg. Road 2, Port Inactive PWQMN - CVC 1964 1987 10 14 River Credit Dundas St. West, Credit 02HB00 06007600202 E of Mississauga Inactive PWQMN - CVC 1965 1997 33 0 River 2 Road Credit Erindale Park at 501090003 Active CVC - IWMP 2002 2009 8 0 River Dundas St. Credit Old Derry Rd, W 02HB00 06007601702 Active PWQMN - CVC 1975 2009 35 0 River of Hwy 10 3 Credit Mineola Drive, 06007604902 Inactive PWQMN - CVC 2000 2000 1 0 River u/s Stavebank Rd 06007605002 Credit Mississauga Golf Active PWQMN - CVC 2003 2009 7 0 (501090009) River & Country Club Cooksvil 06007800102 Lakeshore Rd Inactive PWQMN - CVC 2007 2007 1 0 le Creek

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Detailed water quality sampling has been conducted on Sheridan and Cooksville Creeks during 2008, along with flows and rainfall data at 15-minute intervals. These are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6: Detailed sampling locations in the Credit Valley Watershed. GAUGED FIRST LAST CREEK NUMBER LOCATION AUTHORITY STREAMS YEAR YEAR QEW, Brookhurst Road Sheridan 3 PWQMN – CVC Yes 2007 2008 and at outlet South of Queensway, Cooksville 2 PWQMN – CVC yes 2007 2008 Lakeshore Cawthra At Atwater CVC – IWMP yes 2007 2008 Clearview 2 2 location PWQMN – CVC no 1975 2009

5.6 Contaminant Loadings A “first-pass” estimate of contaminant loadings of total phosphorus (TP) for all watercourses draining into Lake Ontario (from the Welland Canal to Ajax) was developed by Bill Booty (EC) and Gary Bowen (TRCA), as part of the Ontario Drinking Water Collaborative The purpose was to identify priority watersheds for more detailed study. The results are summarized in Figures 1 – 3. .It is apparent that four rivers contribute more than 50,000 Kg phosphorus to Lake Ontario: the Niagara, Credit, Humber and Ganaraska

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Figure 1: Annual TP Loadings (Welland Canal to Oakville Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR).

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Figure 2: Annual TP Loadings (Wedgewood Creek to Pringle Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR).

Figure 3: Annual TP Loadings (Oshawa Creek to Farewell Creek). Bill Booty (submitted to JGLR).

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The above “first-pass” loadings may be contrasted with detailed studies of loadings from the Duffins Creek watershed and nearby WWTP, part of a study by the University of Waterloo for OPG in Figure 4.

The “first pass” loading of TP from Duffins (approx. 18,000 kg/year in 2005: see Figure 2) is quite similar to the results of a detailed study in 2007 and 2008 (see Figure 5), but is only a fraction of the loads carried by the WWTP.

The annual TP loadings for the Region of Halton (Tuck, Sheldon and Bronte Creeks) are also low (Figure 1 and Figure 6), measured in tens of kilograms per year.

Figure 4: Daily TP Loadings to Lake Ontario from Duffins Creek at WPCP for 2007 and 2008 (University of Waterloo 2009)

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Figure 5: Annual TP Loadings to Lake Ontario from Duffins Creek at WPCP for 2007 and 2008 (University of Waterloo 2009)

Figure 6: Annual TP Loadings from watercourse (Tuck Creek, Sheldon Creek and Bronte Creek) and 3 storm sewers discharging into Lake Ontario. From Aquafor Beech Limited (2005).

Figure 6: Annual Dry and Wet Total Phosphorous from Watercourses, Storm Sewers Discharging Directly to Lake Ontario and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent

5.7 Nearshore versus Offshore Data

Nearshore and offshore water chemistry has been collected extending from the mouths of several rivers (Rouge, Duffins and Carruthers) during the 2008 International Study of the Lake Ontario nearshore (see Figure 7).

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Figure 7: Nearshore Sampling Locations in the Toronto to Ajax Area in 2008.

Several studies have noted that there is a wider range of concentrations of TP and other biologically important parameters between nearshore and offshore in Lake Ontario. This is illustrated in Table 7, from a compilation of measurements collected between 2002 and 2007.

Table 7: Nearshore and Offshore Water Quality data (Means and ranges of values) from U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Division (Duluth MN) and E.S. EPA GLNPO. Data from 2002 – 2007 (SOLEC, 2009) Lake TP ( µg/L) (SRP NO3 ( µg/L) Silicate (µg/L) Chlorophyll a Ontario (µg/L)) (µg/L) Nearshore 5.57 1.83 0.35 0.83 2.27 (n=535) (

It has also been shown that the overall levels of TP have been decreasing in Lake Ontario (Figure 8).

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Figure 8: Mean spring TP concentrations ( µgP/L) for the offshore waters of Lake Ontario. The filled and open circles represent Canadian and U.S. data, respectively. The solid line represents the target water quality objective of 10 µgP/L. From DePinto, J.V., Lam, D., Auer, M., Burns, N., Chapra, S., Charlton, M., Dolan, D., Kreis, R., Howell, T. & Scavia, D. (2007). Appendix 1 RWG D Technical Subgroup Report Examination of the Status of the Goals of Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In GLWQA Review Report: Volume 2, pages 373-403).

This trend is also shown with more detailed data on phosphorus in Lake Ontario, both as total phosphorus (TP) and total filtered phosphorus (TF-P). These data are available from the Great Lakes Surveillance Program from 1973 to 2009. Note that Total filtered phosphorus (TF-P) is determined after filtration through a 0.45 µm filter and is equivalent to soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), which is the dissolved form that is readily incorporated into living organisms. These data are reproduced in Figures 9 and 10.

The best-fit lines indicate that TP in the nearshore of Lake Ontario (herein defined as depth above the thermocline or 30 metres) has been falling since the early 1970s and was near or below the IJC objective of 0.010 mg/L by the early 2000s.

On the other hand, Lake Ontario waterfront data reveal elevated phosphorus locally, particularly in Hamilton Harbour, the Toronto Waterfront and the outlet of the Niagara River (Dove, 2009; Modelling Surface Water Inc., 2003).

The objective of 0.010 mg/L marks the transition of lake water from mesotrophic to oligotrophic. It also represents the benchmark of in-lake concentration once the target loadings in Annex 3 of the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement have been met. The situation in the offshore is more dramatic, and indicates that phosphorus may already be too low to support healthy prey fish, a phenomenon referred to as “offshore desertification” (Dove, 2009).

The conclusion appears to be that whole-lake phosphorus has been on a downward trend, although the concentrations may have ceased declining in recent years.

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Figure 9 Total Phosphorus (TP) and Total Filtered Phosphorus in the Nearshore Lake Ontario at stations within 10 kilometres of the Toronto Waterfront (data from A. Dove, Environment Canada)

Figure 10: Total Phosphorus (TP) and Total Filtered Phosphorus in the Offshore Lake Ontario at stations within 10 kilometres of the Toronto Waterfront (data from A. Dove, Environment Canada)

5.8 Lake Ontario Circulation

The impact of contaminants on Lake Ontario water quality, whether derived from point sources (WWTP effluents) or non-point sources (watershed sources) depends on the dispersion and dilution along-shore and across-shore to deeper waters from wind-driven and density currents. The overall pattern for ice-free periods for 2007 and 2008 is reproduced in Figures 11 and 12, applicable to the stratified period (summer and fall). Several researchers have commented that the physical processes within Lake Ontario are the over-riding and unknown variable in water

Aquafor Beech Limited 28 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study quality studies. Furthermore, there is a complete lack of information on circulation during the winter months.

Figure 11: Mean Circulation Patterns and Average Velocities in Lake Ontario from May to September 2007 (University of Waterloo (2009).

Figure 12: Mean Circulation Patterns and Average Velocities in Lake Ontario from May to September 2007 (University of Waterloo (2009).

5.9 Lake Hydrodynamics

Lake hydrodynamics governs the fate of pollutants discharged into Lake Ontario from streams and the two WWTPs. Hydrodynamic processes include exchange with deeper water in late summer and fall, segregation of pollutants between nearshore and offshore waters due to the thermal bar in spring and early summer, transport by wind-driven along-shore currents and associated down-welling or up-welling episodes. This has consequences when Intake Protection

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Zones (IPZ) and assumptions as to the source of contaminant plumes ( Figure 13). In this case, ascribing the ammonia plume to WWTP effluents alone appears to be more justified than the phosphorus plume.

Figure 13: Intake Protection Zone (IPZ) for Lakeview and Clark Water Treatment Plants showing WWTP plumes for ammonia and total phosphorus (Lake Ontario Collaborative presentation to CTC Source Water Protection Committee, November 24, 2009).

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6 HISTORIC PHOSPHOROUS CONCENTRATIONS FOR CREDIT RIVER

As early as the 1970s, the Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group (PLUARG) concluded that phosphorus was the most important water quality parameter in Lake Ontario. Phosphorus is the rate-limiting nutrient for the growth of aquatic microorganisms, some of which are beneficial, such as phytoplankton (the basis of the lake food web). Other microorganisms are nuisances, such as the filamentous algae ( Cladophora ) that foul beaches, cyanobacteria blooms (blue-green algae) that affect the taste and odour (T & O) in drinking water sources. Other effects are related albeit indirect, such as fish kills and a resurgence of Type E botulism in fish- eating birds.

As mentioned earlier, the main sources of phosphorus to Lake Ontario have been mitigated over the past 20+ years as a result of several initiatives:

• With the signing of the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the U.S. and Canada agreed to reduce phosphorus in WWTP effluents to 1 mg/L for plants discharging more than 1 million gallons per day. • In 1973, the Canadian government lowered that allowable phosphorus content of detergents to 2.2%. • The initiation of watershed planning, stormwater management and increased public awareness minimized the water quality impacts from continued development.

These efforts are reflected by the decrease and stabilization of annual mean concentrations of total phosphorus within the main Credit River, based on compilations of the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) from 1965 to 2000, illustrated in Figure 14 for total phosphorus (TP). Total phosphorus is the sum of all forms of phosphorus in a water sample, including particulate, dissolved, and organic forms). The combined efforts throughout the Lake Ontario basin are reflected in the trend of phosphorus in the Credit River since the early 1980s and in Lake Ontario itself.

Paradoxically, while the concentrations of TP in Lake Ontario are at or below the Provincial Water Quality Objective of 20 µg/L TP and loadings of TP have fallen significantly since, there has been a resurgence of nuisance algae fouling shorelines. This paradox required a re- examination of the phosphorus cycle in lakes.

Firstly, the downward trend in concentrations of TP in the Credit River does not necessarily reflect the trend in loading to the entire LOISS Study Area (loading being the concentration multiplied by flow volume).

Secondly, the introduction of Zebra and Quagga Mussels ( Dreissenia sp. ) in the Great Lakes in the early 1990s was a major ecosystem disruption that altered the food web and presented a new paradigm phosphorus cycle within the Great Lakes. Whereas TP concentrations are decreasing, it appears that the proportion of dissolved phosphorus may be increasing. The mussels ingest organic and inorganic phosphorus by filter-feeding phytoplankton and fine particulate matter and

Aquafor Beech Limited 31 Water Quality Report Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Study excrete biologically-available dissolved phosphorus (commonly referred to as Soluble Reactive Phosphorus or SRP). The combination of improved water clarity and abundant SRP favours algae growth.

The role of Zebra Mussels in the cycling of phosphorus in freshwater lakes has still to be determined. A conceptual diagram illustrating the complexity of the phosphorus cycle is presented in Figure 15.

Figure 14: Time Trends in mean annual phosphorus in the Credit River and Fletcher’s Creek (1964-2000). Date from Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN).

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Figure 15: Conceptual Phosphorus Cycle in Freshwater Lakes with Zebra Mussels

On a lake-wide perspective, discussed in Section 5.2, a “first-pass” estimate of contaminant loadings for all watercourses along the north shore of Lake Ontario indicated that the Credit and Humber Rivers contribute the largest loads of TP to the north shore of Lake Ontario, both of the order of 50,000 kilograms per year.

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7 INFORMATION GAPS

The main data gaps identified and directions forward:

1. There is a lack of site-specific event mean concentrations (EMCs) and ambient mean concentrations (AMCs) derived from flow-proportional water quality sampling during wet-weather and dry-weather flows, respectively. Therefore, further monitoring is needed to develop site specific EMCs and AMCs. Detailed EMCs and AMCs for areas with different land uses would provide more precise loadings and assist with prioritizing urban watersheds in need of retro-fitting and rehabilitation.

2. There is no centralized database of water quality data. Several researchers have commented that effective data management (e.g. a centralized databases or web portal) is needed. One example is the U.S. EPA STORET Data Warehouse and Water Quality Exchange (WQX) that is accessible by geographic location (state and county) and type (river, lake, Great Lake) at http://www.epa.gov/storet/dw_home.html

3. As a corollary to (2), there is a lack of coherence in Lake Ontario research in that it involves federal, provincial and state governments in two countries, municipalities, conservation authorities, provincial utilities and universities, whether singly or as consortia. Researchers are reluctant to share their data until the results are published.

4. The overriding variable in water quality in the nearshore of Lake Ontario is the hydrodynamic processes of lake circulation and mixing – the role of winds and the associated upwelling and downwelling events, storms, seasonal stratification and overturn and the thermal bar. These uncertainties preclude construction of a robust model to account for bacterial contamination of beaches, the diffusion of effluent plumes from WWTP, delineation of intake protection zones for drinking water sources or the proliferation of nuisance algae and the occurrence of taste & odour (T&O) episodes in drinking water.

5. Shoreline orientation appears to be the controlling process for the movement of sediment and contaminants due to wave-driven along-shore currents. The overall direction of transport along the LOISS shoreline is from northeast to southwest (see accompanying article by Shoreplan). The effects of such currents on nearshore water quality, particularly in during winter and spring (when circulation is mainly driven by wind and waves) is poorly understood.

6. There are sparse sediment sampling data, apart from a reconnaissance study conducted at the mouth of streams entering Lake Ontario (Dove and others, 2003), which included the watercourses along the LOISS area. Further work is needed on the role of sediments as reservoirs, sinks or sources of contaminants. A bi-national LaMP sediment core-sampling project was initiated in 2008. The extent of emerging chemical of concern (e.g.

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pharmaceutical products and endocrine-disruptors) and legacy chemicals (e.g. pesticides) in the samples will provide direction for future management actions.

7. Watershed and lake modeling exercises are needed for the LOISS study area to estimate delivery of contaminants to the Lake at finer time steps and understand dynamics of contaminants once they reach the Lake. These exercises would also be important for near-shore nutrients concentration assessment spread over entire year and associating nutrient concentration time-series with algae bloom.

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8 REFERENCES

Aquafor Beech Limited (1994). Metropolitan Toronto Waterfront Wet Weather Outfall Study – Phase II City of Toronto. Report prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, October 1994.

Aquafor Beech Limited (1997). Metropolitan Toronto Waterfront Wet Weather Outfall Study – Phase III Seasonal Analysis Study. Report prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, March 1997.

Aquafor Beech Limited (2005). Conservation Halton LOSAAC Water Quality Study, Final Report for Conservation Halton, October 2005, 25p.

Aquafor Beech Limited (2009). City of Mississauga Stormwater Quality Control Strategy Update (City-Wide). Draft report prepared for the City of Mississauga, July 2009.

Bowen, G and T. Howell (2009). Cooperative Monitoring of Lake Ontario in 2008 – The Coastal Zone Component: Outline of Work on the Canadian Shoreline. Presentation to the Town of Ajax, June 22, 2009.

Booth, B (in press). Jour. Great Lakes Res.

Boyd, D. and J. Biberhofer (1999). Large Volume Sampling at ix Lake Ontario Tributaries During 1997 and 1998: Project Synopsis and Summary of Selected Results. Ontario Ministry of the Environment. PIBS 3927E, 43p.

Chapra, S.C., A. Dove and D.C. Rockwell (2008). Great Lakes Chloride Trends: Long-Term Mass Balance and Loading Analysis. Jour. Great Lakes Res., Vol. 35, 272-284.

Edsall, T.A. and M.N Charlton (1997). Nearshore Waters of the Great Lakes, Background Paper for SOLEC 1996, 162p., M.N

City of Toronto (2006). Wet Weather Flow Master Plan, Implementation Report 2006 – Waterfront Management Plan.

City of Toronto (2009). Toronto Beaches Plan, 24p.

Conservation Ontario (2009). Managing Watersheds for Great Lakes Benefits: Technical Workshop on Nutrients in the Nearshore. Workshop report prepared by Joanna Kidd, 28p.

Credit Valley Conservation (2004). Integrated Watershed Monitoring Program

Credit Valley Conservation (2007a). Interim Watershed Characterization Report for the Credit Valley Watershed, Section 3 (Water Quality).

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Credit Valley Conservation (2007b). Credit River Water Management Strategy Update. 279p.

Credit Valley Conservation (2009). Impact Monitoring Cooksville Creek and Sheridan Creek. Unpublished Data.

Credit Valley Conservation (2009). Water Quality Strategy – Phase II, Final Report by EBNFLO Environmental, March 2009, 112p.

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