The status of fish populaons and their habitat in the Thunder Bay Area of Concern Thunder Bay Area of Concern (AOC) • Designated AOC in 1986 • Stage 1 (defini.on of problem) completed in 1991 • Stage 2 (remedial strategies) completed in 2004 General issues: • unpleasant foam, oily residue and odour in waterways • high levels of chemicals in sediment and fish • loss of fish and wildlife habitat • impacts to sediment-dwelling organisms • impacts on fish populaons Fish Habitat Issues • Water Quality degradaon – Direct municipal/industrial discharge – Non-point source (agriculture, stormwater) • Loss of wetlands – Industrial, urban, coUage waterfront development • Loss/degradaon of substrate – e.g., Northern Wood Preservers; Thunder Bay North Harbour • Dredging – Navigaonal channels altered habitat significantly – Deposi.on of spoils in early years affected fish spawning sites Fish Populaon Issues • Habitat loss – Physical • wetland areas (spawning/nursery) • substrate – Chemical • Kaminis.Quia River water Quality barrier • pollutants (municipal/industrial) • chemical lampricide use • Over-exploitaon – Commercial • past (lake whitefish, lake trout) – Recreaonal • current (walleye)? • Invasive aquac species – 15 of 55 fish species in Thunder Bay AOC non-nave – great poten.al for others • shipping ballast water • warm Kaminis.Quia River delta Remediaon Stage 2 Projects (1 of 3) Project Code Project Title Status Proponent Cost Recommendation 1-1: Increase the extent of productive aquatic and terrestrial habitat by rehabilitating and protecting wetland and riparian environments, and by enforcing existing environmental legislation. Rehabilitation of Degraded Walleye Spawning Construction completed December 1991; assessment of EC/GLCUF, OMNR, OMOE, and $37,500 for construction, and $42,000 for FWH-1 Habitat at the Current River Estuary adult walleye abundance ongoing. DFO assessment. Alteration of Shoreline to Restore Habitat Diversity Completed in 1991, with additional trail work EC/GLCUF, OMNR, OMOE, and $109,889 for construction, and $74,830 for FWH-2 at the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway completed in 2001. DFO assessment Island Creation and Habitat Rehabilitation at the Mouth of McVicar Creek. Phase I: Bank Stabilization and Substrate Enhancement. Phase II: Island Phase I construction completed in 1992, with additional EC/GLCUF, OMNR, OMOE, and Phase I: $215,000. Phase II: $380,000. Assessment; FWH-3 Creation. tree planting in 1993; Phase II completed in 1993. DFO $17,200. Redesign Waterfront Park to Protect and Enhance Shoreline of the Kaministiquia River, Including Overlook completed in 1992; Promenade completed in Scenic Overlook, Promenade, and Additional 500m 1994. Construction of further 500m of park has been Overlook: $1.3 million. Promenade: $550,000. FWH-4 of Park. completed. LSPO (in past), EC/GLCUF Estimated $1.5 million for project completion. Creation of Embayments in the McKellar River to Construction of embayments completed in 1994. Site EC/GLCUF, OMNR, OMOE, and FWH-5 Restore Productive Littoral Habitat monitored in first two seasons after construction DFO Construction: $607,800. Recommendation 1-2: Prevent the loss of aquatic migration corridors. Fish ladder completed in 1992, pool construction in 1995, and fish transfer program from 1993 to 1995 and in Improving Salmonid Access to the Upper Reaches 1997. The project, however, has not achieved its DFO, LRCA, OMNR, North Shore Fish ladder $344,000. Pools: $62,500. Fish transfer: FWH-6 of the Current River objectives. Steelhead Association. less than $500 per year. Secondary treatment at kraft (1991) and newsprint Alleviating Water Quality Barriers to Fish Migration (1995) mills complete. Bowater switched to 100% Bowater has spent approximately $68 million on FWH-7 in the Kaministiquia River chlorine dioxide in 1994. Bowater environmental controls and upgrades since 1991. Remediaon Stage 2 Projects (2 of 3) Project Code Project Title Status Proponent Cost Recommendation 1-3: Rehabilitate ecosystem function and structure in order to support a diverse, healthy, self-sustaining biological community. This will ultimately require the virtual elimination of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (bearing in mind social and economic factors) to ensure that the water quality and sediment conditions in both the lower Kaministiquia River and in Thunder Bay Harbour provide a healthy and hospitable environment. Abitibi-Consolidated Inc., Canadian National Railway Northern Wood Preservers Alternative Remediation Co., Northern Sawmills Inc., NPS-1 Concept (NOWPARC) Project Primary components completed from 1997 to 2002 OMOE, and EC/GLSF. Approximately $20 million. Status of Lake Sturgeon in Lake Superior report completed (1996); draft Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Plan completed (1999); sturgeon population assessment in the Kaministiquia River has been EC/GLSF, DFO, State and Tribal FWP-1 Directed Recovery of Native Fish Species ongoing since 1998 Governments, OMNR $100,000 (January 2004) Secondary Treatment at the Bowater Pulp and PS-1 Paper Mill Completed. See Action FWH-7 Bowater Approximately $68 million Upgrades completed. Monitoring of groundwater PS-2 Upgrades at Thunder Bay Terminals recommended. Thunder Bay Terminals Cost not available Process upgrades completed. Monitoring environmental improvements due to OPG’s Ontario Power Generation - Process Upgrades at Ontario Power Generation - development of Mission Island Marsh is recommended Thunder Bay Generating PS-3 Thunder Bay Generating Station (see Action PSM-3). Station Cost not available PS-4 Secondary Treatment at Abitibi- Consolidated Ongoing cycles of the federal EEM program Abitibi- Consolidated Cost not available The design to redirect the stormwater discharge through a series of vegetated cells was completed In 1998. The separator has been removed, and some remediation has occurred. However, residual Redirect Stormwater Outlet and Remediate hydrocarbon accumulations still remain on the PS-5 Residual Oil from CPR Water/Oil Separator property. CPR Cost not available Secondary Treatment at Water Pollution Control City of Thunder Bay, OMOE, EC- PS-6 Plant Completed 2005-2006 GLSF, IC $73.6M for upgrade to secondary Process Improvements at Smurfit-Stone Container Implementation of secondary treatment completed in Smurfit-Stone Container PS-8 Canada Inc. (formerly Thunder Bay Packaging) summer of 1997. Plant closed Dec. 3, 2003. Ca na da Inc. Cost not available Develop a Management Plan for Mercury The 2003 mercury study has been completed and is NPS-2 Contaminated Sediments at Cascades Fine under review. Cascades Fine Papers Group Cost not available Develop and Implement Plans to Remediate Any Remaining Non-Point Sources of Contaminants Which are Contributing Significantly to the Fish NPS-G1 and Wildlife Related Impairments Not yet implemented. EC, MOE, NWRI, DFO, HC Develop and Implement Plans to Remediate Any Remaining Point Sources of Contaminants Which are Contributing Significantly to the Fish and PS-G1 Wildlife Related Impairments Not yet implemented. EC, MOE, NWRI, DFO, HC Remediaon Stage 2 Projects (3 of 3) Project Code Project Title Status Proponent Cost Recommendation 1-4: Prevent impacts on fish and wildlife population dynamics including those produced by the introduction of exotics. Initiative to Devise Alternate Means to Control Sea Fishway and sea lamprey barrier completed 1993. Now Sea Lamprey Control Centre, FWP-2 Lamprey decommissioned. EC/GLCUF, DFO Operation of lamprey trap: $2,500/yr Background report Ballast Water: State of the Science, DFO, TC, MNR, PAC, State and FWP-3 Preventing Further Introductions of Exotic Species Guidelines and Regulations completed 1994. Tribal Governments. $10,000 Recommendation 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3: In combination $73.6M for upgrade to secondary treatment, $19.7M to reduce surface water and infiltration water, $2.6M for sewer upgrades, $1.3M for facilities to Canada-Ontario Infrastructure treat filter backwash water at water treatment PS-7 Thunder Bay Pollution Prevention and Control Plan Phase I and II complete. Program, City of Thunder Bay. plant. Test Guidelines for Collecting Baseline Aquatic FWH-8 Habitat Data Aquatic habitat survey completed 1994. DFO, OMNR $20,000.00 Completed: Draft management plan completed 1998. Remaining: The Watershed Management Plan for the Slate River needs to be reviewed by the members of the PAC and by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority prior to its implementation under Action FWH- EC/GLCUF, DFO, Lakehead Develop Watershed Management Plan for the 10. Implementation will be conditional upon the Region Conservation FWH-9 Slate River participation of the municipal government. Authority (LRCA) $120,000 Remediaon Addi.onal Science and Monitoring Projects Project Code Project Title Status Proponent Cost Ongoing Monitoring Initiative SM-FWP-1 Fish Community Index Netting Program MNR/EC $16,000/year (Completed – 2009 to 2015) Kaministiquia River Walleye Radio Ongoing Monitoring Initiative $120,000 over SM-FWP-2 MNR/EC Telemetry Project (Completed – 2009 to 2014) three years Kaministiquia River Lake Sturgeon Completed Monitoring Initiative SM-FWP-3 MNR $33,000/year Study (2004 - 2013) Ongoing Monitoring Initiative SM-FWP-4 Current River Walleye Assessment (Completed – 1991 to 1993, 2010 MNR $10,000/year to 2012) Fish Habitat Classification and Fish Habitat Classification and SM-FWH-1 EC/MNR $30,000 Assessment Assessment (Completed - 2012) Northern Wood Preservers Alternative Completed Monitoring Initiative SM-FWH-2 Remediation Concept (NOWPARC)