[All] Lake Erie massive fish and bird deaths due to lack of oxygen

[Ginny Quinn]

Yes  Lulu   and we have to fight   hard with the Region and back them up
...the developers are taking the Region to the OMB  to try to get across
the COUNTRYSIDE LINE   which we must protect for our future groundwater
needs    there's    HIGH  recharge areas there that we'll need for community
wells.    Prof. Emil Frind has warned repeatedly that  Lake  Erie  will
probably not be an option for a pipeline to KW  in 2035  as it is the
shallowest and   probably the most contaminated Lake  of the 5.  And with
Global warming , there's the probability of worsening.    The developers
have no regard for the next  generations...only to fatten their own
pocketbooks.   Ginny

From: all-bounces at gren.ca [mailto:all-bounces at gren.ca] On Behalf Of
Louisette Lanteigne
Sent: September-08-12 12:53 AM
To: gren
Subject: [All] Lake Erie massive fish and bird deaths due to lack of oxygen

 

Hi folks

 

Currently Lake Erie is seeing the largest die off of near shore fish in
recent history. The beaches are littered, and in some cases, covered with
tens of thousands of rotting fish. Species found included carp, sheephead,
yellow perch, Lake Erie catfish, suckerfish, smelt, whitefish and minnows. 

 

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2012/09/06/fish-kill-cause-could-have-huge-im
plications

 

Thousands of rotten dead fish and some dead birds are along Lake Erie's
shoreline right now, along 40 km of beach.  The cause according to this news
story published in the Toronto Star is: Nitrate issues: The lack of oxygen. 

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1253189--lack-of-oxygen-killed-la
ke-erie-fish-tests-show

 

 

As a precaution, Chatham-Kent public utilities increased sampling of the
water since the incident. The results show there's no need for additional
treatment of the water and quality of drinking water hasn't been affected,
according to Dr. David Colby, the Medical Officer of Health for
Chatham-Kent.

 

 <http://www.am980.ca/news/local/Story.aspx?ID=1770024>
http://www.am980.ca/news/local/Story.aspx?ID=1770024

 

Recently this research story came out noting the presence of a pathogen
linked to human sewage at Beaches on the US section of Erie. The researchers
found Arcobacter at all beeches they tested. 75.2% of 129 samples with
occurrence and densities in concordance with the level of fecal
contamination. 

 

http://phys.org/news/2012-08-gi-pathogen-lake-linked-human.html

 

 

In my view, I suspect that part of the reason we are having these issues is
due to the fact we've had drought conditions most of this summer. Very
little water has been circulating in tributaries. Very little groundwater
has been available to dilute farm wastes and aquifer contaminates. With the
recent heavy rains we had a high flush of manure dust and organic materials
introduced into tributaries creating a spike in nitrate issues.  

 

I'm wondering if the lack of rain over summer months may have gone beyond
the design constraints of our sewage discharge processes resulting in the
release of higher than normal concentrations of organic manner into the
Grand. I have a hard time thinking we actually had enough flow to reasonably
dilute the waste materials. The situation might pose serious health risks
for private well system owners right now since there is less water to dilute
point source contamination.

 

When you factor in the amount of stress fish face in regards to the elevated
temperatures we've been experiencing, it's no wonder they're dying off. 

 

Lulu

 

 

 

 

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