Wetland evaluator testifies at OMB hearing

Aspects of an environmental impact study of the Loggerhead Marsh have shortcomings, an expert witness in wetland ecology told the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing for the proposed Batten-White subdivision as it continued Tuesday afternoon.

Certified wetland evaluator Maryann Perron, a University of Ottawa PhD candidate who became involved last April, testified as a witness for Paul Frost and Maggie Xenopoulos, Trent University biologists who are party to the hearing along with the city.

Surveys of amphibians, fish and water in the provincially significant Loggerhead Marsh have each fallen short in yielding fulsome information, she said.

An amphibian survey completed as part of the study began in mid May, meaning it ruled out the early breeding season that is so important for three kinds of frogs that call the marsh home, including the spring peeper, Perron said.

A complete survey would have included the early breeding season in mid-to-late April, midseason in mid-to-late May, and the late season in mid-to-late June, she said. “I don’t think they could’ve made any strong conclusions based on this.”

Sampling, in the fish section, was also done in a stream adjacent to the marsh and not in the marsh itself, Perron told the hearing.

Addressing questions about a hydrology study completed as part of the study, she also testified she doesn’t think the wetland could be accurately assessed over a one-year period. Frost had pointed out that water levels fluctuate every year.

Other aspects of the marsh, such as rare plants, also went unevaluated, Perron said.

The hearing has heard that the wetland was deemed provincially significant because of the presence of the nesting least bittern, a tiny, well-camouflaged heron.

The wetland evaluator, however, explained that the marsh would remain provincially significant, even if the bird was not present because wetlands are evaluated using a points system in four categories: biological, social, hydrological and special features.

Without the inconspicuous bird, the marsh would still accrue 630 points – more than the 600 needed for the designation, Perron explained.

The hearing, which is scheduled to continue until Thursday, seeks to determine whether developer Murray Davenport should be allowed to build the Batten-White subdivision on 49 acres off Parkhill Rd., east of Brealey Dr.

The city has said no to the project, because of its proximity to the Loggerhead Marsh. The developer has dramatically changed its plans over the past two years to allay council’s concerns over potential pollution.

Perron also aimed to testify Tuesday as an expert in water quality, but that was rejected by OMB member David Lanthier, who ruled her experience and training insufficient to do so. Coupled with her education, however, he did allow her to testify as an expert in wetland ecology.

The hearing resumes Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.