Niagara should lead water protection: Grenier
Regional council should be leading efforts to promote the health of the waterways that border much of the Niagara Peninsula, says Welland Coun. Paul Grenier.
We should always be taking a leadership role in issues that affect Great Lakes water quality,” he said in an interview.
Grenier hopes to introduce a motion to regional council to let people know that “we’re watching, and we’re trying to hold other governments to account.”
If supported, he said the motion will “give an extra level of support to the Great Lakes mayors and their attempt to get practices ended” that contribute to algae blooms, such as one that formed in the west end of Lake Erie this summer.
Although the quality of Great Lakes water is under the jurisdiction of the International Joint Commission, Grenier said the issue should be well within the purview of local governments because it’s local communities that are most affected.
This summer’s algae bloom in west Lake Erie was the fourth largest on record, ranked at 7.5 on a scale of 10. The worst bloom on record that occurred in 2015 was ranked at 10.5.
The algae bloom — fuelled by phosphorous and nitrogen primarily from agricultural runoff and sewage overflows — has so far been limited to the west end of the lake, affecting the water supply of communities such as Leamington and Toledo, Ohio.
If the bloom becomes bigger in years to come, it could have a direct impact on Niagara communities along the north shore of Lake Erie.
The Windsor- Essex County Health Unit, which has been dealing with water contamination in communities at the west end of Lake Erie, published information on the contamination, saying it contains toxins called microcystins. Exposure to it can cause itchy and irritated eyes and skin.
If a small quantity of the contaminated water is consumed, it can lead to headaches, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Consuming a larger quantity of contaminated water can lead to more serious health concerns including liver damage.
The health unit also advises against boiling water contaminated with algae, because doing so will increase the water’s toxicity.
In addition to drinking water quality, Grenier said the algal bloom also has an impact on the sport and industrial fishing industries.
“When we start talking about the harvesting of fresh water fish, it becomes a problem a little close to home in Port Colborne and Port Dover,” he said.
Although Grenier had hoped to discuss his motion at tonight’s regional council meeting, he missed the deadline for submitting it this week.
He said the development of the motion was delayed as he awaited information from cities along the shores of Lake Erie that were affected by this summer’s bloom.
Still, if time allows, he said council will have the option of voting to suspend procedural bylaw rules to allow his motion to be introduced for consideration.
“This needs to be on the radar for people to be aware of. It’s the second time ion three years that they’ve had a water quality problem in Toledo,” Grenier said.
“If we don’t do something and this starts to migrate eastward, we have a problem.”