As I was out for a quiet ride in the kayak a week or so ago, something grabbed my attention. Aside from a water bottle wrapper floating along, the water was suffused with large and small yellow pollen patches across the entire surface. Needless to say, our Beach over the years has been beset with varied materials both naturally occurring and/or resulting from human interventions.
Just how clean is Woodland’s water? “Up until the 1950s, cottagers could safely drink water straight from the Bay. It is now necessary to treat water intended for drinking” (Georgian Bay Association, May 2018). But just how clean is the Bay water for recreational activities? Looking at the yellow film, one simply must look and see what the answer may be. The discussion will include the history of testing in our area, causes of quality fluctuations, Woodland Beach water quality and what we can do to participate in safeguarding our water now and for future generations.
Background
It is instructive to note that water testing has been an ongoing practice for many years by a variety of partnerships. Careful scrutiny of Georgian Bay’s unique ecosystem has been catalogued with much research data from Beach Associations, Counties, Townships, Universities, non-profit organizations, charities and others. The initial quality testing dates back to the 1980s and became more pervasive and coordinated from 2000 to the present.
At the local level, The Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations (FOTTSA) presented the water testing program to Tiny Township and the first testing was done by volunteers in 2001. According to Tracey, our WBPOA has been there since the start, every second year since 2001 funded by the Association.
Measurement
What does the water quality testing measure? The Provincial standards for water suitable for recreational use are bacterial counts of 1000 colonies of total coliform and 100 colonies of E. coli per 100 ml. of water. Georgian Bay South Channel organization notes this “limit has been raised over the years in response to public pressures to keep beaches open in the face of deteriorating water quality, especially in the more urban areas.”
Why use E. coli as the measurement variable? It is used as a major indicator of fecal matter. The samples have not differentiated between different types of the E coli bacteria. Tiny Township messaging includes swimming advisory posts at their beaches affected by high E coli counts. The signs warn swimmers that the most recent water samples show bacteria in numbers that may increase their risk to illness. ‘The swimming advisory remains posted until sample testing shows E. coli levels are once again within acceptable limits.’ We at Woodland have had these warnings, notably two postings in summer 2016.
Factors
The many natural factors affecting water quality include waterfowl, rainfall quantity, wave action, water levels, sand quality and generally climate change among others. Of course, there remains the human component such as faulty sewage systems, agriculture runoff from fields, effluent from Nottawasaga River and potential damage to the underground aquifer. There is ever increasing concern about the quantity of microplastics and their effects on sensitive ecosystems. Even golf balls degrade and contaminate the water over time. The Township of Tiny instituted their Septic Inspection Program almost 20 years ago focusing much needed supervision of sewage conditions. Noted below, our precious aquifer is under continued threat by business interests.
Woodland Beach
It is not in the scope or the intent of this post to do a detailed analysis of the testing measurement data at Woodland. Far from it. These observations are very general in nature and the single numbers have been melted down to total averages over time. They are not scientific but noteworthy in general terms. The review focuses on the more recent results over the last four testing years (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020). (Woodland Beach Testing Sample Results can be viewed at wbpoa.org).
Because bacterial levels can fluctuate enormously from day to day in open waters, random testing is only accurate at the time taken. However, over time, trends appear regarding the relative purity of a particular location. The measurements taken reflected the number of E coli per 100 mls.
At Woodland Beach five main areas have been consistently measured over the last twenty years:
1. Off White Oak Trail
2. Off Culver Creek
3. Culver Creek
4. Off Tamarack Trail
5. Tamarack Creek
6. Off Tripp Lane, Tripp Culvert (2020)
- The three locations that consistently scored the fewest counts were at the White Oak Trail, off Culver Stream and off Tamarack Trail. Overall, very low single readings averaged 10 or less..
- The readings at Culver Stream averaged 100 over the first three years, still well within the acceptable range.
- The one location that has measured well above the acceptable limits each year tested has been the Tamarack Stream.
Overall, it is not possible to measure accurately because 44% of the time the tests were above 600 and off the measurement scale. - In 2020, Tripp Lane and Tripp Culvert were measured and both yielded good results with Tripp Lane at 46 and off Tripp Lane at 52.
- Compared to the first three testing years, the scores of the cleanest 3 locations in 2020 were slightly elevated but still well within limits. They averaged 29 but, again, many factors may have played a part in the small increase.
It is interesting to note that Woodland has never had a proper sewer system in place. There continues to be runoff into our water, especially after significant rainfall. This would partly explain the higher E coli counts in Culver Stream runoff. That coupled with the runoff from farm fields have greatly impacted the water quality at Tamarack Stream which far too often is above and, at times, well above the measurable limit. Also, the White Oak Trail water is marginally the cleanest overall and is not near a stream run off area. Hopefully, testing at other areas similar to White Oak, which is the majority of the Beach, would yield similar results.
In summary, we here at Woodland have very clean water with little variance in measurement. A real and persistent concern is the Tamarack Stream.
Our Woodlander, Dr. David Crowe, is a leading expert in the field and contributed an excellent article in the Tiny Cottager regarding water results from earlier years: http://tinycottager.org/articles/miscellaneous/waterresults/AllanCrowe01.pdf 2005-2007.
What we can do?
– Leave dunes to Mother Nature
– Maintain beach grass,
– Remove invasive weeds
– Maintain septic systems/Holding tanks
– Improve drainage where possible
– Stay informed
The State of Affairs
Currently, the testing programs are data heavy and more patchwork than comprehensive. Developing a plan of action has been difficult. However, the recent introduction of a new and novel approach is remarkable and promising. According to Georgian Bay Forever, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle will drastically improve water quality measurement. “Georgie is basically a small, robotic, research submarine that scientists can program and send out on data-collecting missions into any area of the Bay they want to learn more about, such as wetlands to measure their resilience to climate change.” The sub is capable of detailed measurement of ten variables not analyzed before. Interesting read: Introducing Georgie McBayFace! | Georgian Bay Forever.
Other than a more uniform approach to testing, there remain many other concerns that must be addressed now and in future.
A major and pressing issue is the maintenance of the purest aquifer on earth. The environment is being pressed by outside interests that could seriously damage the Bay’s fresh water as well as neighboring wells. In their recent newsletter The Tiny Cottager has written a detailed article regarding the possible expansion of the Teeton Pit and the ramifications of such an endeavour. thetinycottager.org.
Up to date information can be viewed at https//www.saveourwatertiny.wordpress.com. Noted in the website:
– ‘In addition to the potential environmental risks posed by the extraction and washing of gravel so close to the aquifer, the pit running at capacity could mean 40 trucks an hour coming in and out of Tiny Township.’
-‘The Sarjeant Company has a license to dig two new gravel pits in Concession 1 above the Alliston Aquifer and to extract gravel below the water table at one of them.’
Future
As indicative of all stakeholders, Georgian Bay Forever found water quality was ranked number one in a recent survey conducted, in terms of what is most important to supporters. “High quality measurement data of water in Georgian Bay is critical to establishing a baseline condition and to then track changes over time that might impact the ecosystems and creatures that live there as well as the people who use the water of the Bay for drinking, swimming and fishing.”
Hopefully, Woodland’s young children and their children will enjoy the same pleasure we have been blessed with for these many years.
“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.” (Slovakian Proverb)
References
thetinycottager.org
http://www.tinycottager.org/fottsa-volunteer-water-sampling-program/http://www.tinycottager.org
Georgian Bay Forever
Georgian Bay Association
Severn Sound Environmental Association
Water Quality – Georgian Bay Township (gbtownship.ca)
Georgian Bay South Channel – Water Testing and Water Quality
District of Muskoka (Lake System Health Program)
Inland Water Quality Testing (2011 to 2015)