• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Anglers’ really good reasons for stopping the Midhurst plan

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In Agencies
Jun 26th, 2014
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Nottawasaga Steelheaders at work on stream restoration

The Nottawasaga Steelheaders have a series of fact sheets with information about the Nottawasaga River and related issues. This is the text of their most recent publication, regarding the Midhurst Secondary plan.

Midhurst Secondary Plan Threatens Us!

The Nottawasaga Steelheaders, a volunteer group of anglers, conservationists and concerned residents, have been working with The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and Ministry of Natural Resources to improve, rehabilitate and preserve the integrity of various tributaries of the Nottawasaga River watershed over the past twenty years. Over this time we have removed numerous barriers to fish migration, undertaken countless garbage pick-ups, tree plantings, stream bank stabilizations, cold water delivery projects, spawning ground improvements and commitments to ensure the survival of wild species in this watershed such as wild steelhead.

The Nottawasaga Steelheaders also have been instrumental in working with watershed communities to enhance awareness of critical conservation issues. We have also undertaken various projects in parallel and conjointly with these communities as a partner under the supervision of the Nottawasaga River Conservation Authority and Ministry of Natural Resources to tackle the growing challenges of a rapidly growing population and its impact on important watersheds such as the Nottawasaga River

Sprawl is creating pressures on our lives and our environment. In Biology we use the term “Carrying Capacity” to appreciate the ability of an area to support species. We believe that the Midhurst Secondary Plan does not meet the Carrying Capacity, for so many reasons. Here are a just a few as they relate to the environment and their subsequent impact to eco-balance, watershed homeostasis and further recreational and financial impacts.

With regards to Midhurst Secondary Plan, The Nottawasaga Steelheaders as Stewards of the river and watershed have major concerns:

Increased flow and contaminants threaten eco-balance and homeostasis of the Nottawasaga River.

  1. 1.    The Nottawasaga River contributes 35-40% of migrating chinook salmon to Georgian Bay and Lake Huron (Recent Studies 2012 from U of Western Ontario and Michigan) and the largest run of wild migratory rainbow trout or steelhead. These salmonids depend on sensing particulate flow (in PPM) in the river to home in on essential nursery habitat and specific tributaries. They have developed sensitive co-adaptive gene complexes to enable them to survive and spawn in these tributaries. From a study undertaken by our organization and the University of Guelph, 18 distinct strains of Steelhead exist in the Nottawasaga River each with its own set of co-adaptive gene complexes which govern their migrational abilities. Artificial changes in flow due to development contributions could threaten this migration by lowering or augmenting particulate composition and draw. No action plan to address this from the Environmental Assessment. The largest run of wild steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) in Georgian Bay and Lake Huron come from the Nottawasaga River (Estimations of 20,000 run of steelhead from the Pine River, alone.)
  2. 2.    These fish are known to migrate through-out the entire Georgian Bay and Lake Huron basins. (Recent U of Western Ontario studies)
  3. 3.    Both these fish are strong contributors to the $7 Billion recreational Great Lakes Sport Fishery shared by both Canada and the US.
  4. 4.    Nottawasaga Steelheaders and other anglers have noticed major changes in migration habit of steelhead due to heavier weed growth in the lower end due to factors such as warming and phosphate and nitrogen contributions. Theses changes have reduced the quality of angling opportunity in the Nottawasaga River as our angler membership and participation has observed over the past decade. This impacts draw to the watershed and its communities by anglers and has resulted in reduced monies spent in the region. Many anglers are no longer vacationing and angling this watershed due to catch quality and experience that has deteriorated over recent years. Supportive angling shops in the area have closed and motels no longer get repeat anglers. I can take you to motel owners to demonstrate this.
  1. 5.    Walleye, a major indigenous sport fish, has all but disappeared from the Nottawasaga River due in part to habitat deterioration from climate warming and development pressure. Nottawasaga walleye are one of only two rare wetland spawning walleye in the great lakes basins. They spawn in the Minesing Wetlands which will be affected by changes in Willow Creek flows and contributions. The MNR is trying to reverse major walleye population deterioration throughout Ontario and the great lakes. It will take years and generations to stop and reverse this deterioration. The rare Nottawasaga River walleye due to their unique, remote and poorly understood life represent a greater challenge.
  2. 6.    The Nottawasaga River is also home to the Great Lakes Sturgeon which have been placed on a more critical level of “Threatened”. They reach spawning maturity at between 15 and 20 years of age. Their numbers have been reducing over the years due to population pressures such as dams, development and over harvest. Sturgeon are highly dependent on quality water flow for migration and specific food substrate which in turn is dependent on “quality of water”.
  3. 7.    Recent reports from the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority list the number of fish species in the Nottawasaga River to at least 75. Their numbers are in jeopardy.
  4. 8.    The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority has determined deterioration in the quality and level of cold water returns from headwaters due in part to pressures on the Nottawasaga River including development. They have instituted a program (NWIP- Nottawasaga Water Improvement Program) to involve and communities to halt further deterioration. The continued stresses on the watershed compound our efforts and costs associated with preserving the healthy integrity of the Nottawasaga River.
  5. 9.    Phosphate levels in the Nottawasaga River are poor in many areas due to many factors including sewage and run-off contributions. Provincial “stream” requirements (0.03mg/L) are not appropriate for the Nottawasaga River which is more akin to a lake (slower flow) of 0.02mg/L. Developers are not taking the lead in striving for the future best and not “just what is adequate by law”. A law that is correct is not necessarily right. Certainly not just.

10. Water Treatment plant requirements and governments are woefully out of whack with today’s knowledge and awareness of the detrimental and dangerous effects of untreatable contaminants, contributions and flows and the ability of these plants to handle these issues. Resultant long term and irreversible damage can occur by

11. Changes to Willow Creek due to increased development pressures both in the short and long term from Midhurst Secondary Plan, are not fully understood or appreciated by consultants work on the Environmental Assessment. There is a very important and delicate interdependent Biodiversity existing in Willow Creek which further impacts the Minesing Wetlands and the entire Nottawasaga River watershed and all its species, flora and fauna. The key and critical positioning of this development by virtue of its size and close proximity to a very sensitive and important area (The Minesing Wetlands a RAMSAR, World Recognized Area and ANSI, Provincially Recognized Area) as well as the important Nottawasaga River which feeds and draws from it, unquestionably deserves closer scrutiny. In this case we feel haste not only creates waste but harms and costs us in the long run. The Wetlands have shrunk by 37% since 1953 due to many factors including human encroachment, changes and development!! (From recent 2013 NVCA Report)

12. Wasaga Beach has recently been acknowledged as a “Blue Water” or exceptionally clean and healthy beach that is used by countless recreational users and draws a huge number of tourists from across the country. This draws in millions of dollars to the area. The Nottawasaga River flows into the bay of this world renowned beach. Because of prevailing winds water from the river washes onto the beach. Changes that occur in the river will inevitably impact the beach and wildlife. This includes contaminants, chemicals and phosphorus levels. Already, dead fish, birds and wildlife are washing ashore!

Working with you in conservation and a healthy environment…The Nottawasaga Steelheaders http://www.nottawasaga.org

For more information: Gary Christie gchristie1@rogers.com Toronto (905) 889-0396

Link to Notty Trout Facts

Link to Notty River Facts

Link to Riparian Forests 

3 Responses to “Anglers’ really good reasons for stopping the Midhurst plan”

  1. Mike Gerrard says:

    My grandparents lived on the river since the forties my parents had a cottage on the oxbow I use to swim in the river in the seventies and the bottom of the river was made up of sand and gravel and there were no weeds at all we started noticing weeds in the river after they put in the water treatment plant behind the old hitching post grounds up the river from us, by 1996 the river was starting to change color and the weeds were everywhere we sold because of this in 1999 and I was up there last year 2017 and there was so many weeds in the river you couldn’t troll for rainbow trout for the weeds and the bottom of the river is like mud now, its a shame something hasn’t been done to stop the pollution of fertilizers and dirty water run off into one of the most important rivers in southern ontario.

  2. Lynn Forsyth says:

    Does willow creek get a run of salmon or rainbow trout

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