AWARE Simcoe focuses on degradation of Nottawasaga watershed
News release from AWARE Simcoe
WASAGA BEACH – Water quality in the Nottawasaga River is deteriorating, and the functionality of the Minesing Wetlands as a buffer against flooding and erosion is being reduced. These are some of the indicators and threats:
*Walleye have all but disappeared from the river
*Steelhead (rainbow trout) are no longer found in the degraded lower stretch that once made Wasaga Beach a mecca for anglers
* The Minesing Wetlands, the region’s critical buffer against flooding, have shrunk by 37% since 1955
* The effluent from an extra 30,000 people in Midhurst is to flow into the Minesing Wetlands
* The Nottawasaga has been removed from the list of federally protected navigable waters
A public meeting in Wasaga Beach next week will focus on the Nottawasaga watershed, that covers 60 per cent of Simcoe County and is of vital economic and natural importance.
Speakers will include an engineer with expertise on flooding and the importance of maintaining natural protective systems; a resident of Midhurst where community members are fighting a massive development that threatens the Minesing Wetlands; and an angler with direct experience of the changes that have occurred in the Nottawasaga.
When: Saturday August 23 2014 from 9:30-noon
Where: Wasaga Christian Church Hall, 278 Main Street, Wasaga Beach
Who:
Don Haley is a former senior project manager of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, where he developed and implemented a flood control program. Having recently completed working with the City of Calgary on its Flood Management Strategy, Don will explain what residents need to know about flood risk management and the role of local Conservation Authorities.
Connie Spek of Midhurst will provide details of how development threatens the watershed.
Gary Christie of the Nottawasaga Steelheaders, who has fished the Nottawasaga for 40 years, will tell us what has happened to our river in that time – and what needs to be done, and not done.
Residents, visitors, businesspeople – all who care about the river, the beach, the wetlands are invited to attend and discuss how we reverse the many disturbing trends.
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