| Ecosystem
Page 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
|
|
Hold
It!
For recreational boaters cruising
the roomy waters of the Bras
d’Or, the dilution capacity
of the Lakes may seem immense.
But the sluggish waters are
not equipped to handle the raw
sewage that many boaters discharge
directly from their craft. A
lack of holding tanks in boats,
and a shortage of pump-out stations
on the Lakes, has contributed
to a high level of fecal coliform
contamination.
Lake protection groups are working
to educate pleasure craft operators
about the degradation that results
from the dumping of human waste
and to encourage them to equip
their boats with properly-maintained
holding tanks. They are also
seeking the designation of Bras
d’Or Lakes as a “non-discharge”
zone under the Pleasure Craft
Regulations of the Canada Shipping
Act.
|
|
Water Quality Warnings
Within the past few years, as more and more
Bras d’Or shellfish beds have been closed
due to fecal coliform contamination, residents
of the Lakes have realized that their picture-perfect
body of water is not immune from water quality
problems.
While the heavy metal pollution that threatens
more populated and industrial areas is not
a concern in the Bras d’Or Lakes, contamination
from 3 sources – overloaded municipal
sewage treatment facilities, malfunctioning
domestic septic systems and pleasure boats
– has reached a critical level in many
parts of the Lakes.
With only 3 narrow openings to the sea, the
Lakes have very limited ability to flush contaminants
out of their environment. Even small amounts
of pollution can build up quickly. The sheltered
embayments favoured by shellfish growers are
particularly susceptible to fecal coliform
build-up.
Several government and volunteer organizations,
including the Unamaki Institute of
Natural Resources, the Eskakoni
Fish and Wildlife Commission and
the Bras d’Or Stewardship Society,
are working to assess the health of the Lakes,
raise awareness about the need to protect
them, and undertake practical prevention and
remediation measures. Recent Lakes initiatives
have included:
|
Visit
the Bras d’Or Lakes &
Watershed Interpretive Centre
Learn more about the ecology,
geology and history of the Bras
d’Or Lakes at the Bras
d’Or Lakes & Watershed
Interpretive Centre,
housed in a heritage building
located on the main street of
the Village
of Baddeck.
The Centre’s feature exhibition,
“Ecology of Bras d’Or,”
interprets the natural highlights
of the Bras d’Or Lakes
watershed. The Centre is operated
by the Bras d’Or Preservation
Foundation, an organization
that promotes lakeshore conservation. |
|
- Construction of a state-of-the art, high-capacity
sewage treatment plant in the community of
Baddeck, on St. Patrick’s Channel. The
updated plant prevents the discharge of untreated
sewage overflow from one of the Lakes’
largest communities.
- Shoreline surveys and water sampling to
identify and evaluate all sources of pollution.
- Formation of the Pitu’Paq Committee,
consisting of 5 Bras d’Or First Nations
communities and 5 Bras d’Or municipalities,
to work with the Canadian and Nova Scotian
governments to resolve sewage problems around
the Lake.
|
|
|
|
|
