! REPORT!RECOMMENDING!DELISTING!! AND!PATH!FORWARD!
! ! ! NIPIGON!BAY!! REMEDIAL!ACTION!PLAN!!! REPORT!RECOMMENDING!DELISTING!! AND!PATH!FORWARD! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS! This!Nipigon!Bay!Status!Report!was!prepared!by!the!Nipigon!Bay!writing!team:! Sarah!Da!Silva! Environment!Canada! Kate!Taillon! Environment!Canada! Michelle!McChristie! Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment!and!Climate!Change! Marilee!Chase! Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and!Forestry! Eric!Berglund! Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and!Forestry! ! Thanks!to!those!that!reviewed!the!report!and/or!provided!valuable!expertise!and!comments.! Greg!Grabas! Environment!Canada! Lee!Grapentine! Environment!Canada! Danielle!Milani! Environment!Canada! Laud!Matos! Environment!Canada! John!Marsden! Environment!Canada! Conrad!deBaros! Toronto!and!Region!Conservation!Authority! Jim!Bailey! Nipigon!Bay!Area!of!Concern!Remedial!Action!Plan!Coordinator! Robert!Stewart! Lakehead!University! Tara!George! Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment!and!Climate!Change! Paul!Sullivan! Department!of!Fisheries!and!Oceans! ! The!success!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Plan!(RAP)!has!been!possible!through!the! collaborative!efforts!of!Environment!Canada,!Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment!and!Climate! Change,!Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and!Forestry,!Fisheries!and!Oceans!Canada,!the! Townships!of!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon,!Red!Rock!Indian!Band,!Nipigon!Bay!Public!Advisory! Committee!(PAC),!Lakehead!University,!and!the!public.! ! Thank!you!to!the!Lakehead!University!RAP!Office!and!Dr.!Robert!Stewart!for!their!coordination! efforts.!Thank!you!to!Jim!Bailey!and!Aaron!Nicholson!for!the!dedication!and!enthusiasm!they! brought!to!their!roles!as!RAP!coordinators.!Cover!photo!credit:!Jim!Bailey! ! Thank!you!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!PAC!for!their!continued!dedication!and!valuable!input!to!the!RAP! since!its!beginning.!Nipigon!Bay!PAC!members!and!affiliations!(2015)!include:! ! David!Crawford!(Chair)!! Public! Tom!Borg!! Public! Kristen!Maenpaa!! Public! Lewis!Martin! Public! Dave!Nuttall! Public! George!Ozburn! Public! Bruce!Pritchard! Public! Wayne!Young! Public! Ray!Boudreau! Parks!Canada!Agency! Greg!Stroud!! Parks!Canada!Agency! Betty!Brill! Nipigon!Museum! ! Gordon!MacKenzie! Township!of!Nipigon!–!Councillor! Jim!McCullough! Land!of!the!Nipigon!Waterways! Richard!Harvey! Township!of!Nipigon![!Mayor! 2! ! ! TABLE!OF!CONTENTS! EXECUTIVE!SUMMARY!.............................................................................................................!i! 1.0!INTRODUCTION!.................................................................................................................!1! 1.1!Overview!of!Remedial!Action!Plans!for!Areas!of!Concern!....................................................!3! 1.2!Overview!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Plan!..............................................................!4! 1.2.1!Role!of!Agencies!..............................................................................................................!4! 1.2.2!Nipigon!Bay!Public!Advisory!Committee!and!Engagement!.............................................!4! 2.0!DESCRIPTION!OF!NIPIGON!BAY!.........................................................................................!7! 2.1!Sources!of!Pollution!............................................................................................................!10! 3.0!STATUS!OF!BENEFICIAL!USE!IMPAIRMENTS!.....................................................................!12! 3.1!Beneficial!Uses!Designated!as!Impaired!..............................................................................!12! 3.1.1!Degradation!of!fish!populations!...................................................................................!12! 3.1.2!Degradation!of!benthos!................................................................................................!23! 3.1.3!Eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae!.............................................................................!31! 3.1.4!Degradation!of!aesthetics!.............................................................................................!36! 3.1.5!Loss!of!fish!habitat!........................................................................................................!40! 3.2!Beneficial!Uses!Previously!Redesignatated!as!Not!Impaired!..............................................!49! 3.2.1!Tainting!of!fish!and!wildlife!flavour!..............................................................................!49! 3.2.2!Fish!tumours!and!other!deformities!.............................................................................!50! 3.2.3!Restrictions!on!dredging!...............................................................................................!51! 3.3!Beneficial!Use!Summary!......................................................................................................!51! 4.0!ONGOING!PROGRAMS!....................................................................................................!53! 5.0!CONCLUSION!..................................................................................................................!58! REFERENCES!.........................................................................................................................!60! Appendix!1:!Report!Consultation!Plan!..................................................................................!65! Appendix!2:!Summary!of!Public!Involvement!and!Public!Advisory!Committee!Meetings!.......!66! Appendix!3:!Nipigon!Bay!Area!of!Concern!Remedial!Actions!.................................................!71! Summary!of!Remedial!Actions!Completed!from!1991!to!2014!.................................................!71! List!of!Remedial!Actions!Identified!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!2!Report!.....................................!74! Appendix!4:!Water!Use!Goals!...............................................................................................!76! Appendix!5:!Nipigon!Bay!Benthic!Assessment!of!Sediment!Decision!Matrix!Framework!.......!78! ! ! ! ! LIST!OF!TABLES! Table!1.!Biochemical!Oxygen!Demand!(BOD)!Average!Annual!Loadings!(kg/day)!.......................!11! Table!2.!Status!of!Beneficial!Use!Impairments,!as!identified!in!the!Great!Lakes!Water!Quality! Agreement,!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!Area!of!Concern!.........................................................................!52! ! LIST!OF!FIGURES! Figure!1.!Canadian!and!United!States!Great!Lakes!Areas!of!Concern!Map!....................................!2! Figure!2.!Nipigon!Bay!Area!of!Concern!Map!highlighting!major!RAP!activities!and!milestones!....!8! Figure!3.!Species!composition!inside!and!outside!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,!represented!as!a! percentage!of!total!catch!in!MNRF!fish!community!index!netting!surveys!between!2009[2014!18! Figure!4.!Lake!Whitefish!catch!per!unit!effort!(fish/km)!within!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!(solid!line)! and!outside!the!AOC!(dashed!line)!...............................................................................................!19! Figure!5.!Yellow!Perch!catch!per!unit!effort!(fish/km)!within!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!(solid!line)!and! outside!the!AOC!(dashed!line)!......................................................................................................!19! Figure!6.!Sea!lamprey!wounding!rates!per!100!Lake!Trout!of!all!sizes!from!inside!and!outside!the! Nipigon!Bay!AOC!caught!in!MNRF!fish!community!index!netting!surveys!between!2009[2014!..!20! Figure!7.!Relative!abundance!(fish/hour!of!electrofishing)!of!Brook!Trout!inside!(solid!line)!and! outside!(dashed!line)!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!..................................................................................!21! Figure!8.!Sampling!locations!from!the!George!(2014)!study.!.......................................................!27! Figure!9.!Spatial!distribution!of!2009!sites!indicating!the!level!of!benthic!community!alteration! compared!to!Great!Lakes!reference!sites.!....................................................................................!29! Figure!10.!Nipigon!Drinking!Water!System!Mean!Total!Kjeldahl!Nitrogen!and!Total!Phosphorus! from!1991[2012,!Graphical!Representation!.................................................................................!34! Figure!11.!Proposed!Lake!Superior!National!Marine!Conservation!Area!Map!.............................!55! ! ! ! ! ! ACRONYMS!AND!ABBREVIATIONS! ! AOC! Area!of!Concern! BOD! Biochemical!oxygen!demand! BEAST! Benthic!Assessment!of!Sediment! BUI! Beneficial!Use!Impairment! COA! Canada!Ontario!Agreement!Respecting!the!Great!Lakes!Basin! DFO! Fisheries!and!Oceans!Canada! EC! Environment!Canada! EEM! Environmental!Effects!Monitoring! FCIN! Fish!Community!Index!Netting! GLWQA! Great!Lakes!Water!Quality!Agreement! IJC! International!Joint!Commission! LAMP! Lakewide!Action!and!Management!Plan! LEL! Lowest!Effect!Level! LU! Lakehead!University! MISA! Municipal[Industrial!Strategy!for!Abatement! MNDM! Ontario!Ministry!of!Northern!Development!and!Mines! MNRF! Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and!Forestry! MOECC! Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment!and!Climate!Change! OCWA! Ontario!Clean!Water!Agency! OPG! Ontario!Power!Generation! PAC! Public!Advisory!Committee! PWQO! Provincial!Water!Quality!Objectives! RAP! Remedial!Action!Plan! TKN! Total!Kjeldahl!nitrogen! TP! Total!phosphorus! UGLMU! Upper!Great!Lakes!Management!Unit! WWTP! Waste!water!treatment!plant! ! ! ! EXECUTIVE!SUMMARY! Under!the!1987!Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&Agreement!(GLWQA)!amendment,!Canada!and!the! United!States!committed!to!the!identification!and!remediation!of!significantly!degraded! locations!throughout!the!Great!Lakes.!Together,!Canada!and!the!United!States!identified!43! Areas!of!Concern!(AOCs):!geographic!areas!where!“impairment!of!beneficial!uses!has!occurred! as!a!result!of!human!activities!at!the!local!level”!(Canada!&!USA,!2012,!p.21).!! ! The!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!is!one!of!the!four!Canadian!AOCs!located!on!the!north!shore!of!Lake! Superior.!Industrial!and!municipal!effluent!discharges,!log!driving!activities,!and!hydroelectric! development!along!the!Nipigon!River!led!to!impairments!in!water!quality,!fish!populations,!and! fish!habitat.!! ! As!agreed!to!in!the!GLWQA!and!reaffirmed!in!the!Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&Protocol!of!2012! (GLWQA,!2012),!Remedial!Action!Plans!(RAPs)!have!been!developed!for!each!AOC!through!a! collaborative,!methodical,!and!scientific!approach.!The!development!and!implementation!of!the! Nipigon!Bay!RAP!has!been!led!by!Environment!Canada!(EC),!Ontario!Ministry!of!the! Environment!and!Climate!Change!(MOECC),!and!Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and! Forestry!(MNRF)!with!support!from!Fisheries!and!Oceans!Canada!(DFO)!and!the!Parks!Canada! Agency.! ! The!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!was!developed!to!identify!Beneficial!Use!Impairments!(BUIs)!resulting! from!human!actions!at!the!local!level,!define!specific!targets/criteria!for!redesignating!the!BUIs,! describe!appropriate!remedial!and!regulatory!measures!to!rehabilitate!the!AOC,!and!monitor! results.!The!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!1!RAP!report!(MOE!et&al.,!1991)!provided!a!definition!and! detailed!description!of!the!environmental!problems!within!the!AOC.!The!Stage!2!report! (Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995)!described!the!remedial!actions!and!related!monitoring!required! to!complete!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP.!All!of!the!local!sources!of!impairment! have!been!mitigated!and!addressed!and!all!of!the!priority!actions!identified!in!the!RAP!have! been!implemented.!Thus,!this!final!RAP!report!illustrates!that!all!of!the!remedial!actions!have! been!completed,!evaluates!the!effectiveness!of!the!remedial!actions,!and!provides!the!status!of! the!BUIs.!! ! The!last!RAP!report!(Stage!2),!addressed!eight!beneficial!uses:!five!beneficial!uses!were!deemed! impaired!(described!below)!and!three!were!redesignated!to!not!impaired.!! ! DEGRADATION!OF!FISH!POPULATIONS! The!MNRF!has!conducted!various!assessment!and!monitoring!programs!within!the!Nipigon!Bay! AOC!including!a!fish!community!index!netting!(FCIN)!survey!between!2009!and!2014.!The!FCIN! results!indicate!a!healthy,!self[sustaining!population!of!primarily!native!fish!species.!Walleye! stocks!in!the!Nipigon!system!are!healthy,!although!they!continue!to!exist!at!much!lower!levels! of!abundance!than!in!the!past!(Marshall,!2013).!Changes!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!ecosystem,! including!the!fish!community,!combined!with!the!current!state!of!Walleye!populations,!suggest! that!populations!may!never!return!to!historical!levels!(Marshall,!2013).!All!remedial!actions! i! ! ! have!been!completed,!the!local!sources!of!impairment!have!been!addressed,!and!the!delisting! criteria!have!been!achieved.!! ! DEGRADATION!OF!BENTHOS! Benthic!invertebrate!communities!were!initially!listed!as!impaired!because!of!low!species! diversity!in!the!vicinity!of!the!Red!Rock!mill!outfall.!Environment!Canada!and!the!MOECC! completed!several!field!studies!to!assess!sediment!quality!and!benthos!between!2003!and!2009! (George,!2014;!Grapentine,!2013;!Milani!et&al.,!2006;!Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).!Overall,!study! results!indicate!that!conditions!are!stable!or!improving,!with!a!marked!improvement!in!the!area! adjacent!to!the!Red!Rock!mill.!There!is!in!an!increase!in!the!presence!of!more!sensitive!species,! which!is!indicative!of!improving!conditions.!Recommended!actions!are!complete!and! monitoring!data!indicate!that!the!benthic!invertebrate!communities!and!contaminant! concentrations!in!sediment!are!improving.!As!such,!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met!and!no! further!remedial!actions!are!required.!! ! EUTROPHICATION!OR!UNDESIRABLE!ALGAE! The!presence!of!algae!on!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River,!upstream!of!the!Nipigon! wastewater!treatment!plant!(WWTP),!was!suspected!of!being!an!impairment!to!Walleye! spawning!habitat!and!potentially!to!the!rehabilitation!of!Walleye!populations.!A!series!of! studies!determined!that!algal!growth!in!the!Nipigon!River!did!not!adversely!affect!Walleye! spawning!habitat!or!success!(Adams!et&al.,!2010;!Colby,!2007;!Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996;!Savioja!&! Kushnier,!1991).!Although!algae!were!suspected!as!a!cause!of!habitat!impairment!for!Walleye,! subsequent!studies!have!not!found!a!direct!link!between!these!two!issues.!Also,!conditions!in! the!Nipigon!River!are!not!conducive!to!the!production!of!excessive!or!nuisance!algae.! Therefore,!this!beneficial!use!was!not!impaired!and!no!further!remedial!actions!are!required.! ! DEGRADATION!OF!AESTHETICS! The!intent!of!this!BUI!was!to!address!impairments!to!water!quality!based!aesthetics!such!as! unnatural!colour,!turbidity,!or!odours.!Municipal!and!mill!effluent!were!the!primary!sources!of! impairment!to!aesthetics.!Earlier!complaints!of!an!effluent!plume!and!foam!from!mill!effluent! were!addressed!through!upgrades!to!the!mill!effluent!treatment!process!in!1995!and!the! implementation!of!foam!barriers!at!the!mill!outfall!in!1990!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!The! Stage!1!report!also!noted!impacts!to!recreation!and!waterfront!development!as!sources!of! aesthetic!impairments,!particularly!due!to!fluctuations!in!water!levels!from!hydroelectric! development.!Although!recreational!and!development!impairments!are!outside!the!purview!of! the!BUI,!the!impacts!of!fluctuating!water!levels!on!bank!stabilization!and!erosion!could!have! caused!high!turbidity!due!to!siltation.!These!potential!impacts!were!resolved!through!the! development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!System!Water!Management!Plan!that! manages!water!levels!and!flows.!Foul!air!odours,!also!outside!of!the!BUI!scope,!were!caused!by! the!Nipigon!WWTP.!No!complaints!have!been!received!since!the!WWTP!upgraded!to!secondary! treatment!in!2012.!All!of!the!recommended!actions!have!been!completed!and!the!waters!of!the! AOC!are!devoid!of!any!substance!that!produces!a!persistent!objectionable!deposit,!unnatural! colour!or!turbidity,!or!unnatural!odour.!The!delisting!criteria!has!been!met!and!no!further! remedial!actions!are!required.! ii! ! ! ! LOSS!OF!FISH!HABITAT! There!have!been!considerable!improvements!to!the!aquatic!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC.! Remediation!has!been!done!to!shorelines!and!the!nearshore!area.!Water!quality!has!been! much!improved!through!upgrades!to!municipal!and!industrial!treatment!facilities,!and!water! levels!and!flows!on!the!Nipigon!River!are!now!controlled!through!a!water!management!plan!to! ensure!fish!habitat!is!protected.!All!of!the!remedial!actions!identified!in!the!Stage!2!report,!in! addition!to!the!rehabilitation!of!the!Kama!Creek!habitat,!have!been!completed.!Monitoring! efforts,!largely!by!MNRF,!have!confirmed!that!the!remedial!actions!have!met!their!objectives! and!that!fish!habitat!is!of!good!quality.!As!such,!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!achieved!and! this!BUI!is!not!impaired.! ! ! Photo:!Jim!Bailey! Nipigon!Bay! iii! ! ! Status!of!Beneficial!Use!Impairments,!as!identified!in!the!Great!Lakes!Water!Quality! Agreement,!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!Area!of!Concern! ! No.! 1! Beneficial!Use!Impairment! 1991!Status! 1995!Status! (Stage!1)! (Stage!2)! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! ♦ fish!consumption! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! ♦ wildlife!consumption! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Restrictions!on!fish!and!wildlife! consumption! 2015!Status! 2! Tainting!of!fish!and!wildlife!flavour! Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 3! Degradation!of!fish!and!wildlife! populations! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! 4! Fish!tumours!or!other!deformities! RFA! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 5! Bird!or!animal!deformities!or! reproduction!problems! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 6! Degradation!of!benthos! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! ♦ Population! Impaired! Impaired! (Not!Impaired)! ♦ Body!burden! RFA! Not!Impaired! (Not!Impaired)! 7! Restrictions!on!dredging!activities! Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 8! Eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae! Impaired! Impaired! Not!Impaired! 9! Restrictions!on!drinking!water! consumption,!or!taste!and!odour! problems! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 10! Beach!closings! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 11! Degradation!of!aesthetics! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! (Not!Impaired)! 12! Added!costs!to!agriculture!or!industry! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 13! Degradation!of!phytoplankton!and! zooplankton!populations! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 14! Loss!of!fish!and!wildlife!habitat! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! (Not!Impaired)! RFA!–!Requires!Further!Assessment! ! ! iv! ! ! The!federal!and!provincial!governments!are!committed!to!the!restoration,!protection!and! conservation!of!the!Great!Lakes,!as!is!laid!out!in!the.!GLWQA,!2012,!the!Province!of!Ontario’s! Great!Lakes!Strategy!and!the!federal!and!provincial!Canada&Ontario&Agreement&on&Great&Lakes& Water&Quality&and&Ecosystem&Health,&2014.!There!are!a!number!of!ongoing!monitoring!and! surveillance!programs!that!will!continue!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!area,!once!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!is! delisted!and!removed!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs.!! ! As!this!report!will!attest,!all!remedial!actions!have!been!completed!and!all!of!the!beneficial!uses! have!been!restored!as!per!the!RAP!established!criteria.!The!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team!(EC,!MOECC,! MNRF)!and!the!Public!Advisory!Committee!recommend!that!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!be!removed! from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs.! ! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! v! ! ! 1.0!INTRODUCTION! Under!the!1987!Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&Agreement!(GLWQA)!amendment,!Canada!and!the! United!States!committed!to!the!identification!and!remediation!of!significantly!degraded! locations!throughout!the!Great!Lakes.!Together,!Canada!and!the!United!States!identified!43! Areas!of!Concern!(AOCs):!geographic!areas!where!“impairment!of!beneficial!uses!has!occurred! as!a!result!of!human!activities!at!the!local!level”!(Canada!&!USA,!2012,!p.21).!These!are!typically! referred!to!as!Beneficial!Use!Impairments!or!BUIs.!Currently!there!are!nine!AOCs!in!Canada,!22! in!the!United!States!and!five!are!shared!by!both!countries!(the!St.!Marys,!St.!Clair,!Detroit,! Niagara!and!St.!Lawrence!rivers;!Figure!1).!Seven!AOCs,!three!in!Canada!and!four!in!the!United! States,!have!achieved!the!Remedial!Action!Plan!(RAP)!goals!and!have!been!officially!removed! from!the!list!of!AOCs.!Two!Canadian!AOCs!are!recognized!as!Areas!of!Concern!in!Recovery! where!all!remedial!actions!have!been!completed!but!additional!time!is!required!for!the! environment!to!recover.!An!AOC!may!be!delisted/removed!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs! when!“environmental!monitoring!confirms!that!beneficial!uses!have!been!restored!in! accordance!with!the!criteria!established!by!the!RAP”!(Canada!&!USA,!2012,!p.22).! ! The!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!is!one!of!four!Canadian!AOCs!located!on!the!north!shore!of!Lake!Superior.! Industrial!and!municipal!effluent!discharges,!log!driving!activities,!and!hydroelectric! development!along!the!Nipigon!River!led!to!impairments!in!water!quality,!fish!populations,!and! fish!habitat.!Federal,!provincial,!and!municipal!governments!have!partnered!with!academia,! local!organizations,!and!the!public!to!restore!the!beneficial!uses!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC.!! ! At!the!onset!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP,!each!of!the!14!Beneficial!Use!Impairments!(BUIs)! identified!in!the!GLWQA!was!considered!(See!Section!1.1!below).!For!those!BUIs!applicable!to! the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,!remedial!actions!and!restoration!targets!were!established!to!address!the! cause!of!each!impairment.!This!document!reports!on!the!effectiveness!of!remedial!actions!and! the!status!of!the!BUIs.!! ! As!this!report!will!attest,!all!remedial!actions!have!been!completed!and!all!of!the!beneficial!uses! have!been!restored!as!per!the!RAP!established!criteria.!As!such,!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team! (Environment!Canada!(EC),!Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment!and!Climate!Change!(MOECC)! and!the!Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources!and!Forestry!(MNRF))!and!the!Public!Advisory! Committee!recommend!that!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!be!removed!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes! AOCs.!! 1! ! ! ! 2! Figure'1.'Canadian'and'United'States'Great'Lakes'Areas'of'Concern'Map' ! ! 1.1!OVERVIEW!OF!REMEDIAL!ACTION!PLANS!FOR!AREAS!OF!CONCERN! The!GLWQA!describes!environmental!problems!in!AOCs!by!identifying!14!potential!impairments! to!beneficial!uses!that!may!impact!human,!wildlife,!and!aquatic!life!through!a!change!in!the! chemical,!physical,!and!biological!integrity!of!the!AOC!ecosystem.!The!BUIs!include:!! 1. restrictions!on!fish!and!wildlife!consumption;!! 2. tainting!of!fish!and!wildlife!flavour;! 3. degradation!of!fish!and!wildlife!populations;! A!Beneficial)Use)Impairment! 4. fish!tumours!or!other!deformities;! (BUI)!“is!a!reduction!in!the! 5. bird!or!animal!deformities!or!reproduction!problems;! chemical,!physical!or! 6. degradation!of!benthos;! biological!integrity!of!the! 7. restrictions!on!dredging!activities;! Waters!of!the!Great!Lakes”! 8. eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae;! sufficient!to!limit!use!or! 9. restrictions!on!drinking!water!consumption,!or!taste! enjoyment!of!an!area!(Canada! and!odour!problems;! &!USA,!2012,!p.21`22).! 10. beach!closings;! 11. degradation!of!aesthetics;! 12. added!costs!to!agriculture!or!industry;! 13. degradation!of!phytoplankton!and!zooplankton! populations;!and! 14. loss!of!fish!and!wildlife!habitat.! ! As!agreed!to!in!the!GLWQA!and!reaffirmed!in!the!Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&Protocol!of!2012! (GLWQA,!2012),!RAPs!have!been!developed!for!each!AOC!through!a!collaborative,!methodical,! and!scientific!approach.!RAPs!define!the!nature,!extent,!and!causes!of!environmental!problems! and!provide!recommended!actions!to!restore!and!protect!the!environment.!The!role!and!scope! of!the!RAP!is!to!address!impairments!that!are!a!result!of!human!activities!at!the!local!level!and! within!the!AOC.!Lakewide!impairments!are!addressed!under!other!binational!federal!and! provincial/state!efforts,!such!as!the!Lakewide!Action!and!Management!Plan!(LAMP)!for!Lake! Superior.! ! There!are!several!components!common!to!all!RAPs,!and!they!are!often!undertaken!in!the! following!sequence:!identifying!the!relevant!BUIs!and!their!causes;!developing!criteria!for! restoration;!identifying!the!remedial!measures!to!be!taken!to!restore!beneficial!uses;! confirming!that!these!actions!have!been!effective;!and,!describing!the!monitoring!processes!to! track!the!effectiveness!of!actions!and!confirm!restoration.! ! The!first!Canada`Ontario!Agreement!(COA)!was!signed!in!1971!by!the!Ontario!Ministry!of!the! Environment!and!EC.!The!COA!has!been!renewed!and!modified!seven!times,!most!recently!in! December!2014!with!the!Canada&Ontario&Agreement&on&Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&and& Ecosystem&Health,!to!effectively!co`ordinate!provincial!and!federal!government!efforts!and! commitments!to!restore,!protect,!and!conserve!the!Great!Lakes.!The!AOC!annex!in!the!COA! outlines!goals!and!commitments!by!the!Government!of!Canada!and!the!Province!of!Ontario!to! restore!water!quality!and!ecosystem!health!in!AOCs.!RAP!implementation!is!an!important!step! 3! ! ! towards!virtual!elimination!of!persistent!toxic!substances,!and!restoring!and!maintaining!the! chemical,!physical,!and!biological!integrity!of!the!Great!Lakes!basin.!! ! 1.2!OVERVIEW!OF!THE!NIPIGON!BAY!REMEDIAL!ACTION!PLAN! The!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!1!RAP!report!(MOE,!EC,!MNR,!&!DFO,!1991)!provided!a!detailed! description!of!the!environmental!problems!within!the!AOC.!The!report!also!identified!water!use! goals,!BUIs,!and!their!causes.!The!Stage!1!report!was!reviewed!by!experts!from!federal!and! provincial!agencies!and!was!submitted!to!the!International!Joint!Commission!(IJC)!in!1991.! Upon!review,!the!IJC!agreed!that!there!was!sufficient!information!to!move!to!the!next!stage!of! the!RAP!and!begin!identifying!remedial!actions.!The!Stage!2!report!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,! 1995)!described!the!remedial!actions!and!related!monitoring!required!to!complete! implementation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP.!The!associated!implementation!annex!included! additional!detail!on!each!remedial!action,!such!as!the!lead!organization(s)!and!estimated!costs.! ! Now!that!all!actions!have!been!completed,!or!nearly!so!with!the!Red!Rock!wastewater! treatment!plant!(WWTP)!upgrades!currently!underway,!this!document!is!the!final!report!for!the! RAP!and!confirms!that!the!remedial!actions!have!met!the!targets!established!for!the!RAP!and! improved!environmental!conditions!in!Nipigon!Bay.!The!recommendation!in!this!final!RAP! report!is!the!removal!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs.!! ! 1.2.1!ROLE!OF!AGENCIES! Implementation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!and!providing!support!in!efforts!to!monitor!ecosystem! recovery!is!the!responsibility!of!provincial!and!federal!governments.!The!development!and! implementation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!has!been!led!by!EC,!the!MOECC,!and!the!MNRF!–! referred!to!as!the!RAP!Team!`!with!support!from!Fisheries!and!Oceans!Canada!(DFO)!and!the! Parks!Canada!Agency.!Through!COA!and!the!GLWQA,!the!provincial!and!federal!governments! have!been!committed!to!working!with!First!Nations!and!Metis!!communities,!municipal! governments,!local!stakeholders,!and!the!public!to!improve!environmental!conditions!and! remove!Nipigon!Bay!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs.!! ! 1.2.2!NIPIGON!BAY!PUBLIC!ADVISORY!COMMITTEE!AND!ENGAGEMENT! The!federal!and!provincial!governments!recognized!the!importance!of!community!involvement! in!RAP!decision!making.!The!GLWQA!of!1987!and!the!2012!Protocol,!state!that!Canada!and!the! United!States!shall!work!in!cooperation!and!consultation!with!the!public!to!develop!and! implement!the!RAPs,!define!the!delisting!criteria,!review!the!monitoring!results,!and!solicit! review!and!feedback!prior!to!the!removal!of!an!AOC!designation.!The!consultation!plan!for!this! report!is!provided!in!Appendix!1.!The!combination!of!local!knowledge!and!community`based! goals!with!scientific!data!and!expertise!has!resulted!in!an!effective!and!pragmatic!approach!to! improving!environmental!conditions.!! ! 4! ! ! Photo:!Jim!Bailey! The!Nipigon!Bay!Public!Advisory!Committee!(PAC),!formed!in!1989,!has!been!an!integral!part!of! the!RAP!and!has!provided!valuable!insight!and!advice!throughout!the!RAP!process.!The!original! PAC!had!10!members!and!included!representatives!from!the!Red!Rock!Indian!Band,!Township! of!Nipigon,!Red!Rock!mill,!Kama!Point!Campers!Association,!Rossport!Conservation!and! Development!Group,!charter!boat!services,!and!the!public.!The!PAC!provided!comments!and! suggestions!throughout!the!development!of!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports.!The!recruitment!process! to!establish!the!Nipigon!Bay!PAC!is!described!in!section!7.1!of!the!Stage!1!report!(MOE!et&al.,! 1991).!The!PAC!contributed!to!the!development!of!the!water!use!goals!and!delisting!criteria,!! ! identified!in!this!report!in! Appendix!4!and!section!3.1,! respectively.!The!PAC! continues!to!serve!as!a!focal! point!for!the!public!and! promote!effective! dissemination!of!information! between!the!public!and! government!agencies.!There! are!currently!13!PAC! members!that!represent!the! Nipigon!Historical!Museum,! Township!of!Nipigon,!and! residents!from!Red!Rock!and! Nipigon.!Appendix!2!provides! Public)Advisory)Committee)Meeting! a!summary!of!PAC!and!public! ) activities!since!1988.! !! Community!outreach,!education!and!engagement!have!been!a!critical!component!to!the! development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP.!The!Stage!2!report!identified!the! following!objectives!in!relation!to!education!and!stewardship:!1)!foster!a!sense!of! environmental!understanding!in!the!community!so!that!new!issues!and!concerns!can!be! rationally!contemplated,!discussed!and!proactively!addressed;!and!2)!develop!a!respect!for!the! AOC!ecosystem!to!ensure!that!the!mistakes!of!the!past!will!not!be!repeated!in!the!future! (Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!Some!examples!of!specific!education!and!outreach!activities!are! summarized!in!the!action!box!below.! ! ! 5! ! ! Education,!Outreach,!and!Program!Support! Year(s):)1991`2015) Cost:!$942,550! Partners:!EC,!MOECC,!MNRF,!Township!of!Nipigon,!DFO,!PAC,!Lakehead!University!(LU)) BUIs:!N/A! Description:!! Since!the!beginning!of!the!RAP!in!the!early!1990s,!the!federal!and!provincial!governments!have! provided!program!support,!including!financial!support,!for!the!coordination!and! implementation!of!the!RAP.!Since!2010,!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!has!had!a!local!RAP!coordinator,! staffed!by!LU.!! ! The!Nipigon!Historical!Museum!has!a!Nipigon!Environmental!Interpretive!Centre!that!highlights! Great!Lakes!water!quality!and!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!issues!and!efforts.!In!2013,!an!updated!Nipigon! Bay!AOC!display!was!put!up!in!the!museum!to!inform!local!citizens!and!tourists!about!the! Nipigon!Bay!RAP!and!related!efforts.!The!purpose!is!to!generate!public!interest,!understanding,! and!involvement!in!environmental!programs!and!issues.!! ! The!RAP!supported,!and!the!PAC!endorsed,!publication!of!the!book!Our&Living&Heritage:&The& Glory&of&Nipigon!by!Kelso!and!Demers!(1993).!This!book,!which!also!serves!as!an!educational!aid! for!teachers,!highlights!the!natural!features!and!the!rich!history!of!Nipigon!from!glaciation!until! the!early!1990s,!and!the!impact!people!have!had!on!the!local!ecosystem.!Proceeds!from!the! publication!were!applied!to!“environmental!restoration,!education!and!heritage!preservation!in! the!Nipigon!Bay!region”!(Kelso!&!Demers,!1993).! ! Educational!and!interpretive!signage!has!been!included!at!the!Clearwater!Creek!and!Red!Rock! marina!habitat!rehabilitation!project!sites!to!describe!the!remediation!efforts!that!have!been! completed!and!highlight!the!importance!of!these!remediation!efforts!to!restore!ecosystem! health.!Also,!the!Kama!Creek!habitat!rehabilitation!project!has!served!as!an!outdoor!education! source!for!students!at!Lakehead!University!who!have!come!to!the!site!to!learn!more!about! naturalization!and!creek!restoration.! ! In!2010,!the!Township!of!Nipigon!commissioned!BioLogic!Aquatic!and!Terrestrial!Ecosystem! Planners!to!prepare!a!feasibility!study!that!identified!opportunities!for!environmental! restoration!projects!that!have!an!economic!benefit!in!the!Nipigon!Region.!The!report!suggested! a!five`year!employment!plan!and!the!need!for!a!regional!effort!to!develop!educational! programs!and!to!create!a!regional!tourist!draw!through!the!development!of!an!interpretive! centre!(BioLogic!Aquatic!and!Terrestrial!Ecosystem!Planners,!2010).!The!report!highlighted!that! significant!improvements!had!been!made!in!the!region!due!to!the!RAP!efforts!and!that!further! actions!and!monitoring,!particularly!for!water!quality!and!fisheries!management,!could!be!used! for!the!production!of!educational!materials.!! 6! ! ! 2.0)DESCRIPTION)OF)NIPIGON)BAY) The!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!is!located!on!the!northernmost!part!of!Lake!Superior!in!north!western! Ontario.!The!AOC!extends!north!along!the!Nipigon!River!to!the!Alexander!Dam,!south!along!the! Nipigon!Strait!to!Beeton!Point,!west!to!the!Township!of!Red!Rock,!and!east!to!MacInnes!Point! on!the!mainland!and!Burnt!Point!on!St.!Ignace!Island!(Figure!2).!The!Nipigon!River!flows!south! from!Lake!Nipigon,!through!Lake!Helen!and!discharges!into!the!north!western!portion!of! Nipigon!Bay.!The!Nipigon!River!is!the!largest!tributary!of!Lake!Superior!and!is!an!important! location!for!hydroelectric!production.!The!AOC!is!within!the!proposed!Lake!Superior!National! Marine!Conservation!Area!which,!when!established,!will!be!the!world’s!largest!protected! freshwater!area.!The!AOC!borders!the!Townships!of!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!and!the!Lake!Helen! and!Parmacheene!Reserves!(the!land!base!of!the!Red!Rock!Indian!Band;!Figure!2).!Detailed! descriptions!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!ecosystem,!land!and!water!uses,!and!socio`economic! background!are!available!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Stage!1!(MOE!et&al.,!1991)!and!Stage!2! (Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995)!reports.!! ! Initial!development!of!the!area!took!place!along!the!shores!of!the!Nipigon!River!due!to!the! importance!of!the!fur!trade!and!fishing!economies.!The!Townships!of!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock! grew!around!the!development!of!hydropower,!the!Canadian!Pacific!Railway,!and!forestry! industry.!With!the!downturn!in!the!forestry!sector,!the!population!of!both!communities! decreased:!from!1,258!to!942!in!Red!Rock,!and!2,210!to!1,631!in!Nipigon!from!1996!and!2011,! respectively!(Statistics!Canada!2002a;!2002b;!2012;!2013).!! ! Outdoor!recreation!is!an!important!land!and!water!use!for!the!communities.!The!Nipigon!River! Recreation!Trail!connects!the!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon!marinas!and!Red!Rock!hosts!an!annual!folk! music!festival!(Live&from&the&Rock&Folk&Festival)!at!Pull`a`Log!Park!on!the!shore!of!Nipigon!Bay.! Recreational!water!use!is!primarily!for!boating!and!fishing.!Nipigon!hosts!an!annual!fall!fishing! festival!and!the!Red!Rock!Fish!and!Game!Club!hosts!an!annual!Trout!derby.! ! The!Nipigon!area!has!a!vast!history!of!renowned!commercial!fisheries!and!sport!fishing!for!Lake! Trout,!Walleye!and!Lake!Whitefish.!The!largest!remaining!Coaster!Brook!Trout!population!in! Lake!Superior!is!located!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!area!and!serves!as!a!historical!and!significant! population!(D’Amelio!&!Wilson,!2008;!Newman!&!DuBois,!1997;!Schreiner!et&al.,!2008).!In!1915,! a!Coaster!Brook!Trout!that!weighed!6.58kg!(14.5!lbs)!and!was!86.4!cm!(34.0!inches)!in!length! was!caught!in!the!upper!Nipigon!River!and!gathered!worldwide!attention!for!the!fishery! (Schreiner!et&al.,!2008).!! ! 7! ! ! Figure)2.)Nipigon)Bay)Area)of)Concern)Map)highlighting)major)RAP)activities)and)milestones 8! ! ! It!has!been!suggested!that!Nipigon!Bay!and!Black!Bay!had!the!two!largest!Walleye!populations! in!Lake!Superior,!until!the!populations!drastically!declined!in!Nipigon!Bay!in!the!late!1950s!and! Black!Bay!in!the!mid`1960s!(Hoff,!2002;!Schneider!&!Leach,!1977).!During!the!18th!century,!fish! was!a!staple!food!for!settlers!and!was!traded!by!European!trappers,!fur!traders,!and!First! Nation!communities!in!the!Nipigon!area!(Wilson,!1991).!By!1839,!the!Hudson!Bay!Company!had! caught!enough!fish!for!the!fishery!to!be!considered!commercial;!however,!by!the!late!1850s,! their!fishing!involvement!had!declined!(Wilson,!1991).!By!1877,!there!were!five!commercial! fishery!licences!for!Nipigon!Bay!and!harvest!continued!to!grow!with!improved!fishing!methods! and!gear!(Wilson,!1991).!Lake!Trout!and!Whitefish!stocks!began!to!decline!in!the!late!1950s!and! Walleye!stocks!declined!from!1958!to!1967!due!to!over!exploitation,!Sea!Lamprey!predation,! habitat!loss,!and!pollution!(MOE!et&al.,!1991).!The!MNRF!closed!the!commercial!fishery!in!1984! and!the!sport!fishery!for!Walleye!in!1989!(Wilson,!1991).! ! Forestry!was!a!vital!industry!in!the!area,!beginning!in!the!1880s!for!the!production!of!railway! ties!for!the!Canadian!Pacific!Railway!(1883`1885),!and!demand!continued!for!the!National! Transcontinental!Railway!(1908`1910),!and!the!Canadian!National!Railway!(1913`1915).!Log! drives!occurred!in!the!major!waterways!from!1923!to!1973!(Wilson,!1991)!to!support!the! forestry!industry,!and!resulted!in!physical!scouring,!transport!of!sediment,!and!the!physical! removal!of!obstacles!that!provided!fish!habitat!(e.g.,!boulders,!riffles).!Intense!logging,!adjacent! to!streams!within!the!AOC,!decreased!leaf!litter!inputs!that!reduced!stream!productivity.!The! logging!practices!also!increased!sediment!load,!water!temperature,!wood!debris,!and!water! volume.!These!actions!adversely!affected!habitat!for!fish!at!all!stages!of!development.!! ! Ontario!Power!Generation!(OPG)!operates!three!hydroelectric!dams!along!the!Nipigon!River;! listed!from!downstream!to!upstream!they!are:!Alexander,!Cameron!Falls,!and!Pine!Portage! generating!stations.!The!Alexander!Dam,!built!in!1930,!marks!the!northern!boundary!of!the!AOC! and!is!the!first!upstream!barrier!for!fish!passage!on!the!river.!Fluctuations!in!water!levels!and! flows,!as!a!result!of!generating!electricity,!were!the!largest!physical!issues!impacting!fish! populations!and!habitat!within!the!AOC.!Unnatural!water!levels!and!flows!due!to!dam! operations!resulted!in!stream!bank!erosion,!greater!sediment!load,!and!reduced!habitat! availability.!This!decreased!spawning!success!and!survival!to!adulthood.!! ! ! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! 9! ! ! 2.1!SOURCES!OF!POLLUTION! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! Three!point!sources!of!pollution!contributed!to!degraded!environmental!quality!within!the! AOC:!the!Red!Rock!pulp!and!paper!mill,!the!Township!of!Nipigon’s!wastewater!treatment!plant! (WWTP),!and!the!Township!of! Red!Rock’s!WWTP.!! ! Contaminants!in!mill!effluent! reduced!water!quality!and! resulted!in!impairments!to! aesthetics!and!benthic! invertebrate!communities! (worms,!insects,!snails!etc.!that! live!on!the!lake!floor)!in!the! vicinity!of!the!outfall.! Construction!of!the!Red!Rock! mill!began!in!1936!by!the!Lake! Sulphite!Pulp!Company!and!the! mill!initially!produced!bleached! Nipigon!Bay!showing!Towns!of!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock! sulphite.!In!1942,!ownership! changed!to!Brompton!Pulp!and!Paper!Company!and!the!mill!was!converted!to!produce! unbleached!Kraft!pulp!in!1945.!In!1952,!the!St.!Lawrence!Corporation!purchased!the!mill!and,! between!1953!and!1954,!added!a!new!Kraft!machine!that!was!the!largest!in!North!America!at! the!time,!and!the!mill!began!producing!newsprint!(Red!Rock!Township,!2014).!In!1961,!the!St.! Lawrence!Corporation!merged!with!Dominion!Tar!and!Chemical!(later!to!be!called!Domtar! Packaging!Ltd.)!and!the!mill!expanded!and!produced!both!newsprint!and!container!board.!! ! The!mill!implemented!primary!treatment!for!wastewater!in!1972;!a!recovery!for!condensable! organics!in!1974;!a!black!liquor!spill!control!system!in!1977;!a!recovery!boiler!came!online!to! improve!product!and!air!quality!in!1984;!ceased!production!of!newsprint!(including!debarking,! bleaching,!and!groundwood)!in!1992;!and,!upgraded!to!secondary!treatment!for!wastewater!in! 1995.!Between!1992!and!1995,!the!mill!closed!the!bleach!plant,!converted!the!newsprint! machine!to!linerboard,!eliminated!loadings!of!chlorinated!organic!compounds,!and!reduced! biochemical!oxygen!demand!(BOD)!and!effluent!toxicity!(Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996).!Also!in!the!early! 1990s,!the!federal!Pulp!and!Paper!Effluent!Regulations!pursuant!to!the!Fisheries&Act!and!the! provincial!Municipal`Industrial!Strategy!for!Abatement!(MISA)!Regulations!under!the! Environmental&Protection&Act!required!improved!wastewater!quality!resulting!in!upgrades!to! wastewater!treatment.!These!upgrades!improved!the!mill!effluent!quality!so!it!was!non`lethal! to!aquatic!life,!significantly!reduced!the!amount!of!chemical!pollutants!discharged,!and! contributed!to!better!water!quality!within!the!AOC.! ! In!1998,!Domtar!Inc.!and!Cascade!Inc.!merged!to!form!Norampac!(North!American!Packaging).! At!the!time,!the!Red!Rock!mill!was!the!largest!of!the!Norampac!company’s!holdings!(Red!Rock! Township,!2014).!In!2005,!the!mill!downsized!and!shut!down!the!corrugated!containers!plant! 10! ! ! and!one!of!the!paper!machines!(EcoMetrix!Incorporated,!2007)!and,!in!2006,!the!mill!closed! permanently.!! ! The!Township!of!Nipigon!and!the!Township!of!Red! Rock!WWTPs!are!the!two!remaining!point!sources! within!the!AOC.!The!Stage!2!RAP!report! recommended!upgrades!to!the!treatment!process! Biochemical)Oxygen)Demand!(BOD)! at!both!plants,!as!no!upgrades!had!been! refers!to!the!amount!of!dissolved!oxygen! completed!since!the!1970s!when!both!WWTPs! in!the!aquatic!environment!that!is!used!to! upgraded!to!primary!treatment.!Primary! break!down!organic!materials!in! treatment!involves!mechanical!processes!that! wastewater!effluent!(CCME,!2006,!p.1).! remove!solids!from!wastewater.!The!municipal! Oxygen!is!needed!to!breakdown!organic! WWTPs!were!able!to!meet!the!primary!treatment! materials!that!are!discharged!in! criteria!that!were!in!place!when!they!were!built! wastewater!and!the!more!organic! material!that!is!present,!then!than!the! however,!they!were!unable!to!meet!the!more! more!oxygen!is!required.! modern!minimum!standard!for!municipal!WWTPs,! which!is!secondary!treatment.!Secondary! treatment!involves!a!biological!process!in!which! micro`organisms!break!down!and!stabilize!organic! pollutants!to!further!remove!organics.!As!such,!the!Township!of!Nipigon!upgraded!to!secondary! treatment!in!2012!and!the!Township!of!Red!Rock!is!expected!to!complete!its!upgrade!to! secondary!treatment!by!2019.! ! Improvements!in!effluent!treatment!technology!and!processes!result!in!improvements!to!the! quality!of!wastewater.!An!indicator!of!improved!wastewater!quality!is!the!reduction!in! Biochemical!Oxygen!Demand!(BOD).!As!per!Table!1,!BOD!loadings!have!generally!decreased!in! the!AOC!since!1990.!BOD!was!drastically!reduced!and!effluent!quality!improved!when!the!mill! upgraded!to!secondary!treatment.!Since!the!secondary!treatment!upgrades!at!the!mill!and! Nipigon!WWTP,!BOD!levels!in!effluent!are!less!than!10%!of!the!levels!from!primary!treatment.!! ! Table)1.)Biochemical)Oxygen)Demand)(BOD))Average)Annual)Loadings)(kg/day)) Location) BOD)Average)Annual)Loadings)(kg/day)) 1990) 1995) 2000) 2005) 2010) 2013) Red!Rock!WWTP! 10.9! 17.4! 10.7! 11.2! 5.8! Not!reported! Nipigon!WWTP! 31.4! 32.4! 29.2! 18.7! 25.2! 2.2*! Red!Rock!Mill! 5609! 4183.2! 283.4! 241.0! Mill!closed! Mill!closed! *!The!Nipigon!WWTP!2013!data!is!Carbonaceous!biochemical!oxygen!demand!(CBOD).!! Source:!MOECC!data!and!Township!of!Nipigon!WWTP!data! 11! ! ! ! 3.0)STATUS)OF)BENEFICIAL)USE)IMPAIRMENTS) The!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!was!developed!to!identify!BUIs!resulting!from!human!activities!at!the!local! level,!define!specific!goals!for!the!region,!and!describe!appropriate!remedial!and!regulatory! measures!to!rehabilitate!the!AOC!and!monitor!results.!The!Stage!2!report!provided! recommendations!for!remedial!actions!to!address!the!local!sources!of!impairments,!restore! beneficial!uses,!and!rehabilitate!the!AOC!ecosystem!(many!actions!are!highlighted!in!Figure!2).! These!recommended!actions!are!identified!in!Appendix!3,!in!addition!to!a!summary!of!the! remedial!actions!that!have!been!completed.!! ! In!1991,!the!PAC!established!long`term!objectives!and!water!use!goals!(Appendix!4)!to!restore! and!protect!the!natural!ecosystem!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC.!The!objectives!and!goals!were! developed!through!a!series!of!public!meetings!involving!representatives!of!various!civic!groups! and!the!federal`provincial!RAP!Team.!Water!use!goals!were!intended!as!guidelines!to!address! specific!BUIs!in!the!AOC.!However,!the!water!use!goals!were!difficult!to!measure!as!indicators! of!improved!ecosystem!health!and!restoration.!! ! Between!2009!and!2013,!EC,!MOECC,!and!MNRF,!with!input!from!the!PAC,!developed!delisting! criteria!for!each!of!the!impaired!beneficial!uses!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!and!established! measurable!indicators!for!an!improved!ecosystem.!Many!of!the!delisting!criteria!are!based!on! the!principle!of!comparison!to:!1)!a!regulation!or!guideline,!2)!a!locally!derived!risk`based! target,!3)!a!temporal!approach!to!assess!change!over!time,!or!4)!an!appropriate!reference!site! outside!of!the!AOC.!A!BUI!is!redesignated!from!impaired!to!not!impaired!once!environmental! monitoring!confirms!that!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met.! ! In!the!Stage!2!report,!three!beneficial!uses!were!redesignated!to!not!impaired!and!five!impaired! beneficial!uses!remained.!The!current!status!of!these!beneficial!uses!and!delisting!criteria!are! described!in!this!chapter.!! ! 3.1!BENEFICIAL!USES!DESIGNATED!AS!IMPAIRED! This!section!provides!the!current!status!of!the!five!beneficial!uses!that!were!identified!as! impaired!in!the!Stage!2!report.!! ! 3.1.1!DEGRADATION!OF!FISH!POPULATIONS! REASON)FOR)IMPAIRMENT) Fish!populations!were!identified!as!impaired!in!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports,!particularly!for! Walleye,!Yellow!Perch,!Brook!Trout,!Lake!Sturgeon,!and!Lake!Trout!populations.!The!loss!and! reduction!of!several!species!have!been!attributed!to!several!factors!including:!fluctuating!water! levels!and!flows,!degraded!water!quality!from!industrial!and!municipal!pollution,!impaired! aquatic!habitat,!over!exploitation,!Sea!Lamprey!predation,!and!lampricide!treatments.! ! ! 12! ! ! REMEDIAL)ACTIONS) The!RAP!recommended!the!following!remedial!actions!to!restore!the!BUI:! • Lake!Trout!and!Walleye!stocking!program;! • Sea!Lamprey!control;! • Development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan;!and! • Monitoring!and!review!of!Nipigon!Bay!fish!populations.! ! The!following!boxes!provide!summaries!of!the!remedial!actions!taken!to!restore!fish! populations!within!the!AOC.! ! Lake!Trout!and!Walleye!stocking!program!and!monitoring! Year(s):)1992`1995;!2000`2009;!2011) Cost:!$632,000! Partners:!MNRF,!DFO,!MOECC,!EC,!Red!Rock!Fish!and!Game!Club) BUIs:!Degradation!of!fish!populations! Description:!! The!project’s!target!to!stock!12,000!adult!Walleye!in!Nipigon!Bay!was!exceeded,!as!12,134! Walleye!were!stocked!in!the!AOC!between!1992!and!1995!to!provide!the!first!restorative!step! by!creating!a!larger!pool!of!spawning!fish.!Biological!sampling!to!monitor!movements!and! assess!population!abundance!included!trapnetting,!tagging,!seining,!electrofishing,!and!the!use! of!sonic!and!radio!transmitters.!Appendix!5!of!the!Stage!2!report!provides!a!complete!summary! of!stocking!efforts!until!1995.! Due!to!the!belief!that!remnant!populations!were!unable!to!re`establish,!stocking!was!viewed!as! the!only!alternative!to!rehabilitate!populations!and!to!introduce!additional!gene!pools!to!the! remnant!native!stock.!MNRF!monitored!the!stocking!through!electrofishing!surveys!at!standard! index!sites!from!2000!to!2009!(same!sites!as!1992`1995);!Walleye!and!Northern!Pike!telemetry! study!(2006!to!2009);!trapnetting!(spring!2006!to!2009!and!June!2011)!and!completed!genetic! analysis!(Wilson!et&al.,!2007).!The!genetic!data!indicated!that!natural!reproduction!was! occurring!and!identified!survivors!from!the!former!Nipigon!Bay!population.!An!assessment!of! Walleye!populations!and!habitat,!including!the!stocking!efforts,!was!completed!in!2013!as! identified!in!the!following!assessment!section!(Marshall,!2013).!!! Lake!Trout!stocking!took!place!until!2011;!MNRF!stocked!the!following!number!of!Lake!Trout!by! year:! ! Year) 1998! 1999! 2000! 2002! 2003! 2004! 2005! 2006! 2007! 2009! 2011! Total! #!Stocked) 2,938! 2,530! 31,675! 78,909! 180,965! 103,644! 237,096! 181,507! 202,989! 147,208! 137,100! 1,306,561! ! Based!on!MNRF!FCIN!data!from!2009`2014,!the!stocking!program!has!been!effective!and! important!in!meeting!fish!population!goals!because!stocked!individuals!make!up!just!over!half! of!the!Lake!Trout!population!within!the!AOC!.! ! 13! ! ! Sea!Lamprey!control! Year(s):!1964`2014! Cost:!$370,000!US!upper!Nipigon!River;!!!!! $434!,000!US!lower!Nipigon!River! Partners:!DFO`Sea!Lamprey!Control!Centre,!Great!Lakes!Fishery!Commission!) BUIs:!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat! Description:!! Sea!Lamprey,!an!aquatic!invasive!species!in!the!Great!Lakes,!is!a!parasitic,!eel`like!species!that! attaches!to!fish!with!a!suction`cup!like!mouth!and!consumes!their!blood!and!body!fluids,!which! most!often!results!in!death!of!the!fish!and!a!reduction!in!fish!populations.!Sea!Lamprey! predation!was!cited!as!one!of!the!contributing!sources!of!impairment!to!Nipigon!Bay!fish! populations!in!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports.!! ! The!Sea!Lamprey!Control!Program!has!been!administering!lampricides!that!target!larvae!in!their! nursery!tributaries!and!adjacent!still!water!areas!(lentic!areas)!in!the!Great!Lakes!basin!since! 1958.!The!lampricides!have!been!extensively!researched!and!found!to!be!highly!selective,!non` carcinogenic!and!non`mutagenic,!highly!water!soluble,!and!break!down!readily!in!the! environment!through!photo`degradation!and!bacterial!metabolism!(Dawson,!2003;!Hubert,! 2003.! ! Since!1964,!Sea!Lamprey!populations!in!the!Nipigon!River!and!its!tributaries!(a!source!of! juvenile!Sea!Lampreys)!have!been!effectively!controlled!through!the!use!of!lampricides:!3` trifluoromethyl`4`nitrophenol!(TFM)!and!5,!2’`dichloro`4’`nitrosalicylanilide!(Bayluscide).!The! upper!Nipigon!River,!from!Alexander!Falls!to!Lake!Helen,!is!treated!with!lampricide!on!a!four`to` six!year!cycle,!with!a!total!of!10!treatments!between!1964!and!2014;!whereas!the!lower! Nipigon!River!has!only!been!treated!with!lampricide!twice,!in!1983!and!2006!(P.!Sullivan,!per.! comm.!2014).!! ! Controlled!water!flows!are!required!for!manageable!and!cost`effective!lampricide!treatment.! DFO!consults!with!the!OPG!prior!to!every!lampricide!treatment!of!the!Nipigon!River!to! determine!appropriate!timing!(P.!Sullivan,!per.!comm.!2014).!Treatment!must!align!with!the! OPG!maintenance!plans!and!MNRF’s!fish!habitat!requirements.!Lampricide!is!typically!applied! in!August!as!this!satisfies!DFO!and!OPG!needs!(P.!Sullivan,!per.!comm.!2014).!! ! To!better!understand!sea!lamprey!population!dynamics!in!the!Nipigon!River,!a!permanent!trap! was!built!on!OPG!property!into!the!bank!downstream!of!the!Alexander!Falls!generating!station! in!1997!(P.!Sullivan,!per.!comm.!2014).!Trap!operation!was!discontinued!in!2003!due!to!poor! performance!(P.!Sullivan,!per.!comm.!2014).!! ! DFO!continues!to!control!Sea!Lamprey!populations!through!the!application!of!lampricides.!Pre` treatment!notifications!include!publication!of!a!notice!in!the!Nipigon!Gazette.!As!well,!the!DFO! Treatment!Supervisor!contacts!the!Red!Rock!Indian!Band!in!writing!once!a!treatment!date!is! set,!and!again!by!phone!or!in!person!a!few!days!prior!to!treatment!(P.!Sullivan,!per.!comm.! 2014).!Other!contacts!include!the!MNRF!District!Office,!the!Town!of!Nipigon,!and!the!Polly!Lake! Cottagers’!Association.!The!control!of!Sea!Lamprey!has!been!important!for!the!rehabilitation!of! resident!fish!populations,!including!Lake!Trout,!Lake!Whitefish,!Ciscoes,!Lake!Sturgeon,!and! Steelhead.!! 14! ! ! ! Development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan! Year(s):!1994;!2005! Cost:!$400,000! Partners:!MNRF,!OPG,!MOECC,!DFO) BUIs:!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!benthos! Description:!! Photo:!Jim!Bailey! The!MNRF,!pursuant!to!the!Lakes&and&Rivers&Improvement&Act,!required!that!a!water! management!plan!be!developed!and!implemented!for!the!Nipigon!River!(MNR!&!OPG,!2005).! The!MNRF!and!Ontario!Power!generation!(OPG),!in!consultation!with!the!public!and!Nipigon!! Watershed!Advisory!Committee,!developed!the!Nipigon&River&System&Water&Management&Plan! in!1994!and!updated!it!in!2005!(MNR!&!OPG,!2005)!as!per!the!Water&Management&Planning& Guidelines&for&Waterpower&issued!by!MNRF!in!2002.!The!water!management!plan!reduces!the! impacts!of!the!operation!of!OPG’s!Nipigon!River!hydroelectric!dams!on!the!Lake!Nipigon!and! Nipigon!River!watercourse,!particularly!the!Nipigon!River!fishery.!This!plan!addresses!one!of!the! AOC’s!key!sources!of!impairment,!the!extreme!fluctuations!of!water!levels!and!flows!due!to! hydroelectric!development!activities.!The!plan!expanded!upon!an!interim!agreement!between! MNRF!and!Ontario!Hydro!that!was!established!in!1990!to!maintain!minimum!flows!required!for! fish!habitat,!particularly!spawning!habitat.!The!cycling!of!water!levels!in!the!lake!and!flows!in! the!river!are!shifted!to!more!closely!resemble!natural!conditions.!The!Plan!benefits!the!benthic! community!by!stabilizing!available!benthic!habitat!and!reducing!erosion!which!will!ultimately! improve!benthic!productivity!in!the!ecosystem.!MNRF!has!completed!creel!surveys!in!the! Nipigon!River!in!1988,!1989,!1992`1994,!2003!and!2009!as!part!of!the!Effectiveness!Monitoring! for!the!water!management!planning!process!with!OPG.!! Nipigon!River!! ! 15! ! ! ! Monitoring!and!review!of!Nipigon!Bay!fish!populations! Year(s):!1992`1996;!2005;!2011`2015! Cost:!$530,875! Partners:!MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!DFO,!US!Fish!and!Wildlife!Service,!Grand!Portage!Band!of! Chippewa,!Minnesota!Department!of!Natural!Resources,!Red!Cliff!Band!of!Lake!Superior,!Bad! River!Band!of!Lake!Superior,!Keweenaw!Bay!Indian!Community;!OPG) BUIs:!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat! Description:!! The!baseline!monitoring!and!review!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!fishery!incorporated!three!major! programs!and!a!number!of!minor!efforts.!These!programs!provide!benchmark!information!on! fish!populations!and!data!for!monitoring!their!recovery.!! ! Angler)Surveys) An!angler!survey!of!the!summer!sport!fishery!in!the!Nipigon!River!was!conducted!from!1992!to! 1994.!This!survey!was!a!joint!effort,!funded!by!Ontario!Hydro,!MNRF!and!the!RAP!program!to! gather!background!data!on!Nipigon!River!angler!harvest.!! ! MNRF!has!completed!numerous!fish!habitat!and!population!monitoring!efforts!in!the!AOC.! Nipigon!River!creel!surveys!were!completed!in!1988,!1989,!1992`1994!and!2003.!A!telemetry! study!was!completed!on!the!lower!Nipigon!River!to!track!Walleye!to!current!spawning!grounds.! ! Fish)Community)Index)Netting)(FCIN))Program)(2009V2014)) Fish! Community! Index! Netting! (FCIN)! is! a! standardized! independent! annual! fisheries! survey! conducted! from! June! through! August! by! the! MNRF! and! was! first! implemented! in! 2009.! ! It! is! used!to!track!and!assess!trend!through!time!changes!in!relative!abundance!and!the!population! dynamics! of! the! offshore! fish! community! in! Canadian! waters! of! Lake! Superior.! ! Since! 2009,! sampling! has! occurred! in! six! distinct! areas! of! Lake! Superior! and! includes! sites! within! the! Thunder! Bay,! Nipigon! Bay,! Jackfish! Bay! and! Peninsula! Harbour! AOCs.! ! Results! from! the! index! netting! within! the! AOCs! were! compared! to! appropriate! reference! sites! outside! the! AOCs! to! evaluate!the!status!of!fish!population!BUIs!in!relation!to!delisting!criteria.!!MNRF!conducted!the! FCIN!survey!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!from!2009`2014.! ! Brook)Trout)electrofishing)survey)and)assessment)(2011V2014)) In!2011,!MNRF!developed!a!lake`wide!standard!method!for!assessing!Brook!Trout!populations! and!habitat.!From!2011!to!2014,!MNRF!has!been!monitoring!the!abundance!and!characteristics! of!Brook!Trout!populations!from!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!in!comparison!to!appropriate!reference! sites!and!the!delisting!criteria!to!help!assess!the!status!of!the!fish!population!BUI.!Using! electrofishing!surveys,!MNRF!sampled!the!Brook!Trout!population!along!the!shoreline!in! Nipigon!Bay.!Fish!population!monitoring!was!also!used!to!evaluate!the!success!of!past! restoration!activities!as!identified!in!section!3.1.5!Loss!of!Fish!Habitat.!This!project!helps!create! habitat!preference!criteria!that!can!be!applied!to!the!other!Lake!Superior!AOCs.! 16! ! ! DELISTING)CRITERIA) Fish!populations!will!no!longer!be!impaired!when!the!fish!community!within!the!AOC!has!the! following!characteristics:! ! • The!fish!community!within!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!should!be!similar!to!nearshore!! (0`80!m!deep)!fish!communities!adjacent!to!the!AOC!for!a!minimum!of!three! consecutive!years;!and! • The!nearshore!fish!community!should!be!dominated!by!healthy,!self`sustaining! populations!of!native!species.! ! Fish!population!characteristics!include!population!dynamics!(e.g.,!recruitment,!growth,!and! mortality);!genetic!composition,!relative!abundance!and!population!structure!(e.g.!mean!age,! size,!and!maturity).!These!characteristics!are!assessed!through!species!specific!or!fish! community!based!assessment!and!monitoring!programs!to!determine!the!status!of!fish! populations!in!a!given!area!or!body!of!water!and!are!compared!to!adjacent!unaffected!areas.! ! ASSESSMENT) The!MNRF!has!conducted!various!assessment!and!monitoring!programs!within!the!Nipigon!Bay! AOC!including!a!FCIN!survey,!which!began!in!2009!and!has!continued!through!2014.!The!FCIN,!a! fisheries!independent!survey,!provides!a!trend!through!time!index!of!relative!abundance!and!a! means!for!assessing!population!characteristics!for!typical!offshore!fish!communities!in!Lake! Superior.!The!FCIN!is!primarily!used!for!assessing!Lake!Trout!(Salvelinus&namaycush)!and!Lake! Whitefish!(Coregonus&clupeaformis),!both!of!which!are!native!species!and!indicative!of! ecosystem!health!in!Lake!Superior.!Although!this!index!survey!was!designed!to!provide! information!on!the!offshore!fish!community,!it!also!serves!as!a!critical!monitoring!tool!used!to! track!the!characteristic!of!fish!populations!and!their!recovery!within!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!and! has!been!useful!in!tracking!trends!in!other!species,!such!as!Yellow!Perch.!! ! Certain!species!require!more!specific!assessment!and!monitoring!programs,!including!Walleye,! Brook!Trout,!and!Lake!Sturgeon.!Marshall!(2013)!summarizes!the!results!of!various!Walleye! rehabilitation!efforts!and!assessment!programs!carried!out!in!Nipigon!Bay!since!the!late!1970’s.! Since!2011,!the!MNRF!Upper!Great!Lakes!Management!Unit!(UGLMU)!has!undertaken!an! assessment!program!that!specifically!focuses!on!quantifying!the!relative!abundance!and! characteristics!of!Brook!Trout!populations,!inside!and!outside!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,!by!using! nighttime!boat!electrofishing.! ! Fish)Community)Index)Netting)(FCIN)) Results!of!the!FCIN!from!2009`2014!within!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!indicate!a!healthy!self` sustaining!population!of!primarily!native!fish!species!(Figure!3).!Trends!in!relative!abundance!of! Lake!Whitefish!and!Yellow!Perch!(Figure!4!and!5)!show!higher!relative!abundance!within!the! AOC!than!in!adjacent!waters!within!the!bay.!From!2009!to!2014,!the!average!Lake!Trout! lamprey!wounding!rates!were!4.6!wounds!per!100!fish!within!Nipigon!Bay!and!7!wounds!per! 17! ! ! 100!fish!outside!of!the!AOC!(Figure!6).!!The!Nipigon!Bay!frequencies!are!within!the!Great!Lakes! Fisheries!Commissions!target!of!5`wounds!per!100!fish.!!! ! 50! Nipigon)Bay)Fish)Community)Index)NeZng) Species)Composi[on)) 2009V2014) Percent)of)FCIN)Catch) 45! 40! 35! 30! 25! 20! 15! Inside!AOC! 10! Outside!AOC! Kiyi! Spoqail!Shiner! Alewife! Trout`Perch! Walleye! Sculpins! Silver!Redhorse! Burbot! Brook!Trout! Chinook!Salmon! Bloater! Shortjaw!Cisco! Lake!Chub! Rainbow!Smelt! Cisco! Lake!Trout! Round!Whitefish! Yellow!Perch! White!Sucker! Longnose!Sucker! 0! Lake!Whitefish! 5! Species) ! Figure)3.)Species)composition)inside)and)outside)the)Nipigon)Bay)AOC,)represented)as)a)percentage)of) total)catch)in)MNRF)fish)community)index)netting)surveys)between)2009V2014) ) ! 18! ! ! 250! Lake)Whitefish) CPUE)(fish/km)) 200! 150! Inside!AOC! 100! Outside!AOC! 50! 0! 2009! 2010! 2011! 2012! 2013! 2014! Year) ! Figure)4.)Lake)Whitefish)catch)per)unit)effort)(fish/km))within)the)Nipigon)Bay)AOC)(solid)line))and) outside)the)AOC)(dashed)line)) ! 18! Yellow)Perch) 16! CPUE)(fish/km)) 14! 12! 10! 8! Inside!AOC! 6! Outside!AOC! 4! 2! 0! 2009! 2010! 2011! 2012! 2013! 2014! Year) ! Figure)5.)Yellow)Perch)catch)per)unit)effort)(fish/km))within)the)Nipigon)Bay)AOC)(solid)line))and) outside)the)AOC)(dashed)line)) 19! ! ! 12! Wounds)per)100)Lae)Trout) 10! 8! 6! Inside!AOC! Outside!AOC! 4! 2! 0! 2009! 2010! 2011! 2012! 2013! 2014! Year) ! Figure)6.)Sea)lamprey)wounding)rates)per)100)Lake)Trout)of)all)sizes)from)inside)and)outside)the) Nipigon)Bay)AOC)caught)in)MNRF)fish)community)index)netting)surveys)between)2009V2014) Brook)Trout! Nearshore!Brook!Trout!electrofishing!surveys!between!2011!and!2013!have!shown!a!marked! increase!in!the!relative!abundance!of!Brook!Trout!both!inside!and!outside!of!the!AOC!(Figure!7).!! The!increase!may!be!the!result!of!several!factors!including!lake`wide!efforts!to!restore!coaster! Brook!Trout!populations;!habitat!improvements!within!Nipigon!Bay;!and!the!effects!of!changes! to!sport!fishing!regulations!pertaining!to!Brook!Trout!that!took!place!in!2005.!!Improvements!to! Brook!Trout!populations!are!seen!as!an!indicator!of!both!habitat!quality!and!a!healthy! nearshore!fish!community!in!Lake!Superior.! 20! ! ! 8! Catch)per)Unit)Effort)of)) Brook)Trout)) 7! CPUE)(fish/hour)) 6! 5! 4! Inside!! 3! Outside! 2! 1! 0! 2011! 2012! 2013! Year) ! Figure)7.)Relative)abundance)(fish/hour)of)electrofishing))of)Brook)Trout)inside)(solid)line))and)outside) (dashed)line))the)Nipigon)Bay)AOC) Walleye! Historically,!Walleye!were!very!abundant!in!Nipigon!Bay,!with!thousands!observed!each!spring! congregating!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River.!Overfishing,!habitat!loss,!and!other!stresses! contributed!to!their!decline!in!the!early!1960s,!and!some!50!years!later,!this!population!has!still! not!recovered!to!its!past!size,!although!there!have!been!vast!improvements!in!ecosystem! health!(Marshall,!2013).!There!have!been!considerable!improvements!to!the!aquatic!habitat!in! the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,!including!remediation!to!shorelines!and!nearshore!areas,!improved!water! quality!through!municipal!and!industrial!treatment!facilities!and!controlled!water!levels!and! flows!on!the!Nipigon!River!as!a!result!of!implementing!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management! Plan.!!In!general!aquatic!habitat!is!excellent!quality!and!should!not!be!an!impediment!to!the! recovery!of!walleye!populations!(Marshall2013).! ! Many!projects!have!been!carried!out!to!monitor!population!recovery!and!to!determine!why!the! expected!population!increase!has!been!delayed.!While!no!directed!studies!have!been!made!to! document!changes!in!population!abundance,!inferences!can!be!made!based!on!the!results!of! other!work,!including!genetic!assessment!of!Walleye!in!Nipigon!Bay!carried!out!by!Wilson!et&al.! (2007);!a!multi`year!radio`telemetry!study!carried!out!by!MNRF!Nipigon!District;!spawning! observations!carried!out!over!the!last!25!years!by!MNRF!Nipigon!District;!various!index!netting! projects,!electrofishing!surveys!and!MNRF!UGLMU!FCIN!in!Nipigon!Bay.!! ! 21! ! ! Walleye!stocks!in!the!Nipigon!system!are!currently!quite!healthy!although!they!continue!to! exist!at!much!lower!levels!of!abundance!than!in!the!past!(Marshall,!2013).!Growth!rates!are! extremely!rapid!and!mortality!rates!are!low!which!suggest!good!reproductive!potential! (Marshall,!2013).!There!are!recent!indications!that!the!size!of!the!population!is!increasing.!A! comparison!to!reference!water!bodies!with!similarly!degraded!stocks!reveals!that!the!recovery! process!can!be!quite!protracted!and!that!Walleye!are!slowly!reaching!their!new!equilibrium!in! Nipigon!Bay!(Marshall,!2013).!Changes!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!ecosystem,!including!the!fish! community,!combined!with!the!current!state!of!Walleye!stocks,!suggest!that!the!population! may!never!return!to!historic!levels!(Marshall,!2013).!! ! PAC)REVIEW)AND)ENDORSEMENT)) In!March!2013,!Terry!Marshall!of!Marshall!Consulting!presented!the!results!of!the!Walleye! populations!and!habitat!assessment!(Marshall,!2013)!and!MNRF!presented!the!FCIN!results!to! the!PAC.!Follow`up!presentations!and!discussions!were!held!with!the!PAC!in!June!2013.!The! PAC!was!clear!in!conceding!that!Walleye!populations!have!not!and!will!not!recover!to!historical! levels.!Additionally,!the!PAC!acknowledged!that!there!are!no!local!sources!impairing!Walleye! populations!within!the!AOC!and!that!further!work!should!be!completed!on!a!lake`wide!level!to! help!improve!Walleye!populations.!Thus,!from!the!scope!of!the!RAP,!all!actions!have!been! completed!and!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!achieved.!! ! BENEFICIAL)USE)STATUS) All!of!the!recommended!actions!have!been!completed!and!no!further!actions!are!required.!The! delisting!criteria!have!been!achieved.! ! ONGOING)ACTIONS) MNRF!UGLMU!expects!to!continue!monitoring!fish!populations!in!Nipigon!Bay!including!the! AOC.!Nipigon!Bay!acts!as!an!excellent!reference!area!for!MNRF!commercial!fisheries!stock! assessment!and!monitoring!programs;!as!there!is!currently!no!commercial!fishing!that!occurs!in! the!west!end!of!the!bay.!!It!is!beneficial!to!MNRF!to!continue!conducting!FCIN!in!Nipigon!Bay!to! maintain!this!baseline!information.!As!part!of!a!lake`wide!initiative!to!assess!coaster!Brook! Trout!populations!and!track!recovery!efforts,!MNRF!hopes!to!continue!using!it’s!nearshore!! electrofishing!survey!to!maintain!trend!through!time!information!on!Brook!Trout!populations!in! Nipigon!Bay.! ! ! 22! ! ! 3.1.2!DEGRADATION!OF!BENTHOS! REASON)FOR)IMPAIRMENT) Benthic!invertebrate!communities!(herein!referred!to!as!benthos)!are!made!up!of!small!animals! such!as!worms,!snails,!and!insects!that!live!on!or!in!the! lakebed.!Benthos!was!initially!listed!as!impaired!because!of! low!species!diversity!in!the!vicinity!of!the!Red!Rock!mill! outfall.!Field!surveys!completed!between!1968!and!1987! Benthos!refers!to!organisms! found!that!pollution`tolerant!species!were!the!most!common! living!on!or!in!sediment,!and! in!the!sediment!adjacent!to!the!mill.!These!impacts!were! in!this!case!refers!to! associated!with!the!accumulation!of!contaminants!and! macroinvertebrates.!These! organic!wastes,!such!as!wood!extractives!and!industrial! organisms!are!often!used!as! chemicals!from!mill!wastewater,!and!wood!fibre!from!log! indicators!of!environmental! booming!(MOE!et&al.,!1991).!In!areas!of!the!bay!less!affected! conditions!since!they!are! by!mill!effluent,!benthos!were!“characterized!by!low!standing! relatively!sedentary,!which! stocks!and!high!diversity”!with!species!indicative!of!relatively! makes!them!suited!for! unpolluted!waters!(MOE!et&al.,&1991,!p.16).!The!Stage!1! assessing!site`specific! report!stated!that!“abatement!measures!have!resulted!in! impacts;!and!the!assemblages! are!diverse!in!both!trophic! significant!improvements!to!Nipigon!Bay!water!quality”!but! levels!and!pollution! that!“recovery!of!the!benthos!in!the!vicinity!of!the!mill’s! tolerances.!!! outfall!is!slow!because!it!is!dependent!on!the!natural!ability! of!the!receiving!waters!to!flush!and!degrade!contaminants! accumulated!in!sediments”!(MOE!et&al.,!1991,!p.16).!! ! The!Stage!2!report!described!degraded!benthos!and!sediment!contamination!in!the!vicinity!of! the!mill!outfall,!and!for!a!relatively!short!distance!downstream!of!the!WWTP!outfalls!in!Nipigon! and!Red!Rock.!Although!some!metals!exceeded!the!lowest!effect!levels!(LELs)!of!the!Provincial! Sediment!Quality!Guidelines!(Fletcher!et&al.,!2008),!the!Stage!2!report!acknowledged!that! natural!levels!of!metals!in!Nipigon!Bay!sediment!typically!exceed!these!levels.!As!such,!the!RAP! Team!concluded!that!the!levels!of!metals!were!attributable!to!normal!weathering!and!could!not! be!classified!as!contaminants!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).! ! REMEDIAL)ACTIONS) All!planned!remedial!actions!related!to!benthic!populations!were!either!completed!or!re` assessed!for!feasibility.!The!following!remedial!actions!were!recommended!in!the!Stage!2! report!to!restore!this!BUI:! • Secondary!treatment!for!the!Red!Rock!mill,!and!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!WWTPs;! • Restoration!of!benthic!populations!via!sediment!remediation;!and! • Development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan.! ! With!the!upgrade!of!the!Township!of!Nipigon!WWTP!in!2012,!and!the!planned!upgrade!of!the! Township!of!Red!Rock!WWTP,!both!facilities!will!comply!with!current!provincial!and!federal! regulations!for!municipal!wastewater.! ! 23! ! ! Secondary!treatment!wastewater! RED$ROCK$MILL& Year(s):!1995! Cost:!$25!million! Partners:!Domtar!Inc.,!Ontario!Clean!Water!Agency!(OCWA),!Townships!of!Nipigon!and!Red! Rock,!EC,!MNRF,!Ministry!of!Northern!Development!and!Mines!(MNDM)) NIPIGON$WWTP& Year(s):!2012) Cost:!$9!million! Partners:)Township!of!Nipigon,!Infrastructure!Canada,!Ontario!Ministry!of!Infrastructure) RED$ROCK$WWTP& Year(s):!2014!(completion!by!2019)! Cost:!$9!million! Partners:!Township!of!Red!Rock,!Infrastructure!Canada,!Ontario!Ministry!of!Infrastructure) BUIs:!Degradation!of!benthos;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!! Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! Major!improvements!in!water!quality!have!been!achieved!as!a!result!of!the!implementation!of! federal!and!provincial!pulp!and!paper!regulations!in!the!early!1990s.!The!mill!and!two!municipal! WWTPs!were!the!three!local!point!sources!within!the!AOC!that!led!to!impairments!of!benthos,! fish!populations,!fish!habitat!and! aesthetics.!! Photo:!Township!of!Nipigon! Secondary!treatment!at!the!Nipigon!wastewater!treatment!plant! In!1995,!the!Red!Rock!mill!upgraded! to!secondary!treatment!using!an! aerated!stabilization!basin!design.! Installation!of!secondary!treatment! decreased!effluent!BOD,!toxicity! and!solids!that!improved!effluent! and!water!quality.!The!mill!closed!in! 2006!and!the!sewage!works!were! decommissioned.!! ! In!2000,!a!sewage!treatment!feasibility!study!was!completed!for!the!Township!of!Nipigon.!The! Township!of!Nipigon!completed!the!upgrade!of!their!WWTP!to!secondary!treatment!in!2012.!! ! Studies!to!support!the!upgrades!for!the!Township!of!Red!Rock!WWTP!were!completed!in!2003! and!2005.!The!Township!of!Red!Rock!has!received!funding!from!the!Governments!of!Canada! and!Ontario!to!upgrade!their!WWTP!to!secondary!treatment,!and!the!work!is!currently! underway!and!expected!to!be!completed!by!2019.! 24! ! ! ! A!sediment!remediation!strategy!was!not!pursued!in!Nipigon!Bay;!however!long`term! monitoring!was!conducted!to!track!the!natural!recovery!of!sediment!conditions!and!the!health! of!the!benthic!community.!! ! Sediment!Remediation!! Year(s):!monitoring!was!completed!in!1992;! 1994;!2003;!2004;!2009;!2011`2015! Cost:!$334,100! Partners:!EC,!MOECC,!MNRF,!DFO,!Domtar!Inc.) BUIs:!Degradation!of!benthos;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat! Description:!! Impairments!of!benthic!communities!were!identified!in!the!area!of!the!mill!and!WWTP!outfalls.! In!1994,!the!RAP!Team!examined!a!series!of!remedial!options!to!remediate!contaminated! sediment!in!the!area!adjacent!to!the!Red!Rock!mill!outfall,!including!in&situ!treatment!through! oxygenation!and!enhanced!biodegradation,!natural!recovery,!capping,!in&situ!solidification,! dredging!and!disposal,!and!dredging!and!ex&situ!treatment!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1994).!The! RAP!Team!favoured!in!situ!treatment!through!oxygenation!and!enhanced!biodegradation,!but! their!decision!to!implement!this!remedial!option!in!Nipigon!Bay!was!pending!successful!results! in!other!AOCs.!In!the!end,!this!remedial!option!was!not!pursued!for!Nipigon!Bay!because!of!its! limited!effectiveness!in!other!areas,!such!as!Hamilton!Harbour!and!the!St.!Marys!River.!For! example,!one!disadvantage!of!biological!or!chemical!treatment!is!that!the!high!BOD!seen!in! most!sediments!can!limit!biological!or!chemical!treatment!(Bokuniewicz!et&al.,!1997).!The!RAP! Team!and!the!PAC!decided!that!given!that!the!area!of!impact!was!limited!to!the!vicinity!of!the! outfall,!and!that!other!indicators,!such!as!the!fish!population,!were!not!impaired,!no!further! remedial!actions!were!required!for!benthos!(K.!Cullis,!per.!comm.!2014).! ! The!decision!not!to!remediate!the!contaminated!sediment!was!supported!by!the!improvement! in!Red!Rock!mill’s!effluent!treatment.!In!response!to!the!MOECC’s!Municipal!Industrial!Strategy! for!Abatement,!and!EC’s!pulp!and!paper!regulations,!the!mill!upgraded!its!wastewater! treatment!process!to!include!secondary!treatment!in!1995.!The!upgrade!resulted!in!a! substantial!reduction!in!parameters,!such!as!BOD,!as!mentioned!in!section!2.1!of!this!report— Sources!of!Pollution.! ! As!described!in!the!following!assessment!section,!a!number!of!studies!have!been!completed!to! assess!the!natural!recovery!of!the!benthic!community!including:!Richman!(2004),!Milani!et&al.!! (2006),!Milani!and!Grapentine!(2011),!Grapentine!(2013),!and!George!(2014).! ! DELISTING)CRITERIA) 25! ! ! This!BUI!will!be!considered!no!longer!impaired!when!the!remedial!actions!listed!in!the!Stage!2! report!are!completed!and!monitoring!data!indicates!that!the!benthic!invertebrate!communities! and!contaminant!concentrations!in!sediment!are!improving!when!compared!to!past!data.! ! ! ! ASSESSMENT) The!combination!of!reduced!contaminant!loadings!from!the!Red!Rock!mill!and!natural!recovery! have!resulted!in!incremental!improvements!in!sediment!quality!and!the!overall!health!of!the! benthic!community.!As!such,!a!temporal!approach!of!comparing!the!conditions!at!similar!sites! within!the!AOC!over!time!provided!a!more!suitable!approach!to!monitoring!and!measuring! improvement!in!this!system!than!a!reference!condition!approach!(comparing!sites!with! unimpacted!reference!sites).!Conditions!in!2003!were!selected!as!the!baseline!for!comparison! for!the!following!reasons:!1)!they!represent!conditions!prior!to!the!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon! WWTP!upgrades!and!the!Red!Rock!mill’s!closure;!2)!they!are!reflective!of!a!time!of!new! environmental!rigour!(provincial!and!federal!pulp!and!paper!effluent!regulations!came!into! effect!in!the!late!1990s);!3)!data!was!available!as!EC!conducted!a!Benthic!Assessment!of! Sediment!(BEAST)!study!in!2003!(Milani!et&al.,!2006)!and!selected!stations!sampled!that!could! be!easily!reassessed!in!future!studies;!and!4)!comparison!to!historical!surveys!proved!difficult! due!to!logistic!issues,!such!as!changes!in!sampling,!enumeration,!and!identification!methods,!as! well!as!limited!information!on!sampling!station!locations!and!media!properties.! ) EC!and!the!MOECC!conducted!field!studies!to!assess!sediment!quality!and!benthos!between! 1999!and!2009.!The!results!of!these!field!studies!are!reported!in,!Richman!(2004),!Milani!et&al.! (2006);!Milani!and!Grapentine!(2011),!Grapentine!(2013),!and!George!(2014).!! ! George!(2014)!identified!eight!stations!in!2009!that!were!suitable!to!investigate!the!three!major! dischargers!to!the!Nipigon!River!and!western!portion!of!Nipigon!Bay.!Two!stations!were! positioned!adjacent!to!and!downstream!of!the!Nipigon!WWTP!in!the!Nipigon!River!(with!an! upstream!river!reference),!two!stations!were!in!the!vicinity!of!the!Red!Rock!WWTP,!two! stations!were!located!adjacent!to!and!downstream!of!the!Red!Rock!mill,!and!one!station!served! as!a!control!for!the!bay!stations.!Each!station!was!sampled!to!determine!sediment!and!water! contaminant!levels,!sediment!toxicity,!and!benthic!community!structure!in!the!nearshore!areas! of!the!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!WWTPs,!and!the!Red!Rock!mill!(see!Figure!8!for!station! coordinates).! ! 26! ! ! ! Figure)8.)Sampling)locations)from)the)George)(2014))study.) Overall,!the!study!results!indicated!that!the!conditions!of!the!nearshore!area!of!the!AOC! appeared!to!be!stable!or!improving!slightly!when!compared!to!historical!water,!sediment,!and! benthos!data!(George,!2014).!The!area!immediately!offshore!of!the!Red!Rock!mill!was!clearly! the!most!impacted!of!the!total!study!area,!and!the!assessment!of!the!benthic!community! 27! ! ! structure!and!toxicity!to!invertebrates!supported!the!chemistry!results.!However,!a!qualitative! comparison!of!present!day!conditions!to!historical!conditions!showed!a!marked!improvement! to!the!area!adjacent!to!the!Red!Rock!mill.!The!most!abundant!taxa!continue!to!be!pollution! tolerant!organisms!(Chironomidae!and!Oligochaetes);!however,!the!number!of!taxa!has! increased!over!time!and!more!sensitive!taxa!were!present,!indicating!improvement!to!the! health!of!the!benthic!community.! ! The!study!locations!beyond!the!influence!of!the!Red!Rock!mill!discharge!had!a!greater!diversity! and!richness!of!benthos!(i.e.!greater!numbers!of!species!and!greater!numbers!of!individuals!of! each!species).!The!exception!was!stations!that!had!natural!substrate!types!that!were!not! habitable!to!all!benthos!(i.e.,!one!sandy!station!in!the!Nipigon!River).!The!Stage!2!RAP!report! outlined!that!benthos!was!degraded!in!the!vicinity!of!both!the!mill!and!the!Nipigon!WWTP.!In! 2009,!George!(2014)!observed!that!the!diversity!and!number!of!taxa!present!at!the!station! adjacent!to!the!Nipigon!WWTP!outfall!was!comparable!to!the!upstream!river!reference!station.! In!addition,!index!scores!for!richness,!evenness,!and!diversity!were!greater!at!the!station! located!adjacent!to!the!Nipigon!WWTP!than!at!the!remainder!of!the!study!stations!located! downstream!in!the!river!and!bay,!thereby!indicating!no!relative!impairment!to!the!benthic! community!as!a!result!of!the!effluent!discharge.! ! The!observed!improvements!to!the!benthos!over!time,!in!addition!to!the!mill!closing!and!the! treatment!upgrades!to!the!upstream!Nipigon!WWTP!(improving!effluent!quality),!suggests!that! no!further!degradation!of!the!study!area!will!occur.!! ! Milani!and!Grapentine!(2011)!analysed!samples!of!overlying!water,!sediment,!and!benthic! invertebrates!that!were!collected!from!15!locations!in!Nipigon!Bay!in!October!2009.!Conditions! were!compared!to!those!in!2003,!when!those!same!locations!were!initially!assessed!(Milani!et& al.,!2006).!In!general,!conditions!were!similar!to!those!in!2003;!however,!conditions!had! improved!in!the!eastern!side!of!the!bay!(Kama!Point!area),!where!no!toxicity!was!observed,!and! in!the!southwestern!bay!where!benthos!richness!increased!(Appendix!5).!! ! 28! ! ! ! Figure)9.)Spatial)distribution)of)2009)sites)indicating)the)level)of)benthic)community)alteration) compared)to)Great)Lakes)reference)sites.) Source:!Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011! ! Application!of!the!CanadaKOntario&DecisionKMaking&Framework&for&Assessment&of&Great&Lakes& Contaminated&Sediment!(EC!&!MOE,!2007),!which!considers!chemical,!toxicological,!and! biological!measurements,!indicated!that!9!of!the!15!sites!investigated!in!2009!did!not!require! management!actions,!mainly!because!the!cause!of!any!observed!biological!effects!could!not!be! linked!to!sediment!contaminants.!Appendix!5!provides!the!decision!matrix!table!for!the!weight` of`evidence!approach!based!on!three!lines!of!evidence!from!the!2003!and!2009!EC!BEAST! program!(Milani!et&al.,!2006;!Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).! ! Grapentine!(2013)!conducted!an!analysis!of!temporal!trends!in!sediment!chemistry!and!benthic! communities!at!five!sites!in!Nipigon!Bay!that!were!classified!as!impaired!in!2003.!These!sites! were!sampled!in!2006,!2007,!2008,!and!2009!and!compared!to!data!from!27!reference!sites!in! Lake!Superior!and!the!North!Channel!of!Lake!Huron!sampled!over!the!same!time!span.!! ! In!2009,!metal!contaminant!concentrations!in!sediment!of!Nipigon!Bay!were!mostly!similar!to! those!in!reference!site!sediment!(Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).!Over!the!period!of!2003!to!2009,! most!of!the!10!priority!metals!decreased!in!concentrations.!! 29! ! ! ! Benthic!communities!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!sites!in!2009!were!different!from!those!at!most! reference!sites,!mainly!due!to!high!densities!of!tubificid!worms,!a!group!of!benthic!organisms! that!are!tolerant!of!organic!enriched!sediment!(Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).!During!2003!to! 2009!in!Nipigon!Bay,!total!benthos!remained!high!while!taxon!richness!and!evenness!increased,! tubificid!densities!declined!at!most!sites,!and!chironomid!and!pisidiid!densities!increased! (Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).!These!results!are!trending!towards!levels!found!in!the!reference! sites,!and!together!with!decreases!in!most!sediment!metal!levels,!suggest!some!recovery!of! benthic!conditions.! ! PAC)REVIEW)AND)ENDORSEMENT) In!October!2013,!the!MOECC!presented!an!overview!of!the!studies!mentioned!above!and! discussed!delisting!criteria!with!the!PAC.!A!thorough!discussion!was!also!held!at!the!December! 2013!PAC!meeting.!While!improvements!to!sediment!quality!and!the!condition!of!the!benthic! community!are!acknowledged!to!be!slow,!the!PAC!supported!the!redesignation!of!this! impairment!to!not!impaired!on!the!basis!that!the!sources!of!pollution!had!been!controlled,!all! actions!have!been!completed,!and!that!some!improvement!had!been!measured!and! documented!since!the!2003!assessment.! ! The!PAC!expressed!concerns!about!future!monitoring!and!recommended!that!an!ongoing! program!be!continued!to!assess!sediment!and!benthic!community!conditions!in!Nipigon!Bay.! This!was!deemed!important!in!terms!of!monitoring!the!natural!recovery!of!sediment!and!the! benthic!community,!increasing!the!understanding!of!recovery!timeframes,!and!monitoring!the! effects!of!climate!change.! ! BENEFICIAL)USE)STATUS) Recommended!actions!are!complete!and!monitoring!data!indicates!that!the!benthic! invertebrate!communities!and!contaminant!concentrations!in!sediment!are!improving.!As!such,! the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met!and!no!further!remedial!actions!are!required.!! ! ONGOING)ACTIONS) The!MOECC!will!continue!to!monitor!sediment!conditions!and!water!quality!as!part!of!the!Great! Lakes!Index!Station!Network!Monitoring!Program.!Index!stations!are!sampled!on!an!ongoing! basis,!generally!every!six!years,!in!conjunction!with!the!coordinated!science!and!monitoring! effort!under!the!Lakewide!Action!and!Management!Plan!(LAMP)!for!Lake!Superior.!! ! The!Township!of!Nipigon!has!initiated!a!stormwater!management!plan!which,!when! implemented!starting!in!2015,!will!reduce!non`point!sources!of!pollution.!In!addition,!the! rehabilitation!of!fish!habitat!in!the!lagoon!area!in!the!Nipigon!River!will!have!localized!benefits! in!terms!of!improving!habitat!for!benthos!through!increased!flow!and!oxygenation!of!the! system.! ! 30! ! ! The!Township!of!Red!Rock!is!proceeding!with!the!upgrade!of!the!WWTP,!which!is!expected!to! be!completed!in!2019.! 3.1.3!EUTROPHICATION!OR!UNDESIRABLE!ALGAE! REASON)FOR)IMPAIRMENT) The!Stage!1!and!2!reports!(MOE!et&al.,!1991;!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995)!identified!the! presence!of!algae!growth!on!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River,!upstream!of!the!Nipigon! WWTP.!Algal!growth!on!Walleye!spawning!beds!was!suspected!of!having!a!negative!effect!on! Walleye!spawning!habitat!and!potentially!the!rehabilitation!of!Walleye!populations.!The!Stage!2! report!added!that!inadequacy!of!wastewater!treatment!at!the!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!WWTPs! and!the!Red!Rock!mill!was!impacting!the!ecosystem!and!the!municipal!WWTPs!were!impairing! water!quality!downstream!of!their!discharges.!Although!the!causal!factors!and!extent!of!the! algae!growth!were!unknown,!undesirable!algae!was!listed!as!impaired!in!the!Stage!1!and!2!RAP! reports!as!a!precaution.!! ! REMEDIAL)ACTIONS) The!RAP!recommended!the!following!actions!to!address!the!BUI:! • Identification!of!candidate!sites!and!implementation!of!self`cleaning!substrate;!and! • Assessment!of!algal!growth!on!spawning!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River.) The!first!remedial!action!related!to!undesirable!algae!was!re`assessed!for!feasibility!and! subsequently!rejected,!and!the!second!was!completed,!as!described!in!detail!in!the!box!below.! ! ! ! 31! ! ! Assessment!of!algal!growth!on!spawning!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River! Year(s):!1991;!1995`1996;!2007;!2010! Cost:!$90,000! Partners:!MNRF,!DFO,!LU,!EC,!MOECC) BUIs:!Eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat! Description:!! During!the!identification!of!remedial!actions!for!the!Stage!2!report,!DFO!recommended!a!test! project!identifying!local!candidate!sites!for!self`cleaning!substrate!to!serve!as!a!localized! alternative!to!extensive!riverine!rehabilitation.!Extensive!tracking!of!stocked!Walleye!fish,!using! sonic!and!radio!tags,!identified!possible!spawning!activity!and!post`spawning!migration! patterns!in!the!Nipigon!River!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!The!tracking!studies!helped!to! identify!candidate!sites!to!implement!a!self`cleaning!substrate.! ! Assessments!of!the!algae!on!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River!completed!by!Kelso!and! Cullis!(1996)!and!Colby!(2007)!indicated!that!spawning!habitat!was!not!impaired!and!accounts! by!MNRF!(unpublished!report)!and!Savioja!and!Kushnier!(1991)!indicated!Brook!Trout!were! spawning!in!the!Nipigon!River.!Thus,!it!was!determined!that!the!implementation!of!self` cleaning!substrate!was!not!required!for!this!BUI.!! ! A!series!of!studies!have!been!completed!to!assess!algal!growth!on!spawning!substrates!and!its! impact!on!the!recruitment!to!fish!populations!within!the!AOC!(Adams,!Nicholson,!&!Stewart,! 2010;!Colby!2007;!Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996;!Savioja!&!Kushnier,!1991).!Kelso!and!Cullis!(1996)!and! Colby!(2007)!indicated!that!the!algal!growth!was!not!impairing!Walleye!spawning!habitat!in!the! lower!Nipigon!River.!Adams!et&al.!(2010)!determined!that!the!algae!do!not!cause!a!negative! relationship!with!spawning!success.!Further!information!from!these!studies!is!provided!in!the! following!assessment.! ! DELISTING)CRITERIA) There!are!no!delisting!criteria!because!the!suspected!impairment!could!not!be!confirmed.! ! ASSESSMENT! Kelso!and!Cullis!(1996)!assessed!ecosystem!stressors,!remediation!and!the!resulting!impact!on! the!Nipigon!Bay!fishery.!They!concluded!that!the!algae!were!unlikely!to!affect!the!system!and! fish!habitat!because!the!“effects!of!cultural!enrichment,!which!were!localized!and!did!not!result! in!systemic!eutrophication,!are!apparently!declining!and!are!unlikely!to!significantly!affect!the! system”!(Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996,!p.68).!! ! A!2007!Walleye!spawning!and!habitat!assessment!of!the!Nipigon!River!shoreline!by!the!MNRF! (Colby,!2007),!determined!that!the!historical!Walleye!spawning!grounds!are!suitable!for! spawning!and!egg!incubation.!“Although!much!of!the!rock,!boulder!and!rubble!in!this!area!are! 32! ! ! coated!with!a!thin!layer!of!algae`like!material!the!current!should!be!strong!enough!to!ventilate! the!eggs!on!these!surfaces”!(Colby,!2007,!p.1).!It!is!unlikely!that!the!eggs!would!be!attacked!by! fungal!or!bacterial!growths!on!these!organic!surfaces!in!unpolluted!waters!(Colby,!2007).!! ! Not!all!species!of!algae!are!toxic!and!pose!a!risk!to!human,!aquatic,!and!wildlife!health.!Algae! toxicity!is!a!concern!when!a!large!bloom!develops!or!the!algae!are!present!in!significant! amounts!(Adams!et&al.,!2010).!The!studies!by!Kelso!and!Cullis!(1996)!and!Colby!(2007)!have! identified!that!the!amount!of!algae!present!is!not!a!concern!for!fish!spawning!habitat.!However,! at!a!2010!PAC!meeting,!the!RAP!Team,!LU!and!the!PAC!reviewed!the!available!information!for! this!BUI!and!decided!that!further!assessment!was!required!to!identify!the!type!of!algae!present! and!determine!if!the!algae!are!toxic.!! ! In!2010,!LU!completed!an!algae!risk!assessment!which!looked!at!algae!samples!from!the! Nipigon!River!shoreline!(Adams!et&al.,&2010).!The!majority!of!the!algae!were!in!the! Bacillariophyceae!class!(diatomic!algae);!two!specimens!were!of!class!of!Chlorophyceae!(green! algae);!and!three!specimens!in!the!class!of!Cyanophyceae!(phylum!of!cyanobacteria!–!blue` green!algae).!There!were!three!potentially!toxic!algae!identified:!Bacillariophyceae&Diatoma,! Chlorophyceae&Ulothirx!and!Cyanophyceae&Rivularia.!The!Bacillariophyceae!and!Chlorophyceae! classes!do!not!pose!a!risk!in!fresh!water!since!they!typically!do!not!proliferate!to!blooms,!even! with!optimal!conditions!(Adams!et&al.,!2010).!One!sample!contained!Rivularia&haematites,! belonging!to!the!Cyanophyceae!class!that!is!related!to!cyanobacteria,!which!is!most!often! associated!with!producing!toxins!that!may!impact!human!and!wildlife!health.!This!species!was! only!found!in!one!small!isolated!patch,!approximately!one!square!meter,!and!was!determined! to!be!non`significant!as!it!is!not!uncommon!to!find!it!in!limited!sites!within!a!natural! environment!(Adams!et&al.,!2010).!The!assessment!concluded!that,!“the!likelihood!of!a!negative! relationship!from!toxins!to!spawning!success!of!fish!in!the!area!caused!by!algae!or! cyanobacterium!is!very!low”!(Adams!et&al.,!2010,!p.47).!! ! The!2004!report!by!Zurawell,!Chen,!Burke,!and!Prepas,!stated!that!algal!bloom!production! typically!occurs!when!there!are!high!levels!of!nutrients!such!as!phosphorus,!nitrogen,!and!other! organics;!a!stable,!warm!water!column;!low!carbon!dioxide;!and,!relatively!low!concentrations! of!nitrogen!to!phosphorus!(as!cited!in!Adams!et&al.,!2010).!The!Provincial!Water!Quality! Objective!(PWQO)!for!total!phosphorus!(TP)!is!30!µg/L!(0.030!mg/L)!for!rivers!and!20!µg/L! (0.020!mg/L)!for!lakes.!Excessive!plant!growth!and!nuisance!algae!are!unlikely!if!TP! concentrations!are!at!or!below!the!PWQO.!Water!temperatures!are!low!and!the!Nipigon!River! has!high!flow!rates!that!prevent!the!stable!warm!water!conditions!that!could!promote!algae! growth.!In!addition,!raw!water!intake!data!from!the!Nipigon!drinking!water!treatment!plant! between!1991!and!2012,!upstream!from!the!WWTP!and!mill!outfalls,!indicated!that!average!TP! levels!were!below!the!PWQO;!and,!nitrogen!levels!consistently!exceeded!phosphorus!levels! (Figure!10).!Between!1991!and!2012,!the!average!levels!were!7.05!µg/L!and!208.5!µg/L!for!TP! and!Total!Kjeldahl!Nitrogen!(TKN),!respectively.!Therefore,!conditions!do!not!support!or! promote!the!production!of!excessive!or!nuisance!algae.!! ! 33! ! ! 300! 250! 200! µg/L) 150! 100! 50! 0! Year) Total!Kjeldahl!Nitrogen! Total!Phosphorus! Total!Phosphorus!Provincial!Water!Quality!Objecuve! ! Figure)10.)Nipigon)Drinking)Water)System)Mean)Total)Kjeldahl)Nitrogen)and)Total)Phosphorus)from) 1991V2012,)Graphical)Representation) Source:!MOECC!2014.!Listing!of!Analytical!Drinking!Water!Quality!Data!for!Nipigon!Drinking!Water!System.!MOECC,! Environmental!Sciences!and!Standards!Division!`!Environmental!Monitoring!and!Reporting!Branch!–!Water! Monitoring!and!Reporting!Section!–!Drinking!Water!Unit.! ! In!2006,!the!Environmental!Effects!Monitoring!(EEM)!program!determined!that!phosphorus! levels!were!similar!to!background!levels!upstream!of!the!mill!in!the!Nipigon!River!but!higher! than!a!reference!site!(Mountain!Bay)!and!that!the!mill!had!a!slight!influence!on!nitrogen! (EcoMetrix!Incorporated,!2007).!In!the!exposure!area,!concentrations!of!TKN!ranged!from!0.9` 1.0!mg/L!compared!to!upstream!reference!of!0.6!mg/L!(EcoMetrix!Incorporated,!2007).!The! EEM!assessment!identified!that!phosphorus!loadings!have!declined!by!at!least!43%!from!the! start!of!the!RAP!due!to!reduction!in!flow!from!the!mill!and!that!with!the!mill!closure,!reduction! would!be!85%!(EcoMetrix!Incorporated,!2007).!! ! There!have!been!no!reports!of!algal!blooms!downstream!of!the!mill!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River! and!data!indicates!conditions!that!are!not!conducive!for!the!proliferation!of!algal!blooms.!For! example,!in!a!1999!study!by!Richman!(2004),!the!average!TP!was!0.012!mg/L!and!typically! 34! ! ! ranged!from!4`8!µg/L!which!satisfies!the!PWQO.!These!results!were!similar!to!TP!concentrations! in!overlying!water!that!was!measured!as!part!of!EC’s!benthic!assessment!in!2003!(Milani!et&al.,! 2006)!and!2009!(Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011).!The!average!TP!was!16.5!µg/L!(0.017!mg/L)!in! 2003!and!13.5!µg/L!(0.014!mg/L)!in!2009.!Also,!downstream!of!the!reported!algae!in!the!lower! Nipigon!River,!a!number!of!upgrades!to!the!mill!and!Nipigon!WWTP!have!been!completed!since! the!1990s,!with!upgrades!currently!being!completed!at!the!Red!Rock!WWTP,!to!improve! effluent!and!nutrient!loadings!in!the!AOC.!! ! Although!algae!were!suspected!as!a!cause!of!habitat!impairment!for!Walleye,!subsequent! studies!have!not!found!a!link!between!these!two!issues!(Colby,!2007;!Kelso!&!Cullis!1996).!As! conditions!in!the!Nipigon!River!are!not!conducive!to!the!production!of!excessive!or!nuisance! algae,!this!BUI!is!deemed!not!impaired.!! ) PAC)REVIEW)AND)ENDORSEMENT) In!December!2013,!the!above!information!was!presented!to!the!PAC!by!the!MOECC.!The!PAC! agreed!that,!in!retrospect,!the!BUI!should!have!been!described!as!requiring!further!assessment! in!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports.!The!PAC!and!RAP!Team!decided!the!issue!did!not!require!further! study!or!remedial!actions.!The!PAC!endorsed!the!redesignation!of!the!BUI!to!not!impaired!as!it! was!determined!that!algae!does!not!impair!Walleye!spawning!habitat!in!the!AOC.! ! BENEFICIAL)USE)STATUS! The!recommended!actions!are!complete.!It!has!been!determined!that!this!beneficial!use!was! not!impaired!and!no!further!remedial!actions!are!required.!This!BUI!is!deemed!not!impaired.! ! ONGOING)ACTIONS) The!Townships!of!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon!will!continue!to!monitor!levels!of!nitrogen!and!TP!as! part!of!drinking!water!monitoring!program!requirements.!The!Township!of!Red!Rock!is! anticipated!to!complete!the!upgrades!at!the!WWTP!by!2019.!The!municipal!WWTP’s!of!Nipigon! and!Red!Rock!will!continue!to!monitor!nutrients!in!their!discharges!and!adhere!to!the!effluent! regulations.!In!addition,!a!stormwater!management!plan!is!currently!being!developed!for!the! Township!of!Nipigon,!and!upon!implementation,!will!help!reduce!loadings!from!stormwater! runoff!to!the!Nipigon!River.!The!federal!and!provincial!governments!are!committed!to! managing!nutrients!in!the!Great!Lakes!as!per!the!nutrients!annex!in!both!the!2012!GLWQA! Protocol!of!2012!and!the!Canada&Ontario&Agreement&on&Great&Lakes&Water&Quality&and& Ecosystem&Health,&2014.!! & & 35! ! ! 3.1.4!DEGRADATION!OF!AESTHETICS! REASON)FOR)IMPAIRMENT) This!BUI!persistent!impairments!to!aesthetics!in!water.!Specifically,!the!beneficial!use!was!to!be! deemed!impaired!“when!any!substance!in!water!produces!a!persistent!objectionable!deposit,! unnatural!color!or!turbidity,!or!unnatural!odor!(e.g.!oil!slick,!surface!scum)”!(IJC,!1991).! Aesthetics!were!identified!as!impaired!in!both!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports!due!to!degraded!water! quality,!industrial!development!and!impacts!on!recreation!due!to!fluctuating!water!levels!(MOE! et&al.,!1991;!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).! ! Effluent!from!the!Red!Rock!mill!and!the!Red!Rock!municipal!WWTP!was!the!source!of!aesthetics! related!water!quality!impairments.!Prior!to!1990,!the!mill!had!received!complaints!about!the! presence!of!foam!in!Nipigon!Bay!as!a!result!of!effluent!discharge.!Also,!the!combined!effluent! discharge!from!the!Red!Rock!mill!and!Red!Rock!municipal!WWTP!created!a!buoyant!effluent! (thermal)!plume!upon!entering!Nipigon!Bay.!The!surface!plume!was!a!result!of!high!effluent! temperature!in!relation!to!the!temperatures!of!the!receiving!waters,!Nipigon!Bay!(MOE!et&al.,! 1991).!A!buoyant!effluent!plume!is!the!thermal!stratification!or!different!layers!of! temperatures,!where!warm!thermals!rise!(positive!buoyancy)!and!cold!thermals!sink!(negative! buoyancy).!The!effluent!plume!in!Nipigon!Bay!covered!an!area!of!approximately!1.5!square! kilometres,!and!was!detected!as!far!north!as!the!Red!Rock!municipal!water!intake!and!as!far! south!as!Five!Point!Mile!(MOE!et&al.,!1991).!! ! The!Stage!1!report!also!noted!impacts!to!recreation!and!waterfront!development!as!sources!of! aesthetic!impairments.!The!degradation!of!fish!populations!was!cited!as!an!impact!to! recreational!fishing!benefits.!Fluctuations!in!water!levels!as!a!result!of!hydropower!generation,! was!identified!as!an!impairment!to!recreational!and!shoreline!developments!near!the!Township! of!Nipigon.!The!focus!of!the!degradation!of!aesthetics!beneficial!use!impairment!was!on! persistent!impairments!to!water!aesthetics!as!mentioned!above!and!did!not!include! recreational!or!development!factors.!These!factors!were!inappropriately!cited!as!sources!of! impairment!for!this!BUI.! ! The!PAC!had!identified!that!there!were!complaints!of!air!odour!problems!from!the!Township!of! Nipigon!WWTP!prior!to!its!upgrade!to!secondary!treatment.!Although!this!BUI!is!intended!to! address!aesthetics!in!relation!to!water!quality,!the!odour!was!a!public!concern.!There!have! been!no!complaints!of!foul!odour!from!the!WWTP!since!it!has!upgraded!to!secondary! treatment!in!2012.! ! REMEDIAL)ACTIONS) The!RAP!identified!the!following!objectives!for!aesthetics:!that!point!source!effluent!and! waterfront!development!did!not!have!an!adverse!impact!on!aesthetics!or!recreation!in!the!AOC;! and,!that!public!access!would!be!developed!and!improved!to!make!the!area!a!focus!for! aesthetics,!recreation,!culture!and!tourism.!! ! ! 36! ! ! The!RAP!provided!recommendations!for!the!following!remedial!actions!to!achieve!the! objectives!and!restore!the!BUI:! • Implement!secondary!treatment!for!the!Red!Rock!mill;!! • Complete!the!Red!Rock!marina!habitat!overlay;!! • Develop!and!implement!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan;!and! • Construct!the!recreational!component!of!the!Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!plan.! ! The!Red!Rock!mill!completed!the!upgrades!to!secondary!treatment!in!1995.!The!Township!of! Nipigon!upgraded!its!WWTP!to!secondary!treatment!in!2012,!and!the!Township!of!Red!Rock!is! currently!undergoing!the!upgrade!to!secondary!treatment.!Water!quality!in!Nipigon!Bay!is! expected!to!show!continuing!improvements!with!the!upgrades!to!the!WWTPs.! ! Erosion,!sedimentation!and!siltation!impairments!related!to!fluctuating!water!levels!were! addressed!through!the!development!and!implementation!of!the!Nipigon&River&System&Water& Management&Plan!that!manages!water!levels!and!flows.!One!of!the!specific!objectives!of!the! Plan!was!to!minimize!erosion!(MNR&!OPG,!2005).!The!water!management!plan!maintains!river! flows!in!the!Nipigon!River!between!300cms!to!450cms!from!May!to!November!and!uses!a!seven! day!“average!flow!with!an!absolute!minimum!flow!of!20%!below!average”!so!that!flow!rates!are! maintained!at!a!certain!level!for!a!longer!period!of!time!(MNR!&!OPG,!2005).!This!strategy! results!in!more!stable!water!levels!and!less!shoreline!erosion!(MNR!&!OPG,!2005).! ! Recreational!improvements!were!not!expected!to!contribute!to!the!assessment!and!status!of! this!beneficial!use.!However,!to!satisfy!the!objectives!and!remedial!actions!outlined!in!the!Stage! 2!report,!the!RAP!has!contributed!to!the!following!improvements:!completion!of!the!Nipigon! River!trail!system!(1994);!creation!of!the!Pull`a`Log!park;!planting!trees!and!shrubs!on!the! breakwall!and!adjoining!mainland!for!a!park`like!atmosphere!as!part!of!the!habitat!overlay! project!at!the!Red!Rock!marina;!and!the!cleanup!(1993)!and!rehabilitation!(2006)!of!Clearwater! Creek.!The!Clearwater!Creek!project!included!a!system!a!trails!and!footpaths!to!provide! additional!recreational!opportunities!for!the!community.! ! DELISTING)CRITERIA) This!beneficial!use!will!no!longer!be!impaired!when!the!waters!are!devoid!of!any!substance!that! produces!a!persistent!objectionable!deposit,!unnatural!colour!or!turbidity,!or!unnatural!odour! (e.g.!oil!slick,!surface!scum).! ! ASSESSMENT) The!improvements!to!the!Red!Rock!mill,!including!the!upgrade!to!secondary!treatment!in!1995! and!the!implementation!of!foam!barriers!at!the!outfall!in!1990!have!resolved!the!water!quality! impairments!to!aesthetics.!There!were!no!complaints!of!foam!in!Nipigon!Bay!after!the!foam! barriers!were!implemented.!There!have!also!been!no!reports!of!the!buoyant!effluent!plume! since!the!implementation!of!secondary!treatment.!The!mill!subsequently!closed!in!2006.! ! 37! ! ! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! Kayaking)on)the)Nipigon)River) In!2010,!a!LU!researcher!interviewed!PAC!members!to!document!their!observations!on! aesthetics!since!the!onset!of!the!RAP!to!assess!the!status!of!this!BUI!(LU,!2010).!The!researcher! concluded!that!there!were!no!impairments!for!aesthetics!as!related!to!the!original!designation! of!this!BUI!(LU,!2010).!LU!(2010)!completed!a!qualitative!assessment!of!water!quality! improvements!in!the!AOC!based!on!reports!from!1989!to!2006.!Despite!some!issues!with! sample!site!consistency!and!comparability!of!results,!the!assessment!still!supported!the! conclusion!that!there!was!no!change!in!colour,!while!turbidity,!total!suspended!solids!(TSS),!and! biochemical!oxygen!demand!(BOD)!have!all!improved!since!1989!(LU,!2010).!! ! The!causes!of!water!quality!aesthetic!impairments!have!been!addressed!with!the! improvements!to!water!quality!through!municipal!and!industrial!wastewater!treatment! upgrades.!Although!not!applicable!to!the!delisting!criteria!and!intent!of!the!BUI,!further!actions! have!been!completed!to!improve!recreational!opportunities!in!the!Townships!of!Nipigon!and! Red!Rock.! ! PAC)REVIEW)AND)ENDORSEMENT! The!PAC!acknowledged!at!a!December!2009!meeting!that!odours!in!the!air!from!the!mill!were!a! concern!in!the!past,!and!that!there!were!foul!odours!in!the!air!from!the!Nipigon!municipal! WWTP.!The!PAC!believed!that!upgrades!to!effluent!treatment!would!remedy!potential!odour! issues!in!Nipigon.!There!have!been!no!complaints!of!foul!odours!from!the!Nipigon!municipal! 38! ! ! WWTP!since!it!upgraded!to!secondary!treatment!in!2012.!At!a!follow`up!meeting!in!2013,!the! PAC!agreed!that!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met!and!aesthetics!were!no!longer!impaired!in! the!AOC.! ! BENEFICIAL)USE)STATUS) Recommended!actions!are!complete!and!the!criteria!have!been!met:!waters!are!devoid!of!any! substance!that!produces!a!persistent!objectionable!deposit,!unnatural!colour!or!turbidity,!or! unnatural!odour.!No!further!remedial!actions!are!required;!as!such,!this!beneficial!use!is!not! impaired.! ! ONGOING)ACTIONS) A!Clearwater!Creek!stormwater!management!plan!and!a!stormwater!drainage!repair!pilot!study! for!the!Nipigon!lagoon!are!currently!being!developed!and!will!be!an!integral!component!of!the! proposed!Township!of!Nipigon!stormwater!management!plan.!Stormwater!management!can! further!improve!water!quality!and!aesthetics!in!the!AOC!by!replacing!damaged!culverts,! decreasing!run!off!and!sedimentation!load,!and!potentially!creating!low!impact!development! designs.!! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! Sunset)on)Nipigon)Bay) & ! 39! ! ! 3.1.5!LOSS!OF!FISH!HABITAT! REASON)FOR)IMPAIRMENT) Fisheries!habitat!was!degraded!near!the!outfall!of!the!former!pulp!and!paper!mill!as!a!result!of! the!accumulation!of!debris!from!historic!log!drives.!To!facilitate!log!drives,!obstructions!in!the! river!were!removed;!pilings,!booms!and!shoreline!protectors!were!constructed;!and!log! booming!areas!were!created!in!the!lower!Nipigon!river!and!bay!(Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996).!A!sawmill! located!between!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!sawed!local!woods!for!lumber!and!provided!ground! wood!pulp!to!the!Red!Rock!pulp!mill!with!wood!handling!operations!extending!out!0.5!km!into! Nipigon!Bay!(Kelso!&!Cullis,!1996).!As!a!result,!woody!debris!accumulated!on!and!near!the!shore! in!this!area.! ! Hydroelectric!development!on!the!Nipigon!River!resulted!in!water!level!fluctuations!that!have! affected!stream!bank!stability,!sediment!load,!and!the!quality!of!fish!habitat.!In!some!instances,! the!dewatering!of!spawning!habitat!and!stranding!of!fish!occurred.! ! REMEDIAL)ACTIONS) There!have!been!considerable!improvements!to!the!aquatic!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,! beyond!what!was!identified!in!the!Stage!2!report.!Remediation!has!been!done!to!shorelines!and! near`shore!areas.!Water!quality!has!been!much!improved!through!municipal!and!industrial! treatment!facilities,!and!water!levels!and!flows!on!the!Nipigon!River!are!now!controlled!through! a!water!management!plan.!The!water!management!planning!process!took!into!account! competing!uses!on!the!river!including!habitat!requirements!of!spawning!fishes!and!reduced! bank!and!shoreline!erosion!while!maintaining!an!acceptable!level!of!hydroelectric!power! generation.! ! The!historical!Walleye!spawning!area!below!the!highway!bridge!was!cleared!of!logs!and!debris! as!part!of!the!early!remediation!efforts;!although!additional!logs!have!accumulated!there,!they! were!removed!as!part!of!the!lagoon!remediation!project!(see!below).!While!a!thin!layer!of! algae`like!material!coats!the!rubble!at!this!site,!the!quantity!of!algae!does!not!affect!the! suitability!of!Walleye!spawning!and!nursery!habitat!in!this!area!of!the!river!(Colby,!2007),!as! described!in!section!3.1.3!Eutrophication!and!Undesirable!Algae.! ! The!Stage!2!report!identified!the!following!remedial!actions!to!restore!the!BUI:! • Cleanup!of!historic!spawning!grounds!in!the!lower!river!and!the!Old!Mill!site;! • Red!Rock!Marina!habitat!overlay!and!trails;!! • Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!plan!and!implementation;!and! • Restoration!of!degraded!habitat!in!Big!Trout!Creek.! ! ! ! 40! ! ! It!was!recognized!that!the!AOC!could!benefit!from!additional!rehabilitation!work!to!enhance! fish!habitat!in!this!area.!Additional!actions!have!been!completed!within!the!AOC!that!have! improved!fish!habitat,!particularly!for!Walleye!and!Brook!Trout,!including!the!Kama!Creek! realignment!and!naturalization!of!Brook!Trout!habitat;!Nipigon!lagoon!habitat!enhancement! and!water!diversion;!ground!water!upwelling!enhancement!for!Brook!Trout!in!the!lower! Nipigon!River;!and!construction!of!a!Walleye!spawning!shoal!at!the!mouth!of!Bass!(Purdom)! Creek.!! !! The!remedial!actions!completed!to!improve!fish!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!are!summarized! in!the!following!action!boxes.! ! Cleanup!of!historic!spawning!grounds!in!the!lower!river!and!the!Old!Mill!site! Year(s):!1993;!1995`2003;!2011! Cost:!$220,000! Partners:!MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!Domtar!Inc.,!DFO) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! Debris!from!historic!log!drives!such!as!logs/debris/bark!was!removed!from!historic!Walleye! spawning!areas!of!the!lower!Nipigon!River.!The!removal!of!debris!allowed!for!greater! movement!of!water!and!material!to!ensure!fish!migratory!routes!remained!open!and! encouraged!public!use!and!recreation.!The!Old!Mill!site,!a!former!wetland,!was!rehabilitated!by! the!removal!of!logs,!pilings,!debris,!derelict!machinery,!and!sawdust.!Access!to!the!site!was!also! improved!and!natural!regeneration!of!aquatic!plants!has!occurred!in!the!nearshore!areas.!! Post`rehabilitation!boat!electro`fishing!monitoring!from!1995`2003!indicated!that,!while!the! Nipigon!River!system!has!the!potential!to!naturally!produce!walleye!and!that!previous!adult! transfers!were!successful!in!increasing!Walleye!relative!abundance,!no!Walleye!were!found! using!either!of!these!locations.! ! ! 41! ! ! Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!plan!and!implementation! Year(s):!1993`1995;!2006! Cost:!$1,246,000! Partners:!MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!Township!of!Nipigon,!PAC,!St.!Edwards!School,!Shell!Grant,! Bondar!Award,!MNDM!and!Mines,!Ministry!of!Education) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! Clearwater!Creek!was!the!subject!of!a!community`based!effort!to!clean`up!and!rehabilitate! habitat!and!aesthetics!of!the!Brook!Trout!stream.!In!1993,!the!concept!plan!to!rehabilitate! Clearwater!Creek!was!completed!(Marshall!Macklin!Monaghan!and!Todhunter!Schollen,!1993)! and!identified!13!watercourse!and!eight!interpretive!initiatives!to!improve!water!quality,! habitat!and!the!productivity!of!the!fish!community!in!Nipigon!Bay.!! ! In!June!1993,!a!two`day!community!clean`up!event!was!completed!including!a!school!clean`up! of!the!creek!flowing!through!St.!Edwards!School!property!and!then!a!community!cleanup!event! of!the!entire!creek.!Approximately!30!tonnes!of!garbage!was!collected!and!removed!to!a!local! landfill.!Water!flow,!vegetation,!and!the!fish!community!were!inventoried.!! ! In!2006,!further!work!was!completed!on!Clearwater!Creek!to!realign!the!lower!end!of!the!creek! to!return!flow!to!close!to!the!original!channel.!The!creek!was!channelized!and!diverted!away! from!the!marina!after!a!major!flooding!event!in!1959.!The!new!channel!is!a!meandering!series! of!slow!moving,!deeper!pools,!and!shallower!rapids!resulting!in!healthy!water!flow!and!diverse! fish!habitat,!much!as!would!occur!in!a!natural!stream.!Interpretive!stations!and!educational! signage!were!implemented!to!provide!the!public!with!information!about!the!creek!and! rehabilitation!project.!! ! ! ! 42! ! ! Restoration!of!degraded!habitat!in!Big!Trout!Creek!and!Kama!Creek! BIG$TROUT$CREEK& Year(s):!1995! Cost:!$20,000! Partners:!MNRF,!MOECC,!DFO,!EC,!private!landowners) KAMA$CREEK& Year(s):!2011`2013! Year:!$543,680! Partners:!EC,!MNRF,!LU,!Township!of!Nipigon,!PAC) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! A!stream!inventory!was!completed!in!1995!to!determine!if!stream!bank!erosion!and! channelization!in!Big!Trout!Creek!were!the!source!of!high!sediment!loadings.!The!stream! inventory!showed!that!erosion!was!not!the!source!of!high!sediment!loadings!to!Big!Trout!Creek! and!that!no!further!action!was!required.!The!RAP!identified!the!Kama!Creek!as!a!higher!priority! for!habitat!restoration.! Kama!Creek,!a!Nipigon!Bay!tributary,! historically!provided!significant!habitat! for!large!numbers!of!Brook!Trout!in!Lake! Superior.!In!the!1960s,!the!creek!was! diverted!from!its!original!channel!to! address!erosion!concerns!at!the!railway! crossing.!This!resulted!in!the!creation!of! a!barrier!to!fish!migration!and!a!loss!of! approximately!600m!of!stream!habitat.! From!2011!to!2012,!the!existing!Kama! Creek!channel!was!decommissioned!and! the!creek!was!returned!to!its!original! Kama)Creek)following)restoration)activities.) course!and!configuration!to!improve!fish! habitat,!particularly!for!Brook!Trout.!This! project!included!the!removal!of!one!fish!passage!barrier!–!a!perched!culvert,!digging!and! infilling!the!existing!and!new!creek!channel,!the!development!of!a!cascading!and!riffle!pool! system!to!ensure!fish!passage!and!the!creation/protection!of!a!new!riparian!zone!that!will! support!natural!wetland!and!floodplain!development!over!the!long`term.!This!project! rehabilitated!historic!Brook!Trout!spawning!and!nursery!habitat!in!Kama!Creek.! ! ! ! ! ! ! 43! ! ! Red!Rock!Marina!habitat!overlay!and!trails! Year(s):!1991`1995;!2000`2014! Cost:!$2,623,000! Partners:!Township!of!Red!Rock,!MNDM,!MNRF,!MOECC,!Domtar!Inc.,!DFO,!EC) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! The!Township!of!Red!Rock!began!construction!of!a!marina/park!on!Nipigon!Bay!in!the!summer! of!1991.!The!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team!and!PAC!worked!with!the!Waterfront!Development! Steering!Committee!and!project!consultants!to!suggest!environmental!components!to! incorporate!in!the!breakwater!design!that!would!provide!spawning,!nursery!and!foraging! habitat!for!fish.!The!design!included!spawning!shoals,!log!crib!shelter!structures,!extensions!of! the!littoral!zone!on!the!inside!of!the!breakwall,!and!two!offshore!islands!with!vegetative!cover.! ! The!habitat!enhancement!overlay!was!implemented!upon!the!completion!of!the!core! breakwater.!The!overlay!consisted!of!a!number!of!treatments!designed!to!diversify!the! breakwater,!provide!spawning,!foraging!and!shelter!habitat!for!fish,!and!provide!recreational! opportunities!along!the!crest!of!the!breakwater.!Construction!was!completed!between!1993! and!1995.! ! In!October!1994,!spawning!Lake!Trout!and!deposited!Lake!Trout!eggs!were!documented!along! the!constructed!shoals!inside!the!breakwall!of!the!Red!Rock!marina!as!well!as!a!number!of! locations!along!its!perimeter.!The!number!was!estimated!at!approximately!400!individuals.!Lake! Trout!that!have!been!stocked!appear!to!be!using!the!habitat!the!most.)) Photo:!MOECC! ! Red)Rock)Marina) 44! ! ! ! Walleye!habitat!improvement!at!the!mouth!of!Bass!(Purdom)!Creek! Year(s):)2011! Cost:!$77,000! Partners:!MNRF,!OPG) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations! Description:!! In!2011!a!spawning!shoal!for!Walleye!was!constructed!at!the!mouth!of!Bass!(Purdom)!Creek! where!it!enters!the!Nipigon!River.!The!streambed!was!altered!to!create!a!channeled!flow!to! keep!the!spawning!substrate!clean!of!silt!and!improve!suitable!spawning!habitat!for!Walleye!in! this!former!key!spawning!area!of!the!Nipigon!River!system.!The!channel!was!designed!for! typical!seasonal!flows!(320!m3s`1)!while!still!being!effective!at!above!and!below!average!water! levels.!Subsequent!monitoring!by!MNRF!confirmed!Walleye!actively!spawning!in!the!newly! refurbished!creek!bed!and!further!efforts!will!be!made!to!evaluate!spawning!success.! ! ! Ground!water!upwelling!enhancement!for!Brook!Trout!habitat! Year(s):)1990! Cost:!Not!available! Partners:!MNRF) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations! Description:!! Ground!water!upwelling!areas!were!enhanced!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River!to!provide!additional! Brook!Trout!spawning!and!nursery!habitat.!Artificial!upwelling!spawning!beds!were!constructed! in!Jessie!Lake!in!the!upper!portion!of!the!Nipigon!River!and!at!Alexander!Falls!(lower!river).! Additional!mechanical!grooming!was!undertaken!at!the!Alexander!Falls!site!to!enhance!and! provide!fish!access!to!existing!habitat.!Attempts!were!also!made!to!make!some!natural! upwelling!areas!suitable!for!Brook!Trout!spawning!by!adding!gravel!substrate.!! ! The!land!adjacent!to!this!critical!habitat!was!later!purchased!in!order!to!ensure!that! groundwater!quality!and!quantity!is!preserved.!Upwelling!areas!were!also!enhanced!in!the! Alexander!Dam!back!pool!and!are!protected!from!drawdown!through!the!water!management! planning!process.!Groundwater!upwelling!areas!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River!are!further! protected!through!the!proposed!Lake!Superior!National!Marine!Conservation!Area.! ! ! ! ! ! 45! ! ! Nipigon!lagoon!habitat!enhancement!and!water!diversion!! Year(s):)2012`2014! Cost:!$358,000! Partners:!MNRF,!EC,!PAC) BUIs:!Loss!of!fish!habitat;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Degradation!of!aesthetics! Description:!! In!2014,!MNRF!re`established!a!channel!from!the!Nipigon!River!to!the!lagoon!that!was!blocked! during!the!construction!of!the!Canadian!National!Railroad!in!the!early!1900s.!The!project! restored!2,000!m2!of!Walleye!spawning!habitat!and!created!36,000!m2!of!Walleye!nursery! habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC.!MNRF!removed!accumulated!logs!and!re`graded!the!bed! material!in!the!historic!Walleye!spawning!grounds!just!upstream!of!the!causeway!on!the! Nipigon!River!and!developed!a!fish!refuge!area!within!the!lagoon.!The!project!will!improve! Walleye!spawning!and!nursery!habitat!and!improve!water!circulation!by!diverting!flow!from!the! Nipigon!River!into!the!lagoon!and!marina!area!and!by!cleaning!historic!spawning!beds.!A! portion!of!the!break!wall!was!removed!and!contoured!to!provide!spawning!habitat!and!flow! into!the!marina!thereby!assisting!with!sediment!movement.!Baird!consulting!(W.F.!Baird!&! Associates!Coastal!Engineers!Ltd.)!completed!a!Nipigon!River!diversion!study!conceptual!design! (Baird,!2013a),!a!preliminary!hydrodynamic!model!(Baird,!2013b),!a!Walleye!habitat! improvement!design!(Baird,!2014b)!and!a!breakwater!modifications!design!(Baird,!2014a)!for! the!lagoon!project.! ! DELISTING)CRITERIA) This!beneficial!use!will!no!longer!be!impaired!when!the!habitat!restoration!projects! recommended!in!the!Stage!2!report,!in!addition!to!the!Kama!Creek!restoration!project,!have! been!completed!and!monitoring!indicates!that!the!projects!have!met!their!objectives.! ! ASSESSMENT) The!need!for!a!water!management!plan!on!the!Nipigon!River!was!first!realized!in!1988!when!it! was!noted!that!Brook!Trout!spawning!beds!were!exposed!during!the!winter!as!a!result!of!water! level!fluctuations.!These!events!also!affected!the!groundwater!supply!critical!to!the!survival!of! Brook!Trout!embryos.!Following!an!interim!flow!agreement!with!the!power!generating!facilities! in!the!1990’s,!an!official!Water!Management!Plan!for!the!Nipigon!River!system!was!completed! in!2005.!The!corresponding!operational!plan!ensures!consistent!flows!and!water!levels!so!that! dewatering!of!habitat!and!stranding!of!fish!no!longer!occurs.!An!Effectiveness!Monitoring! program!was!put!in!place!to!assist!OPG!and!the!MNRF!in!identifying!any!issues!and!ensure! compliance!with!the!water!management!plan.! ! Stable!water!levels!also!help!with!the!recovery!of!Northern!Pike!in!Lake!Helen.!The!decline!in! Northern!Pike!is!thought!to!be!related!to!decreased!abundance!of!macrophytes!or!aquatic! plants!in!the!lake!as!aquatic!vegetation!is!also!susceptible!to!impacts!from!artificial!fluctuations! and!water!draw!down.!Recent!surveys!by!MNRF!and!the!Red!Rock!Indian!Band!found!that!the! 46! ! ! Pike!population!is!healthy!and!improving!within!the!AOC!indicating!an!improvement!in! spawning!and!feeding!habitat.! ! A!number!of!projects!designed!to!rehabilitate!fish!habitat,!as!described!in!the!previous!section,! have!been!completed!to!enhance!recovery!of!the!system!and,!ultimately,!to!sustain!fish! production.!Monitoring!and!assessment!by!the!MNRF!and!partners!has!confirmed!the!success! of!these!efforts.!For!example,!monitoring!by!the!MNRF!of!the!lower!end!of!Clearwater!Creek! has!confirmed!that!Brook!Trout!are!now!using!the!rehabilitated!channel.!An!inventory!of! benthic!macroinvertebrate!communities!in!this!area!further!suggests!that!Clearwater!Creek! provides!high!quality!habitat!indicative!of!a!highly!oxygenated,!unimpaired!environment! (Marshall,!2013).!! ! The!fish!habitat!features!included!in!the!design!of!the!Red!Rock!marina,!described!in!the!action! box!above,!were!also!beneficial!to!the!fish!community.!Lake!Whitefish!have!been!observed! congregating!along!portions!of!the!breakwall!and!Lake!Trout!spawning!was!documented!on!the! inner!shoals!and!along!the!outside!of!the!berm.!! ! In!2011!a!spawning!shoal!was!constructed!at!the!mouth!of!Bass!(Purdom)!Creek!where!it!enters! the!Nipigon!River.!The!streambed!was!altered!to!reduce!silt!and!restore!suitable!spawning! habitat!for!Walleye!in!this!former!key!spawning!area!of!the!Nipigon!River!system.!Monitoring!by! MNRF!confirmed!Walleye!actively!spawning!in!the!newly!refurbished!creek!bed.!The!spawning! shoal!was!checked!17!times!between!April!13!and!May!22,!2012.!A!total!of!199!Walleye!were! observed!between!May!4!and!May!22,!2012.!The!number!of!Walleye!seen!using!the!spawning! area!peaked!at!43!on!May!16,!2012. Further!efforts!will!be!made!to!evaluate!spawning!success.! Together!with!the!other!habitat!rehabilitation!efforts,!a!Walleye!status!report!concluded!that! quality!of!fish!habitat!is!sufficient!to!support!the!recovery!of!Walleye!within!the!Nipigon!Bay! AOC!(Marshall,!2013).!! ! The!Kama!Creek!Brook!Trout!habitat!rehabilitation!project!was!monitored!pre!and!post! construction!by!LU!students!to!assess!the!effectiveness!of!the!project.!Monitoring!was! performed!between!May!to!November!on!a!weekly!basis!in!2011,!a!biweekly!basis!in!2012!and! monthly!basis!in!2013.!The!channel!substrate!was!monitored!and!characterized!for!the!two! reaches!of!the!project:!reach!1!was!the!channel!prior!to!construction!and!reach!2!was!the!post` remediation!naturalized!channel.!Pebble!counts!were!performed!and!indicated!a!high!average! percentage!of!small!gravel,!which!is!consistent!with!Brook!Trout!spawning!(Kaurin,!2014).!An! assessment!of!the!extent!that!rocks!are!sunken!into!the!stream!floor,!referred!to!as! embeddedness,!was!completed!as!a!variable!to!assess!habitat!quality.!Both!reach!1!and!2!of! Kama!Creek!ranged!between!25`50%!(halfway!embedded)!which!is!indicative!to!good! conditions!for!habitat!quality!(Kaurin,!2014).!Temperature!data!obtained!from!temperature! loggers!on`site!indicated!that!water!temperatures!were!in!a!good!range!for!Brook!Trout.!The! average!monthly!water!temperature!for!reach!2!in!2013!ranged!from!5.96◦C!to!14.9◦C,!which!is! within!the!preferred!temperature!range!of!4◦C!to!20◦C!for!Brook!Trout!(Kaurin,!2014).!Water! quality!measures!fell!within!a!healthy!range!and!fish!and!benthos!are!present!in!the!restored! 47! ! ! creek.!Also,!fish!have!been!seen!passing!through!the!culvert!(Kaurin,!2014).!This!project!has! achieved!its!objectives.! ! All!of!the!remedial!actions!identified!in!the!Stage!2!report,!in!addition!to!the!Kama!Creek! habitat!rehabilitation!have!been!completed.!Monitoring!efforts,!by!MNRF,!and!partners!have! confirmed!that!the!remedial!actions!have!met!their!objectives.!! ! PAC)REVIEW)AND)ENDORSEMENT) The!PAC!has!been!continually!updated!about!the!habitat!projects!occurring!within!the!AOC.!For! example,!Clearwater!Creek!and!Kama!Creek!project!updates!were!provided!to!the!PAC!in!2011.! In!2012,!MNRF!provided!a!project!update!on!the!Bass!Creek!Walleye!spawning!bed! improvement!project.!In!June!2013,!a!contractor,!Terry!Marshall,!presented!his!research! findings!on!the!status!of!Walleye!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!(Marshall,!2013)!to!the!PAC;!a! follow`up!discussion!with!the!PAC!and!RAP!Team!was!held!in!June!2013.!The!PAC!agreed!that! the!Walleye!habitat!was!healthy!and!that!no!further!remedial!actions!were!required!as!per! Marshall’s!(2013)!report!findings.!In!February!2014,!the!Kama!Creek!monitoring!results!were! presented!by!LU!to!the!PAC.!The!PAC!was!satisfied!with!the!monitoring!results!and!indicated! that!this!habitat!project!was!a!success.!! ! BENEFICIAL)USE)STATUS) All!habitat!restoration!projects!have!been!completed!and!monitoring!indicates!that!the! objectives!have!been!met.!As!such,!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!achieved!and!this!BUI!is!not! impaired.! ! ONGOING)ACTIONS) MNRF!expects!to!continue!monitoring!the!status!of!fish!population!dynamics!and!habitat!use!as! part!of!their!regular!assessment!program.!The!success!of!the!Nipigon!River!lagoon!project!is!yet! to!be!determined;!however,!post!remediation!monitoring!plans!are!in!place.! ! ! ! 48! ! ! 3.2!BENEFICIAL!USES!PREVIOUSLY!REDESIGNATATED!AS!NOT!IMPAIRED! The!following!BUIs!were!deemed!impaired!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!1!RAP!report,!with!the! exception!of!fish!tumours!and!other!deformities!that!required!further!assessment.!In!the!RAP! Stage!2!report,!the!following!BUIs!were!redesignated!to!not!impaired.!This!section!provides!a! summary!of!these!BUIs.!Please!refer!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!2!report!for!further!details! (Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).! ! 3.2.1!TAINTING!OF!FISH!AND!WILDLIFE!FLAVOUR! Studies!have!attributed!the!tainting!of!fish!flavour!to!pulp!and!paper!mill!effluent!(Kenefick,! Low,!Hrudey,!&!Brownlee,!1995;!MOE,!1981).!Within!the!AOC,!phenolics!were!suspected!to!be! the!cause!of!fish!tainting!that!was!documented!in!taste!tests!in!1967!(German,!1968)!and!1974! (Whittle!&!Flood!1977;!as!cited!in!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!Fish!flavour!impairments!from! organic!compounds!such!as!chlorinated!phenolic!compounds,!may!result!in!a!musty,!earthy,!or! mouldy!flavour!that!may!occur!after!exposure!for!48!hours!or!longer;!the!severity!of! impairment!may!not!increase!with!prolonged!exposure!(MOE,!1981).!After!at!least!three!weeks! in!clean!water,!the!fish!flavour!impairment!may!be!lost!(MOE,!1981).! ! German!(1968)!sampled!Whitefish!from!five!locations!within!the!AOC!and!found!a!significant! impairment!to!fish!flavour!in!comparison!to!the!control!site,!MacInnes!Point!(as!cited!in!Nipigon! Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!Whittle!and!Flood’s!1974!study,!continuously!exposed!Rainbow!Trout!to! effluent!concentrations!of!2%!to!18%!over!48!hours!and!found!that!tainting!effects!occurred!in! as!little!as!3%!concentrations!of!effluent!(Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!However,!Kelso!(1977)! found!that!when!fish!were!released!in!low!effluent!concentrations!(<15%),!the!fish!would! immediately!have!an!avoidance!reaction!and!would!spend!less!time!in!areas!of!altered!water! quality;!thus,!wild!fish!would!not!likely!tolerate!this!concentration!for!a!similar!time!period!(as! cited!in!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995).!! ! The!Red!Rock!pulp!and!paper!mill!would!have!been!the!major!source!of!phenolic!compounds!to! Nipigon!Bay.!With!the!upgrade!of!the!plant’s!wastewater!discharge!to!secondary!treatment!in! 1995,!and!the!subsequent!closing!of!the!plant!in!2006,!Red!Rock!pulp!and!paper!mill!ceased!to! be!of!concern.!The!most!likely!ongoing!potential!sources!of!phenolics!in!the!AOC!would!have! been!human!or!animal!wastes!and!the!natural!decomposition!of!organic!material.!Although! these!would!be!potential!ongoing!sources!there!is!no!evidence!to!link!these!to!tainting!of!fish! and!wildlife!flavours.!Also,!these!sources!would!have!been!addressed!with!the!municipal!WWTP! upgrades!to!primary!treatment!in!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!in!1976!and!1978,!respectively.!The! Township!of!Red!Rock!is!currently!upgrading!the!WWTP!to!secondary!treatment!and!the! Township!of!Nipigon!completed!the!WWTP!secondary!treatment!upgrade!in!2012.! ! In!1991,!the!PAC!had!indicated!that!they!no!longer!considered!fish!tainting!to!be!an!issue.!Also,! the!RAP!Team!and!PAC!are!not!aware!of!any!reports,!anecdotal!or!scientific,!of!fish!tainting! since!the!1970s.!Upgrades!to!the!Red!Rock!mill!including!the!implementation!of!primary! treatment,!a!recovery!system!for!condensable!organics,!a!black!liquor!spill!control!system,!and! 49! ! ! the!cessation!of!newsprint!operations,!and!the!upgrade!to!secondary!treatment!have!resulted! in!improvements!to!effluent!quality!since!tainting!was!originally!reported.!Since!the!closure!of! the!mill!in!2006,!there!has!been!no!active!discharge!of!phenolic!compounds!from!this!source.! ! Fish!and!wildlife!flavour!remain!unimpaired.! ! 3.2.2!FISH!TUMOURS!AND!OTHER!DEFORMITIES! Due!to!a!lack!of!evidence!of!internal!or!external!fish!tumours!or!deformities,!based!on! observations!by!fisheries!personnel!and!public!reports,!this!BUI!required!further!assessment!in! the!Stage!1!report.!This!BUI!was!deemed!to!be!not!impaired!in!the!Stage!2!report.!! ! Chemical!contaminants,!like!polycyclic!aromatic!hydrocarbons!(PAH),!have!been!linked!to!the! development!of!neoplasms!(tumours!or!abnormal!growths)!observed!in!benthic!fish!(Baumann,! Smith,!&!Metcalfe,!1996)!from!highly!contaminated!areas.!Brown!Bullhead!and!White!Suckers! are!both!benthic!feeding!fish!that!are!commonly!used!as!indicator!species!for!monitoring!fish! tumour!prevalence!in!the!Great!Lakes.!Baumann!et&al.!(1996)!summarized!the!prevalence!of! neoplasms!in!White!Sucker!populations!on!the!Great!Lakes!from!industrialized!and!reference! sites!from!five!different!studies.!Smith!(unpublished)!sampled!papilloma,!areas!of!pale! epidermal!(skin)!tissue,!in!White!Suckers!from!the!upper!Great!Lakes!including!Black!Bay!and! Mountain!Bay,!two!reference!sites!just!outside!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!in!1986!and!1987,! respectively!(as!cited!in!Baumann!et&al.,!1996).!The!prevalence!of!lip!papilloma!was!3.4%!in! Black!Bay!and!3.6%!in!Mountain!Bay!(Baumann!et&al.,!1996).!Overall,!“there!were!relatively!low! prevalences!of!papilloma!(2.5`9.1%)!at!all!sites,!regardless!of!whether!they!were!RAP!or! reference!sites”!(Baumann!et&al.,!1996,!p.142).!Smith!et&al.!(1995)!surveyed!White!Suckers!for! prevalence!of!liver!tumours!at!RAP!sites!and!reference!sites!on!Lake!Superior!and!St.!Marys! River!(as!cited!in!Baumann!et&al.,!1996).!Between!1985!and!1990!the!prevalence!of!liver! tumours!in!White!Sucker!populations!was!0%!in!Black!Bay!and!2.4%!in!Mountain!Bay!(Baumann! et&al.,!1996).!The!Canadian!AOCs!that!are!currently!assessing!this!BUI!maintain!delisting!criteria! that!tumour!prevalence!rates!are!comparable!to!suitable!reference!sites!and/or!the!liver! tumour!prevalence!rate!is!less!than!5%.!The!studies!identified!by!Baumann!et&al.!(1996)!indicate! that!fish!tumours!in!the!vicinity!of!the!AOC!are!less!than!5%.!! ! Baumann!(2010)!reported!that!PAHs!are!correlated!with!tumour!incidence!in!that!a!decline!in! PAH!contamination!in!sediment!will!result!in!a!decline!in!tumour!incidence.!EC’s!2009!sediment! assessment!(Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011)!indicated!that!PAHs!were!all!below!detection!limits! and!thus!it!is!expected!that!fish!liver!tumours!are!not!an!impairment!within!this!AOC.! ! This!beneficial!use!remains!not!impaired!because!PAHs!are!below!detection!limits!and!there! continue!to!be!no!reports!from!fisheries!personnel!and!the!public!of!fish!tumours!or! deformities.! ! ! 50! ! ! 3.2.3!RESTRICTIONS!ON!DREDGING! The!restrictions!on!dredging!BUI,!an!economic`based!BUI,!is!considered!impaired!when! contaminated!sediment!restricts!open!water!disposal!for!commercial!navigation!such!that!there! are!added!costs!associated!with!disposal!or!dredging!activities!(IJC,!1989).!There!are!no!federal! regulations!that!restrict!dredging!or!disposal!of!dredged!material!for!the!Great!Lakes;!however,! the!Province!of!Ontario!administers!the!Provincial!Sediment!Quality!Guidelines!and!the!Ontario! Open!Water!Disposal!Guidelines!which!are!used!to!manage!the!disposal!of!dredged!sediment.!! ! Restrictions!on!dredging!was!initially!listed!as!impaired!in!the!Stage!1!report!because!the!area!in! the!immediate!vicinity!of!the!mill!and!the!deep!channel!that!runs!south!to!the!Nipigon!Straight! had!elevated!levels!of!solvent!extractables!that!exceeded!MOECC’s!guidelines!for!open!water! disposal!of!dredged!materials!at!a!few!locations!near!the!mill!outfall.!Concentrations!of!metals! in!localized!areas!also!exceeded!Ontario!Open!Water!Disposal!Guidelines!and!Provincial! Sediment!Guidelines!which!were!in!a!draft!stage!at!the!time!of!this!assessment!(1995).! ! Concentrations!of!metals!(chromium,!nickel,!zinc!and!iron)!in!localized!areas!exceed!the!lowest! effect!levels!of!the!Provincial!Sediment!Quality!Guidelines.!The!exceedances!are!in!areas! associated!with!natural!lake`wide!deposition!and!in!areas!affected!by!effluent!from!the!Red! Rock!mill.!When!background!and!ambient!conditions!were!considered,!the!application!of!the! provincial!guidelines!would!allow!for!the!safe!disposal!of!dredged!sediments!from!all!areas! except!the!impacted!zone!adjacent!to!the!mill!outfall.!! ! The!nature!of!the!restrictions!is!largely!confined!to!wood!fibre!and!oil!and!grease.!Except!for! the!few!locations!immediately!adjacent!to!the!outfall,!persistent!toxic!substances!are!not!a! problem.!With!these!considerations!and!because!navigational!dredging!has!never!been!planned! or!undertaken!near!the!mill!outfall!or!anywhere!else!in!the!AOC!the!BUI!was!redesignated!to! not!impaired!in!the!Stage!2!report!and!remains!unimpaired.!! ! 3.3!BENEFICIAL!USE!SUMMARY! Of!the!14!beneficial!uses!outlined!in!the!GLWQA,!there!were!seven!impairments!and!one!that! required!further!assessment!in!the!Stage!1!report!(Table!2).!Three!BUIs!were!redesignated!to! not!impaired!in!the!Stage!2!RAP!report.!This!report!has!concluded!that!all!recommended! actions!are!complete!and!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met.!The!remaining!five!BUIs!have! been!restored!in!accordance!to!the!RAP!and!no!further!remedial!actions!are!required.! ! ! 51! ! ! Table)2.)Status)of)Beneficial)Use)Impairments,)as)identified)in)the)Great)Lakes)Water)Quality) Agreement,)in)the)Nipigon)Bay)Area)of)Concern) No.! 1) Beneficial!Use!Impairment! Restrictions!on!fish!and!wildlife! consumption! 1991!Status! 1995!Status! (Stage!1)! (Stage!2)! 2015!Status! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! ♦ fish!consumption! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! ♦ wildlife!consumption! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 2) Tainting!of!fish!and!wildlife!flavour! Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 3) Degradation!of!fish!and!wildlife! populations! Impaired! Impaired! 4) Fish!tumours!or!other!deformities! RFA! 5) Bird!or!animal!deformities!or! reproduction!problems! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 6) Degradation!of!benthos! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! ♦ Population! Impaired! Impaired! (Not!Impaired)! ♦ Body!burden! RFA! Not!Impaired! Criteria!achieved! (Not!Impaired)! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 7) Restrictions!on!dredging!activities! Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 8) Eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae! Impaired! Impaired! 9) Restrictions!on!drinking!water! consumption,!or!taste!and!odour! problems! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 10) Beach!closings! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 11) Degradation!of!aesthetics! Impaired! Impaired! Not!Impaired! Criteria!achieved! (Not!Impaired)! 12) Added!costs!to!agriculture!or! industry! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 13) Degradation!of!phytoplankton!and! zooplankton!populations! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! Not!Impaired! 14) Loss!of!fish!and!wildlife!habitat! Impaired! Impaired! Criteria!achieved! (Not!Impaired)! RFA!–!Requires!Further!Assessment! ! ! 52! ! ! 4.0)ONGOING)PROGRAMS) There!are!a!number!of!monitoring!and!surveillance!programs!that!will!continue!in!the!Nipigon! Bay!area!and!throughout!Lake!Superior,!once!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!is!delisted!and!removed! from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes!AOCs.!Thus,!a!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!specific!long`term!monitoring!plan!is! not!required.! ! The!federal!and!provincial!governments!are!committed!to!the!restoration,!protection!and! conservation!of!the!Great!Lakes,!as!documented!in!the!federal!GLWQA!and!the!Province!of! Ontario’s!Great!Lakes!Strategy.!As!noted!in!section!1.1,!COA!outlines!how!the!federal!and! provincial!governments!will!cooperate!and!coordinate!their!efforts!to!restore,!protect!and! conserve!the!Great!Lakes!basin!and!support!the!implementation!of!the!GLWQA.! ! LAKEWIDE)MANAGEMENT) Annex!2!of!the!GLWQA,!Lakewide!Management,!commits!to!a!number!of!lakewide! management!actions,!using!an!ecosystem!approach,!to!address!environmental!stressors!on!a! lakewide!scale.!Federal,!provincial,!state!and!Tribal!partners!undertake!these!actions,! documented!in!the!Lake!Superior!Lakewide!Action!and!Management!Plan!(LAMP),!which! documents!the!ongoing!and!planned!binational!efforts!to!reduce!the!discharge!of!persistent! and!harmful!pollutants,!prevent!the!spread!and!introduction!of!aquatic!invasive!species!and! restore!and!protect!priority!habitats!and!biodiversity.!In!addition!to!regular!and!ongoing! monitoring!activities,!priorities!for!research!and!monitoring!are!identified!and!coordinated! through!the!binational!Coordinated!Science!and!Monitoring!Program!(CSMI),!the!results!of! which!are!reported!through!the!LAMP.! ! Through!Annex!2!of!the!GLWQA!(2012),!the!Governments!of!Canada!and!the!United!States!have! committed!to!the!development!of!an!integrated!nearshore!framework!by!2016!that!will! subsequently!be!implemented!through!the!lakewide!management!process.!When! implemented,!the!nearshore!framework!will!provide!an!overall!assessment!of!the!state!of! nearshore!waters,!and!identify!areas!of!high!ecological!value!as!well!as!areas!that!are!subject!to! high!stress!due!to!impact!on!the!chemical,!physical,!and!biological!integrity!of!those!areas.!The! nearshore!framework!will!also!be!used!to!determine!the!factors!that!are!threatening!these! areas!and!establish!priority!actions!for!restoration!and!protection!measures.!This!will!include! consideration!of!non`point!source!runoff,!climate!change!impacts,!habitat!loss,!invasive!species,! contaminated!groundwater,!and!other!factors!identified!as!a!source!of!stress!to!the!nearshore! environment.!The!implementation!of!the!nearshore!framework!will!engage!the!appropriate! agencies!and!organizations!involved!in!the!development!and!implementation!of!management! strategies;!and!include!such!monitoring!as!necessary!to!support!the!framework!and!assess! change!over!time.!! ! The!Lake!Superior!LAMP!Biodiversity!Conservation!Strategy!has!been!finalized!and!builds!on!a! conservation!assessment!which!identifies!the!Jack!Pine/Nipigon!area!as!a!regional!unit! (including!Nipigon!Bay).!The!assessment!identifies!important!biodiversity!features,!conditions! and!trends,!issues!and!threats,!and!important!habitat!sites.!The!Strategy!documents!the!key! 53! ! ! threats!to!biodiversity!and!the!conservation!actions!needed!to!abate!them.!Regional!Plans!(in! development)!will!identify!specific!actions,!monitoring!and!restoration!needs!within!the!Jack! Pine/!Nipigon!unit.!! ! PROVINCIAL)MANAGEMENT) The!MNRF!will!continue!to!work!with!OPG!on!the!implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!Water! Management!Plan!to!ensure!the!plan!continues!to!protect!fish!spawning!habitat!and!mitigate! the!stranding!of!fish.!Also,!the!MNRF!has!developed,!through!public!consultation,!the!Lake! Nipigon!forest!management!plan!that!considers!environmental!and!socio`economic!factors!for! sustainable!forestry.!The!plan!is!in!effect!from!2011!to!2021!and!is!managed!by!the!Lake! Nipigon!Forest!Management!Inc.!under!a!Sustainability!Forest!License!(Government!of!Ontario,! 2011).!In!addition,!as!part!of!its!Lake!Superior!fisheries!management!program!MNRF!will! continue!to!monitor!and!manage!fish!populations!and!habitat!through!the!fisheries! management!of!zone!5.!! ! As!part!of!the!Ontario!Sport!Fish!Contaminant!Monitoring!Program,!the!MOECC!in!partnership! with!MNRF!will!continue!to!monitor!levels!of!chemical!contaminants!in!fish!from!the!Nipigon! AOC!and!update!sport!fish!consumption!advice!biannually!in!the!Guide&to&Eating&Ontario&Sport& Fish.!Two!sampling!areas!or!block,!Lake!Superior!6!–!Nipigon!Bay,!and!Helen!Lake!–!Thunder!Bay! District,!are!included!as!locations!that!are!sampled!and!reported!on!through!the!Sport!Fish! Contaminant!Monitoring!Program.!! ! The!MOECC!will!also!continue!to!monitor!and!report!on!sediment!and!water!quality!conditions! in!the!Nipigon!Bay!area!as!part!of!the!Great!Lakes!Index!Station!Network!Monitoring!Program.!! ! ENVIRONMENT)CANADA)MONITORING) In!addition!to!routine!monitoring!through!the!Great!Lakes!Water!Quality!Monitoring!and! Surveillance!Program!and!the!Fish!Contaminants!Monitoring!and!Surveillance!Program,!and! science!undertaken!in!support!of!the!Chemicals!Management!Plan,!EC!works!with!its!partners! to!conduct!binational!cooperative!science!and!monitoring!every!five!years.!The!next!round!of! cooperative!monitoring!on!Lake!Superior!will!be!in!2016.!This!science!contributes!to!the! assessment!of!the!State!of!the!Lakes!reporting!using!a!suite!of!Great!Lakes!indicators.!! ! LAKE)SUPERIOR)NATIONAL)MARINE)CONSERVATION)AREA) Nipigon!Bay!is!located!within!the!proposed!Lake!Superior!National!Marine!Conservation!Area! (NMCA).!The!NMCA!extends!from!Thunder!Cape!in!the!west!to!Bottle!Point!(near!Terrace!Bay)! on!the!east!and!the!north!shoreline!of!Lake!Superior!and!as!far!south!as!the!Canada`United! States!boarder!(Figure!11).!Marine!Conservation!Areas!are!established!pursuant!to!the!Canada& National&Marine&Conservation&Areas&Act!for!the!protection!and!conservation!of!“representative! marine!areas!for!the!benefit,!education!and!enjoyment!of!the!people!of!Canada!and!the!world”! (“Canada!National!Marine!Conservation!Areas!Act”,!2002).!! 54! ! ! 55! Figure'11.'Proposed'Lake'Superior'National'Marine'Conservation'Area'Map'' ! ! ! The!Parks!Canada!Agency!will!manage!the!NMCA!in!a!sustainable!manner!in!partnership!with! the!Province!of!Ontario,!First!Nations,!north!shore!communities!and!local!stakeholders,! including!representatives!from!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon.!An!interim!management!plan!which!is!a! strategic!plan!to!guide!the!first!five!years,!has!been!developed!for!the!NMCA!as!per!the!Canada% National%Marine%Conservation%Areas%Act!and!will!come!into!effect!when!the!NMCA!has!been! enacted.!A!more!detailed!management!plan!will!be!developed!within!five!years!of!the!NMCA! being!enacted.!The!plan!will!include!a!longEterm!ecological!vision!for!the!marine!conservation! area!and!include!provisions!for!ecosystem!protection,!human!use!zoning,!public!awareness!and! performance!evaluation!(“Canada!National!Marine!Conservation!Areas!Act”,!2002).!! ! MUNICIPAL)STORMWATER)MANAGEMENT) The!Township!of!Nipigon,!with!support!from!the!RAP!Team!and!LU,!is!taking!steps!to!improve! nonEpoint!source!pollution!through!the!development!of!a!stormwater!management!plan.! Improvements!to!stormwater!management!will!help!reduce!impacts.!! ! Effective!stormwater!management!will!support!the!work!of!the!RAP,!postEdelisting!of!the!AOC,! by!decreasing!erosion!and!run!off!that!can!potentially!damage!aquatic!habitat;!and,!decrease! sedimentation!and!siltation!that!could!increase!turbidity!impairing!water!quality!aesthetics.!The! following!action!box!summarizes!the!efforts!made!to!assist!the!Township!of!Nipigon!with!the! development!of!a!municipal!stormwater!management!plan.!! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! ! ! 56! ! ! Nipigon!stormwater!management!assessment!and!planning! Year(s):)2011;!2013E2015! Cost:!$260,060! Partners:!EC,!MOECC,!LU,!MNRF,!Township!of!Nipigon,!EcoSuperior!Environmental!Programs) BUIs:!Degradation!of!aesthetics;!Degradation!of!fish!populations;!Loss!of!fish!habitat! Description:!! From!2009!to!2011,!the!Township!of!Nipigon!hired!a!consultant!to!complete!an!infiltration!and! inflow!study!of!their!sanitary!sewer!system.!Inflow!and!infiltration!are!terms!used!to!describe! the!ways!that!groundwater!and!stormwater!enter!the!sanitary!sewer!system.!Inflow!is!water! that!directly!enters!the!sewer!system!through!improper!connections,!such!as!downspouts!and! sump!pumps.!Infiltration!is!groundwater!that!enters!the!sewer!system!through!pipe!breaches.! The!study!did!not!find!any!causes!of!inflow!or!infiltration!that!could!contribute!extraneous!flows! to!the!wastewater!treatment!system.!! ! In!2013E2014,!LU!completed!a!stormwater!management!scoping!assessment!that!identified! sites!within!the!Township!of!Nipigon!watershed!to!assess!the!level!of!impact!in!tributaries! exposed!to!urban!municipal!discharge;!examined!tributaries!to!identify!the!extent!of!ecosystem! stress;!characterized!contaminant!sources;!and!provided!an!inventory!of!physical!characteristics! to!identify!areas!under!stress!(e.g.,!stormwater!outfalls,!areas!of!severe!erosion,!impacted! buffer,!utility!crossing,!stream!crossings,!channel!modification).!EcoSuperior!Environmental! Programs!(ES)!completed!an!eightEweek!community!educational!outreach!program!to!inform! and!engage!the!communities!of!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon!on!stormwater,!its!impacts!on!water! quality!and!measures!they!could!take!to!reduce!and!improve!stormwater!runoff!from!their! properties.!In!2014,!ES!completed!the!educational!campaign!by!painting!a!message!beside! street!drains!to!remind!people!that!the!drains!are!connected!to!the!lake.!! ! In!2014,!the!Township!of!Nipigon!began!the!development!of!a!Clearwater!Creek!stormwater! management!plan!and!began!a!pilot!study!to!repair!a!severely!degraded!stormwater!catchment! area!that!drains!into!the!lagoon!area.!This!project!will!assist!in!restoration!of!aquatic!conditions! impacted!by!stormwater!and!contribute!to!the!Township!of!Nipigon’s!stormwater!management! planning.!! ! ADDITIONAL)ONGOING)MONITORING) A!number!of!Canadian!and!U.S.!agencies!have!ongoing!monitoring!programs!to!track!the!state! of!the!Lake!Superior!ecosystem,!including!Nipigon!Bay.!Water!levels,!water!quality,!fish! populations!and!contaminants,!the!food!web,!the!benthic!community,!forest!cover,!and! beaches!are!some!examples!of!the!indicators!used!to!assess!lake!health.!! ! ! ! 57! ! ! 5.0)CONCLUSION) In!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC,!there!were!five!main!sources!of!localized!ecosystem!stress!that! resulted!in!a!number!of!impairments!to!beneficial!uses:!1)!hydroelectric!development!of!the! Nipigon!River!and!the!resulting!fluctuations!of!water!levels!and!flows;!2)!the!Red!Rock!mill!(also! known!as!Domtar!mill!or!Norampac!mill);!3)!the!Township!of!Nipigon’s!municipal!WWTP;!4)!Red! Rock’s!municipal!WWTP;!and!5)!historical!logging!activities.!The!1991!Stage!1!report!that! described!the!resulting!environmental!conditions!and!problems!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!area!and! listed!seven!beneficial!use!impairments:! • Tainting!of!fish!flavour;! • Degradation!of!fish!populations;! • Degradation!of!benthos;! • Restrictions!on!dredging!activities;! • Eutrophication!or!undesirable!algae;! • Degradation!of!aesthetics;!and! • Loss!of!fish!habitat.! ! In!the!1995!Stage!2!report,!three!BUIs!were!redesignated!to!not!impaired.!Fish!flavour!was! originally!tainted!through!mill!effluent,!but!following!improvements!to!effluent!treatment!in!the! 1970’s!and!1990’s!and!the!cessation!of!local!reports!of!fish!flavour!tainting,!the!BUI!was! redesignated!to!not!impaired.!Restrictions!on!dredging!activities!was!listed!as!impaired!in!1991! because!of!high!concentrations!of!chemicals!in!the!sediment!near!a!mill!outfall!precluded!open! water!disposal.!Because!this!area!had!never!been!dredged,!or!planned!to!be!dredged,!the!use! was!considered!not!impaired.!In!1991,!it!was!unclear!whether!fish!tumours!and!other! deformities!were!an!impaired!beneficial!use!in!the!AOC.!A!continued!lack!of!reports!of!tumours! and!deformities!from!fisheries!personnel!and!the!public!resulted!in!a!not!impaired!status!in!the! 1995!report.!! ! Fish!populations!were!identified!as!impaired!in!the!Stage!1!and!2!reports.!The!loss!and! reduction!of!several!species!was!attributed!to:!fluctuating!water!levels!and!flows!in!the!Nipigon! River!from!hydroEelectric!generation,!degraded!water!quality!from!industrial!and!municipal! pollution,!degraded!aquatic!habitat!from!the!accumulation!of!debris!from!historic!log!drives,! over!exploitation,!and!Sea!Lamprey!predation.!There!have!been!considerable!improvements!to! the!aquatic!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC.!Shorelines!and!the!nearEshore!area!have!undergone! remediation,!water!quality!has!been!much!improved!through!upgrades!to!municipal!and! industrial!treatment!facilities,!and!water!levels!and!flows!on!the!Nipigon!River!are!now! controlled!through!a!water!management!plan!to!ensure!fish!habitat!is!protected.!All!remedial! actions!identified!in!the!Stage!2!report,!in!addition!to!the!rehabilitation!the!Kama!Creek!habitat,! have!been!completed.!Fish!community!assessments!conducted!by!the!MNRF!indicate!a!healthy,! selfEsustaining!population!of!primarily!native!fish!species!is!present.!Walleye!stocks!in!the! Nipigon!system!are!healthy!although!populations!may!never!return!to!historical!levels.!The! improvement!of!the!fish!community!in!response!to!habitat!remedial!actions!and!addressing! local!sources!of!impairment!has!resulted!in!the!achievement!of!both!the!fish!population!and! habitat!delisting!criteria.! 58! ! ! ! Low!benthic!invertebrate!diversity!near!the!Red!Rock!mill!outfall!resulted!in!the!Degradation!of! Benthos!beneficial!use!to!be!deemed!impaired.!Following!improvements!to!the!mill’s!effluent,! study!results!indicated!that!the!condition!of!the!benthic!invertebrate!community!was!stable!or! improving,!with!a!marked!improvement!in!the!area!adjacent!to!the!Red!Rock!mill.!Remedial! actions!were!completed!and!monitoring!data!of!contaminant!concentrations!in!sediment!have! also!showed!improvement.!As!such,!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met.!! ! The!presence!of!algae!on!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River,!upstream!of!the!Nipigon! WWTP,!was!suspected!of!being!an!impairment!to!Walleye!spawning!habitat!and!potentially!to! the!rehabilitation!of!Walleye!populations.!However,!studies!determined!that!algal!growth!in!the! Nipigon!River!did!not!adversely!affect!Walleye!spawning!habitat!or!success!and!conditions!in! the!Nipigon!River!were!not!conducive!to!the!production!of!excessive!or!nuisance!algae.!As!such,! this!beneficial!use!was!not!impaired.! ! Municipal!and!mill!effluent!and!fluctuating!Nipigon!River!water!levels!were!the!primary!sources! of!impairment!to!aesthetics.!Earlier!complaints!of!an!effluent!plume!and!foam,!caused!by!mill! effluent,!were!addressed!through!upgrades!to!the!mill!effluent!treatment!process!in!1995!and! the!implementation!of!foam!barriers!at!the!mill!outfall!in!1990.!Aesthetic!impairments!related! to!riverbank!erosion!from!fluctuating!water!levels!were!resolved!through!the!development!and! implementation!of!the!Nipigon!River!System!Water!Management!Plan.!All!of!the!recommended! actions!have!been!completed!and!the!delisting!criteria!have!been!met!as!the!waters!of!the!AOC! are!devoid!of!any!substance!that!produces!a!persistent!objectionable!deposit,!unnatural!colour! or!turbidity,!or!unnatural!odour.! ! The!rugged!and!beautiful!landscape!of!the!Nipigon!area!supports!a!rich!heritage!and!a!vast! history!as!a!renowned!fishery!which!includes!the!largest!remaining!Coaster!Brook!Trout! population!in!Lake!Superior.!Localized!ecosystem!stressors!resulted!in!a!number!of!impairments! causing!the!Nipigon!area!to!be!listed!as!an!AOC.!Through!effective!remedial!action!planning!and! strong!partnerships,!all!of!the!local!sources!of!impairment!have!been!mitigated!and!addressed.! All!of!the!priority!actions!from!the!RAP!have!been!implemented!or!are!currently!underway,!and! the!delisting!targets!for!the!BUIs!have!been!achieved.!The!Nipigon!Bay!area!no!longer!reflects! the!conditions!that!led!to!its!designation!as!a!Great!Lakes!AOC!and!it!is!recommended!that! restoration!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC!be!recognized!by!removing!it!from!the!list!of!Great!Lakes! AOCs.! ) ) 59! ! ! 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Red!Rock!Township.!(2014).!Discover%Red%Rock:%History.!Retrieved!from! http://www.redrocktownship.com/article/historyEE3.asp! ! Richman,!L.A.!(2004).!Water%and%sediment%quality%monitoring%survey%harbours%and%embayments% Lake%Superior%and%the%Spanish%River.!Ontario!Ministry!of!the!Environment.!! ! Savioja,!T.,!&!Kushnier,!R.!(1991).!Brook%Trout%spawning%ground%construction%and%improvement:% Jessie%Lake%and%Nipigon%River.!Ontario!Ministry!of!Natural!Resources,!Nipigon!District.! 22pp.! ! Schreiner,!D.R.,!Cullis,!K.I.,!Donofrio,!M.C.,!Fischer,!G.J.,!Hewitt,!L.,!Mumford,!K.G.,!Pratt,!D.M.,! Quinlan,!H.R.,!and!Scott,!S.J.!2008.!Management!perspectives!on!coaster!brook!trout! rehabilitation!in!the!Lake!Superior!Basin.!North%American%Journal%of%Fisheries% Management%84:1350E1364.!! ! Statistics!Canada.!(2002a).!2001%Community%Profiles%Nipigon%Ontario%(Township).!Released!June! 27,!2002.!Last!modified:!2005E11E30.!Statistics!Canada!Catalogue!No.!93F0053XIE.! Retrieved!from!http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E! ! Statistics!Canada.!(2002b).!2001%Community%Profiles%Red%Rock%Ontario%(Township).!Released! June!27,!2002.!Last!Modified:!2005E11E30.!Statistics!Canada!Catalogue!No.!93F0053XIE.! Retrieved!from!http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E! ! Statistics!Canada.!(2012).!Nipigon,%Ontario%(Code%3558044)%and%Ontario%(Code%35)%(table).% Census%Profile.!2011!Census,!Statistics!Canada!Catalogue!no.!98E316EXWE.!Ottawa.! Released!October!24,!2012.!Retrieved!from!http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/censusE recensement/2011/dpEpd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E! ! Statistics!Canada.!(2013).!Red%Rock,%TP,%Ontario%(Code%3558041)%(table).%National%Household% Survey%(NHS)%Profile.!2011!Census,!Statistics!Canada!Catalogue!no.!99E004EXWE.!Ottawa.! Released!June!26,!2013.!Retrieved!from!http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhsEenm/2011/dpE pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E! ! Wilson,!L.!(1991).!Nipigon!Bay!walleye!historical!review!technical!report!#9!Nipigon!Bay.!North% Shore%of%Lake%Superior%Remedial%Action%Plans%Technical%Report%Series.!ISBN:!0E7729E9013E 1.! ! 63! ! ! Zurawell,!R.,!Chen,!H.,!Burke,!J.,!&!Prepas,!E.!(2004).!Hepatotoxic!Cyanobacteria:!A!review!of!the! biological!importance!of!microcystins!in!freshwater!environments.!Journal%of%Toxicology% and%Environmental%Health.!Part!B,!8(1),!1E37.! ! ! 64! ! ! APPENDIX)1:)REPORT)CONSULTATION)PLAN) The!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Report%%Recommending%Delisting%and%Path%Forward%Review!and! Consultation!Plan![DRAFT%–%to%be%updated]! ! Date) Task) October)2014) Overview!presentation!of!the!Draft!Report!and!consultation!plan! presented!to!the!PAC!and!Red!Rock!Indian!Band!for!comment.!! December)2014) Draft!Report!provided!to!Technical!Reviewers!(as!listed!in!the! acknowledgements!section!of!this!report)!for!review!and!comment.! ! Draft!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Status!Report!provided!to!the! PAC!and!Red!Rock!Indian!Band!for!review!and!comment.!! January)2014) Comments!from!the!PAC!and!the!Red!Rock!Indian!Band!submitted!to! the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Plan!Coordinator,!Jim!Bailey!and! discussed!at!the!PAC!meeting!in!the!Township!of!Red!Rock.! ! Nipigon!Bay!PAC!meeting!for!members!to!present!comments!and! feedback!on!the!Status!Report!for!consideration.! TBD) The!Nipigon!Bay!PAC!provided!their!endorsement!of!the!Draft!Report! to!the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Plan!Coordinator,!Jim!Bailey! 2015) Draft!Report!provided!to!the!Townships!of!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!and! posted!on!the!Infosuperior!website!for!public!review!and!comment! Governments!of!Canada!and!Ontario!reviewed!the!Status!Report!as!per! Great%Lakes%Water%Quality%Agreement!and!Canada%Ontario%Agreement! guidelines!and!procedures! Decision!of!the!status!of!the!Area!of!Concern!by!the!federal!and! provincial!governments! Draft!Report!provided!to!the!International!Joint!Commission!for!review! and!comment! ) ) 65! ! ! APPENDIX)2:)SUMMARY)OF)PUBLIC)INVOLVEMENT)AND)PUBLIC)ADVISORY)COMMITTEE) MEETINGS) ! Date) Activity) November!1988! Nipigon!Bay!open!houses! May!10,!1989! Introductory!PAC!meeting! May!31,!1989! PAC!meeting!#2! June!14,!1989! PAC!meeting!#3! July!19,!1989! Nipigon!Bay!tour!and!PAC!meeting!#4! September!13,!1989! Domtar!Tour!and!PAC!meeting!#5! November!15,!1989! PAC!meeting!#6! November!25,!1989! MISA!presentation!for!all!four!north!shore!of!Lake!Superior!PACs! December!4,!1989! PAC!meeting!#7!–!Nipigon!Bay!fisheries!concerns! January!9,!1990! PAC!meeting!#8! February!6,!1990! PAC!meeting!#9!–!tour!of!Red!Rock!sewage!and!water!treatment!plants! March!20,!1990! PAC!meeting!#10!–!contingency!spills!plans!for!the!Great!Lakes! March!22E24,!1990! Making!a!Great!Lake!Superior!conference!held!in!Thunder!Bay!for!all!seven! Lake!Superior!RAPs! April!10,!1990! PAC!meeting!#11!–!presentation!by!Nipigon!Watchdog!Society!on!Little! Jackfish!Dam! May!8,!1990! PAC!meeting!#12!–!presentation!on!1990!Nipigon!Bay!water!quality!study! June!12,!1990! PAC!meeting!#13!–!tour!of!Nipigon!sewage!and!water!treatment!plants! July!1,!1990! Red!Rock!open!house!–!water!use!goals! September!1E3,!1990! Nipigon!open!house!–!water!use!goals! September!4,!1990! PAC!meeting!#14! October!2,!1990! PAC!meeting!#15! October!11,!1990! MISA!issues!resolution!panel!discussion!for!all!four!PACs!on!Lake!Superior! October!25,!1990! PAC!meeting!#16!–!MISA!issues!resolution! December!4,!1990! PAC!meeting!#17!–!steering!committee!presentation,!Stage!2!process! February!7,!1991! PAC!meeting!#18! March!5,!1991! PAC!presentation!to!Nipigon!Town!Council! March!7,!1991! PAC!meeting!#19!–!soft!options!for!remedial!actions!presentation! March!12,!1991! PAC!presentation!to!Red!Rock!Town!Council! 66! ! ! March!22E23,!1991! Remedial!options!workshop!for!all!four!Lake!Superior!PACs! April!18,!1991! PAC!meeting!#20! June!27,!1991! PAC!meeting!#21! October!1991! International!Joint!Commission!Biennial!meeting,!display!and! representation! November!7,!1991! PAC!meeting!#22! November!28,!1991! PAC!meeting!#23! January!9,!1992! PAC!meeting!#24! January!1992! Great!Lakes!Cleanup!Fund!Open!House,!Thunder!Bay/Nipigon! February!1992! Lake!Superior!Programs!poster/calendar! March!5,!1992! PAC!meeting!#25!! E Sewage!treatment!options!for!Nipigon!and!Red!Rock:!J.!Schmidt,! WTC! E environmental!implications!of!recent!development!at!Domtar! Packaging:!R.!Clark! April!1992! North!Shore!of!Lake!!Superior!RAP!Teams!sediment!remediation! workshop;!and!AOC!newsletter! May!21,!1992! PAC!meeting!#26!–!underwater!video!of!Peninsula!Harbour! June!23,!1992! PAC!meeting!#27! June!1992! Lake!SuperiorEBaikal!Connect!Welcome,!Rossport,!display!and! representation! July!and!August!1992! PAC!members!participated!in!water!quality!and!benthic!sampling!with! MOE! August!13,!1992! PAC!meeting!#28! July!1992! Lake!Superior!Day,!Thunder!Bay!representation! September!1992! Nipigon!Fall!Fish!Festival!display;!and!AOC!newsletter! September!8,!1992! PAC!meeting!#28! October!27,!1992! PAC!meeting!#29! November!1992! Nipigon!HandEinEHand!Festival!display! December!15,!1992! PAC!meeting!#30! January!12,!1993! PAC!meeting!#31! February!1993! Lake!Superior!Programs!poster/calendar! March!23,!1993! PAC!meeting!#32! March!1993! North!Shore!RAP!–!Cleanup!Fund!newsletter! May!11,!1993! PAC!meeting!#33! 67! ! ! June!7,!1993! PAC!meeting!#34!–!Domtar!Mill!operations!in!immediate!future:!R/!Clark,! Domtar! June!1993! Clearwater!Creek!Cleanup,!St.!Edwards!school!event! June!1993! Open!house:!Nipigon!River!Watershed!Management!Plan! June!1993! Clearwater!Creek!Cleanup,!Nipigon!community!event! July!1993! Lake!Superior!Day,!Thunder!Bay!representation! September!1993! Nipigon!Fall!Fish!Festival!display! September!7,!1993! PAC!meeting!#35! October!26,!1993! PAC!meeting!#36! December!9,!1993! PAC!meeting!#37! January!13,!1994! PAC!meeting!#38! January!1994! Lake!Superior!Programs!poster/calendar! March!24,!1994! PAC!meeting!#39! May!1994! Nipigon!HandEinEHand!Festival!display! June!16,!1994! PAC!meeting!#40!–!Domtar!Mill!secondary!treatment!proposal:!R.!Clark,! Domtar! July!1994! Workshop:!investigating!human!exposure!to!contaminants!in!the! environment! July!1994! Lake!Superior!Day,!Thunder!Bay!representation! August!1994! IJC!tour!of!RAP!projects! Summer!1994! North!Shore!RAP!–!Cleanup!Fund!newsletter! September!8,!1994! PAC!meeting!#41! October!1994! Open!house:!Nipigon!Bay!options!paper! October!1994! State!of!the!Lakes!Ecosystem!Conference,!display!and!representation! November!3,!1994! PAC!meeting!#42! January!1995! Lake!Superior!Programs!poster/message/schedule!of!events! February!1995! PAC!meeting!#43!and!Presentation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!Stage!2!RAP!to! Provincial!steering!committee! Winter!1995! North!Shore!RAP!–!Cleanup!Fund!newsletter! April!1995! PAC!meeting!#44! March!4,!2009! Community!open!house!and!delisting!criteria!workshop! August!11,!2009! PAC!meeting!#45!–!preliminary!meeting!to!reEestablish!the!PAC;!updates! on!Red!Rock!WWTP!and!Red!Rock!Marina! September!15,!2009! PAC!meeting!#46!–!reestablishment!of!the!PAC! 68! ! ! October!6,!2009! PAC!meeting!#47!–!overview!of!RAP!to!date;!discussion!of!the!health!of! Nipigon!Bay! November!9,!2009! PAC!meeting!#48!–!proposed!delisting!criteria!for!review;!review!of! Nipigon!and!Red!Rock!WWTP!upgrades;!how!to!assess!aesthetics!BUI! December!14,!2009! PAC!meeting!#49!E!Degradation!of!aesthetics!BUI;!RAP!fish!restoration! efforts!and!status!of!commercial!fish!species;!proposed!delisting!criteria,! monitoring,!and!current!status! January!18,!2010! PAC!meeting!#50!E!Fish!communities!recommendations;!degradation!of! benthos!BUI!overview!and!next!steps! February!8,!2010! PAC!meeting!#51!E!Eutrophication!on!the!Lower!Nipigon!River;!Black! Bay/Black!Sturgeon!River!Fisheries!rehabilitation! March!8,!2010! PAC!meeting!#52!E!Lakehead!University!BUI!review;!clean!out!your! medicine!cabinet!program!information! November!29,!2010! PAC!meeting!#53!E!RAP!overview!of!current!BUI!status!and!delisting! criteria;!fisheries!objectives!as!proposed!by!MNR;!benthic!survey!results! (nearshore!by!MOE,!offshore!by!EC)! February!22,!2011! PAC!meeting!#54!E!Fisheries!objectives!by!MNR;!Red!Rock!and!Plywood! Mill!property!status!update!by!MOE! April!11,!2011! PAC!meeting!#55!E!MOE!update!on!Red!Rock!mill! June!20,!2011! PAC!meeting!#56!E!Kama!Creek!Restoration!project!overview! November!15,!2011! PAC!meeting!#57!E!Lake!Superior!National!Marine!Conservation!Area;! Township!of!Nipigon!update!on!waterfront!development!and!discovery! place;!Red!Rock!WWTP!open!house;!Clearwater!Creek!update! January!25,!2012! PAC!meeting!#58!E!Township!of!Nipigon!update!on!waterfront! development;!MNR!2011!project!update!(Bass!Creek!walleye!spawning! bed!improvement,!Nipigon!River!habitat!rehabilitation!project);!Nipigon! Bay!creek!inventory!project;!Nipigon!Nuclear!Waste!Management! presentation! February!27,!2013! PAC!meeting!#59!E!Stormwater!management!presentation;!Kama!Creek! update! March!26,!2013! PAC!meeting!#60!E!Red!Rock!and!Nipigon!STP!upgrades!update;!Status!of! walleye!populations!and!habitat!presentation:!T.!Marshall;!Lake!Superior! fish!community!index!netting!program:!E.!Berglund,!MNR! June!13,!2013! PAC!meeting!#61!E!Implementation!of!Nipigon!stormwater!scoping!study:! R.!Stewart,!LU;!status!of!walleye!populations!and!habitat!report;!planning! process!to!address!status!of!BUI!and!delisting!criteria! October!9,!2013! PAC!meeting!#62!E!Nipigon!stormwater!management!scoping!study! update;!status!of!degradation!of!benthos!BUI;!Kama!Creek!update! November!2013! Lake!Superior!evening:!Superior!Island!Stone! ! 69! ! ! December!11,!2013! PAC!meeting!#63!E!Status!of!degradation!of!benthos!BUI;!update!on! eutrophication!and!aesthetics!BUIs;!Red!Rock!STP!upgrades!update;! Nipigon!Stormwater!update! February!19,!2014! PAC!meeting!#64!E!Health!of!fish!populations;!Kama!Creek!monitoring! results! April!9,!2014! PAC!meeting!#65!E!Stormwater!drainage!at!new!Nipigon!River!Highway! bridge;!Nipigon!stormwater!management!plans! October!15,!2014! PAC!meeting!#66!–!Town!of!Nipigon!stormwater!management!plan! update,!Town!of!Red!Rock!WWTP!secondary!upgrade!update,!overview!of! the!Status!Report!and!consultation!plan! ! 70! ! 1992J1996;! 2005;!2011J 2015! 1f,!1o,!2b,!2f,! 3d! 1q! ! ! ! 71! 1994;!2005! 1h! Degradation(of(fish( populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat! Degradation(of(fish( populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat;!degradation!of! benthos! Degradation(of(fish( populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat! ! 1992J1995;! 2000J2009;! 2011! 1995! 1c,!1k! Degradation(of(fish( populations! 1991J2015! 4b,!4c,!4e,!4g! N/A! Year(s)( Education,!outreach!and! program!support! Lake!Trout!and!Walleye! stocking!program!and! monitoring! Sea!lamprey!control!via! habitatJenhanced!traps!and! sterile!male!release! Development!and! implementation!of!the! Nipigon!River!Water! Management!Plan! Monitoring!and!review!of! Nipigon!Bay!fish!populations! Stage(2( reference( BUI(s)( Action( ! SUMMARY!OF!REMEDIAL!ACTIONS!COMPLETED!FROM!1991!TO!2014! APPENDIX(3:(NIPIGON(BAY(AREA(OF(CONCERN(REMEDIAL(ACTIONS( ! $530,875! $400,000! $343,000! $632,000! $942,500! Cost( MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!DFO,!US!Fish! and!Wildlife!Service,!Grand! Portage!Band!of!Chippewa,! Minnesota!Department!of! Natural!Resources,!Red!Cliff!Band! of!Lake!Superior,!Bad!River!Band! of!Lake!Superior,!Keweenaw!Bay! Indian!Community;!OPG! DFO,!Great!Lakes!Fishery! Commission,!Sea!Lamprey! Control!Centre,!MNRF! MNRF,!OPG,!MOECC,!DFO! EC,!MOECC,!MNRF,!Township!of! Nipigon,!DFO,!PAC,!LU! MNRF,!DFO,!MOECC,!EC,!Red! Rock!Fish!and!Game!Club! Partners( BUI(s)( ! ! ! Monitor!benthic!populations! Degradation(of(benthos;! and!sediment!quality! degradation!of!fish! populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat! Assessment!of!algal!growth! Eutrophication(or( on!spawning!substrates!in! undesirable(algae;! the!lower!Nipigon!River! degradation!of!fish! populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat! Cleanup!of!historic!spawning! Loss(of(fish(habitat;! grounds!in!the!lower! degradation!of!fish! Nipigon!River!and!the!Old! populations;!degradation!of! Mill!site! aesthetics! Clearwater!Creek! Loss(of(fish(habitat;! rehabilitation!plan!and! degradation!of!fish! implementation! populations;!degradation!of! aesthetics! Secondary!treatment!for!the! Degradation(of(benthos;! Red!Rock!mill!and!Nipigon! degradation!of!fish! and!Red!Rock!WWTPs! populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat;!degradation!of! aesthetics! Action( ! 1993;!2008J 2009;!2011! 72! 1e,!1m,!3c,!3e,! 1993J1996;! 4a,!4d! 2006! 1a,!1b! 1d,!1p! 1n,!2d,!2a,!! 1g,!2e! $1,246,000! $220,000! $90,000! $334,100! $9!million! $9!million! Nipigon! WWTP!–! 2012! Red!Rock! WWTP!–! 2014! (completion! by!2019)! 1992;!1994;! 2003;!2004;! 2006J2009;! 2011J2015! 1991;!1995J 1996;!2007;! 2010! 1g,!2e! Cost( Red!Rock!mill! $25!million! –!1995! Year(s)( 1g,!3a! Stage(2( reference( MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!Township!of! Nipigon,!PAC,!St.!Edwards!School,! Shell!Grant,!Bondar!Award,! MNDM,!Ministry!of!Education! MNRF,!MOECC,!EC,!Domtar!Inc.,! DFO! MNRF,!DFO,!LU,!EC,!MOECC! EC,!MOECC,!MNRF,!DFO,!Domtar! Inc.! Domtar!Inc.;!OCWA;!Townships!of! Nipigon!and!Red!Rock;!EC;!MNRF;! MNDM! Township!of!Nipigon;! Infrastructure!Canada;!Ministry!of! Infrastructure! Township!of!Red!Rock;! Infrastructure!Canada;!Ministry!of! Infrastructure! Partners( Loss(of(fish(habitat;! degradation!of!fish! populations;!degradation!of! aesthetics! Loss(of(fish(habitat;! degradation!of!fish! populations;!degradation!of! aesthetics! Loss(of(fish(habitat;! degradation!of!fish! populations! Loss(of(fish(habitat;! degradation!of!fish! populations( Loss(of(fish(habitat;! degradation!of!fish! populations;!degradation!of! aesthetics! Degradation!of!fish! populations;!loss!of!fish! habitat! Restoration!of!degraded! habitat!in!Big!Trout!Creek! and!Kama!Creek! 2012J2014! N/A! 2011;!2013J 2015! TBD! N/A! N/A! 2011! 1995!J!Big! Trout!Creek! 2011J2014!J! Kama!Creek! 1991J1995;! 2000J2014! Year(s)( N/A! 1i,!1j,!2c,!3b,! 4f! N/A! 1l! Stage(2( reference( ! ( 73! Note:!the!BUI!in!bold!text!indicates!the!BUI!section!of!the!report!where!the!remedial!action!is!presented! Nipigon!stormwater! management!assessment! and!planning! Walleye!habitat! improvement!at!the!mouth! of!Bass!(Purdom)!Creek! Ground!water!upwelling! enhancement!for!Brook! Trout!habitat! Nipigon!lagoon!habitat! enhancement!and!water!reJ diversion!project! Red!Rock!marina!habitat! overlays!and!trails! BUI(s)( Action( ! $260,060! $358,000! $TBD! $TBD! $2,623,000! $543,680! $20,000! Cost( EC,!MOECC,!LU,!MNRF,!Township! of!Nipigon,!ES! MNRF,!EC,!PAC! MNRF! MNRF! MNRF,!MOECC,!DFO,!EC,!private! landowners! EC,!MNRF,!LU,!Township!of! Nipigon;!PAC! Township!of!Red!Rock,!MNDM,! MNRF,!MOECC,!Domtar!Inc.,!DFO,! EC! Partners( ! LIST!OF!REMEDIAL!ACTIONS!IDENTIFIED!IN!THE!NIPIGON!BAY!STAGE!2!REPORT! FISH%AND%WILDLIFE%POPULATION%DYNAMICS%AND%HABITAT%LOSS% 1a.!Cleanup!of!historic!spawning!grounds!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River% 1b.!Cleanup!of!the!Old!Mill!site!wetland!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River% 1c.!Adult!walleye!stocking!program!to!rejuvenate!walleye!population!in!Nipigon!Bay% 1d.!Identify!spawning!habitat!in!the!Nipigon!River!and!candidate!sites!for!implementation!of!a! selfPcleaning!substrate% 1e.!Devised!rehabilitation!plan!for!Clearwater!Creek% 1f.!Initiated!and!assisted!in!devising!a!water!management!plan!for!the!Nipigon!River% 1g.!Assisted!in!the!planning!of!secondary!treatment!for!the!Red!Rock!mill!and!the!townships!of! Nipigon!and!Red!Rock% 1h.!Supported!initiative!to!devise!alternate!means!to!control!sea!lamprey% 1i.!Assisted!with!and!funded!plan!to!provide!a!habitat!overlay!component!to!the!Red!Rock! Marina.!Construction!is!complete!for!the!first!two!of!three!phases.% 1j.!Documented!use!of!habitat!features!at!Red!Rock!Marina!by!spawning!lake!trout!and! whitefish% 1k.!Intensive!review!of!walleye!stocking!program!to!ensure!no!net!negative!effects% 1l.!Devise!and!implement!a!plan!to!restore!degraded!habitat!in!Big!Trout!Creek% 1m.!Complete!habitat!restoration!in!Clearwater!Creek% 1n.!Restoration!of!benthic!populations,!via!sediment!remediation,!to!ensure!unimpaired! predator!–!prey!dynamics!for!fish!and!wildlife!populations% 1o.!Implement!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan% 1p.!Determine!if!algal!growth!on!spawning!substrates!in!the!lower!Nipigon!River!is!impairing! recruitment!to!fish!populations% 1q.!Baseline!monitoring!and!review!of!Nipigon!Bay!fish!populations% ! BENTHIC%POPULATION%DYNAMICS%AND%HABITAT%LOSS% 2a.!Identified!oxygenation!and!enhanced!biodegradation!as!the!preferred!alternative!for! sediment!remediation!at!the!Red!Rock!mill!outfall,!pending!test!results% 2b.!Assisted!in!devising!a!water!management!plan!for!the!Nipigon!River% 2c.!Assisted!in!the!provision!of!a!local!increase!in!benthic!productivity!with!the!construction!of! the!Red!Rock!Marina!habitat!component% ! ! 74! ! ! BENTHIC%POPULATION%DYNAMICS%AND%HABITAT%LOSS%CONTINUED% 2d.!Determine!the!limits!of!degradation!and!implement!sediment!remediation!for!the!area! adjacent!to!the!Red!Rock!mill!outfall,!pending!test!results% 2e.!Assist!in!the!implementation!of!secondary!treatment!for!the!Townships!of!Nipigon!and!Red! Rock!% 2f.!Implement!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan% ! AESTHETICS% 3a.!Assisted!in!the!planning!for!secondary!treatment!at!the!Red!Rock!mill% 3b.!Complete!the!habitat!overlay!component!of!the!Red!Rock!Marina% 3c.!Completed!Clearwater!Creek!cleanup!and!rehabilitation!strategy,!which!includes!the! concept!and!structural!design!for!a!recreational!component% 3d.!Implement!the!Nipigon!River!Water!Management!Plan% 3e.!Construct!the!recreational!component!of!the!Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!strategy! ! EDUCATION%AND%STEWARDSHIP% 4a.!Assisted!with!the!development!of!the!concept!and!design!for!the!interpretive/educational! component!of!Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!strategy! 4b.!Developed!concept!and!design!for!Nipigon!Environmental!Interpretive!Centre!component!of! Nipigon!Museum! 4c.!Supported!the!publishing!of!“The!Glory!of!Nipigon”,!a!book!and!educational!aid!about!the! history!of!and!environmental!concerns!in!the!area! 4d.!Construct!the!educational!component!of!the!Clearwater!Creek!rehabilitation!strategy! 4e.!Continuation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!PAC!as!an!environmental!committee,!offering!guidance!and! coordinating!efforts!and!responses!to!environmental!issues! 4f.!Incorporate!interpretive!signage!to!explain!habitat!features!along!the!Red!Rock!Marina! walking!trail! 4g.!Undertake!a!study!to!examine!and!quantify!the!linkages!between!environmental!restoration! and!economic!benefit!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!AOC! 75! ! ! ! 76! 11. The!bottom!dwelling!organisms!of!Nipigon!Bay!should!not!be!restricted!in!either!quantity!or!species!type!due!to!point!and!nonWpoint!source! discharges.!There!should!be!a!viable!community!of!native!organisms!which!do!not!need!to!be!pollution!tolerant!in!nature.! Condition&of&bottom&dwelling&organisms( ! 10. Water!levels!in!key!river!spawning!areas!should!be!maintained!to!allow!natural!reproduction!of!fish!and!other!aquatic!organisms.!The!aquatic! community!of!Nipigon!Bay!and!its!watershed!should!be!protected!from!negative!impacts!associated!with!artificially!controlled!river!flow!fluctuations.! Specifically,!the!impacts!of!exposing!spawning!areas!and!covering!the!river!bottom!with!solids,!originating!from!artificially!induced!river!bank!erosion,! should!be!minimized.!! Water&levels& ! People!should!be!able!to!consume!all!fish!species!from!Nipigon!Bay!and!its!watershed!without!any!restrictions!due!to!high!contamination!levels!which! cause!human!health!risks!and!fish!flavour!and!odour!impairment.! 7. Fish!should!be!free!to!migrate!back!and!forth!from!Alexander!Landing!to!Lake!Superior.! 8. All!native!fish!species!of!fish!that!would!normally!inhabit!Nipigon!Bay!should!be!able!to!live!there.!Nearshore!mixing!zones!should!be!rehabilitated!in! order!to!restore!the!normal!community!of!bottom!dwelling!organisms.! 9. Fish!species!and!fish!habitats!in!Nipigon!Bay!should!be!sustained!so!as!to!allow!natural!reproduction.! 6. Fisheries( ! Water!Use!Goals!from!the!Nipigon!Bay!Remedial!Action!Plan!Stage!1!and!Stage!2!reports! Nipigon!Bay!and!its!watersheds!should!have!water!quality!that!is!suitable!as!a!municipal!and!domestic!water!supply!with!the!present!treatment! technology!used!in!the!Nipigon!Bay!area.!Nevertheless,!a!reasonable!mixing!zone!for!point!source!discharges!should!be!allowed.!Water!should!also!be! fishable,!swimmable!and!aesthetically!pleasing.!! 2. Individuals!should!be!able!to!consume!tap!water!at!any!time!without!risk!of!encountering!a!taste!and/or!odour!problem.!! 3. The!effluent!from!point!source!discharges!should!be!of!sufficient!quality!so!that!it!does!not!impair!beneficial!uses,!inhibit!indigenous!biota!or!produce! other!adverse!impacts!on!the!ecosystem.! 4. Levels!of!potentially!toxic!chemicals!in!Nipigon!Bay!and!its!watershed!should!not!exceed!accepted!standards!as!determined!by!the!best!scientific! methodology!available.! 5. Colour,!odour!and!turbidity!of!the!effluent!from!any!point!source!discharge!should!be!reduced!as!much!as!possible!to!protect!the!aesthetic!value!of! Nipigon!Bay!so!that!individuals!can!enjoy!unimpaired!recreational!use!of!the!nearby!lands!and!waters.! 1. Water&Quality( ! APPENDIX(4:(WATER(USE(GOALS( ! ! Source:!Nipigon!Bay!RAP!Team,!1995,!p.!17W20! ! 77! 21. Introduction!of!new!species!of!fish,!other!aquatic!organisms!and!waterfowl!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!ecosystem!should!not!be!allowed!without!an! environmental!impact!study.! Introduction&of&new&species&to&Nipigon&Bay( ! 20. Aquatic!flora!and!fauna!species!should!not!be!manipulated!without!public!consultation!and!careful!regard!for!both!short!and!long!term!environmental! implications!of!these!species!(e.g.!recent!introduction!of!Canada!Geese!to!Nipigon!Bay)! Wildlife( ! 19. There!should!be!virtual!elimination!of!persistent!toxic!chemicals!such!as!dioxins!and!furans.!Point!and!nonWpoint!source!discharges!and!atmospheric! deposition!to!Nipigon!Bay’s!waterfront!and!its!watershed!should!not!contain!harmful!substances!at!levels!which!impair!and!inhibit!biota!in!the! ecosystem.! Virtual&elimination& ! 16. The!public!should!have!developed!access!to!the!Nipigon!Bay!waterfront!and!valley!systems.!This!will!make!the!system!a!focus!for!recreation,! enjoyment,!cultural!activities!and!tourism.!! 17. Waterfront!developments!should!not!have!an!adverse!effect!on!the!aquatic!ecosystem.! 18. The!water!quality!of!Nipigon!Bay!and!its!valley!systems!should!be!high!so!as!not!to!discourage!legitimate!economic!opportunities!for!shoreline! development.!! Aesthetics& ! 14. Sediments!should!be!rehabilitated!where!contamination!is!interfering!with!the!natural!function!of!the!aquatic!community.! 15. Eroded!sediments!are!being!deposited!in!Nipigon!Bay!and!its!watershed.!The!river!banks!should!be!stabilized!to!minimize!erosion.!! Sediments( ! 13. Algal!growth!precipitated!by!any!human!induced!activity!should!not!have!an!undesirable!effect!on!the!aquatic!community.!Nutrients!originating!from! human!sources!should!not!exceed!levels!which!cause!accelerated!eutrophication.! Eutrophication&or&undesirable&algal&growth( ! 12. The!dredging!and!disposal!of!sediments!should!not!contribute!to!the!degradation!of!the!Nipigon!Bay!aquatic!ecosystem.!Specifically,!high! concentrations!of!contaminants!present!in!the!sediments!should!not!be!released!into!the!water.!! Restrictions&on&dredging&activities( ! 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 Year ! E8 E6 E5 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 South of the Mill 2009 E4 R4 Midwest Bay R1 6974 Upstream Site " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Sediment Chemistry # # # # # # # " # -a # # # -a Toxicity !b ! ! ! ! ! !b !b " b # !b ! !b "b Benthos Alteration Cr, Cu, Ni Cd, Cu, Ni Ni Cd 78! Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni Cr, Cu, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cr, Cu, Ni Cd Metal(s) exceeding LEL Determine reason(s) for toxicity Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration No further actions needed No further actions needed No further actions needed No further actions needed No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration No further actions needed No further actions needed Assessment Decision!matrix!table!for!weightWofWevidence!categorization!of!Nipigon!Bay!sites!(2009!and!2003)!based!on!three!lines!of!evidence.!! For!the!sediment!chemistry!column,!sites!with!metal!exceedences!of!the!Severe!Effect!Level!(SEL)!organic!contaminant!exceedences! of!the!Probable!Effect!Level!(PEL)!are!indicated!by!“!”;!sites!with!exceedences!of!the!Lowest!Effect!Level!(LEL)!“"”.!!For!the!toxicity! column,!sites!that!had!multiple!endpoints!exhibiting!major!toxicological!effects!were!indicated!by!“!”;!sites!that!had!multiple! endpoints!exhibiting!minor!toxicological!effect!and/or!one!endpoint!exhibiting!a!major!effect!by!“"”.!For!the!benthos!alteration! column,!sites!determined!from!BEAST!analyses!as!different/very!different!or!toxic/severely!toxic!are!indicated!by!“!”;!sites! determined!as!possibly!different!or!potentially!toxic!by!“"”.!!Sites!with!no!SQG!exceedences,!benthic!communities!equivalent!to! reference!conditions,!or!nonWtoxic!sites!are!indicated!by!“#”.!!Some!sites!show!benthos!alteration!but!were!not!recommended!for! further!action!(see!Milani!and!Grapentine!2011!for!explanation!for!these!sites).!! ! APPENDIX(5:(NIPIGON(BAY(BENTHIC(ASSESSMENT(OF(SEDIMENT(DECISION(MATRIX(FRAMEWORK( ! Site b " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Sediment Chemistry ! - " -a " # " # " # # a # a # -a # # Toxicity # # # # "b "b "b "b "b ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Benthos Alteration As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni Metal(s) exceeding LEL 79! Assessment No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for sediment toxicity No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for sediment toxicity No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for sediment toxicity No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for sediment toxicity No further actions needed Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration Determine reason(s) for benthos alteration toxicity tests not performed; benthic community not deemed impaired based on taxon diversity and abundance 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 Year Source:!Milani!&!Grapentine,!2011,!p.53W54! ! ! a R10 East Bay R9 R8 R7 Kama Pt E16 E15 E14 E12 Southwest Bay ! ! ! ! 80! Photo:!Dave!Crawford! !
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