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Vermilion River Dams - Xeneca - Presentation to City of Greater Sudbury
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Cnx1twN6k
Vermillion River Stewardship
AGENDA
Vermilion River Stewardship
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Beaver Lake Sports & Cultural Club, Club Road, Beaver Lake
1. Agenda
Adoption of Agenda
2. Adoption of Minutes of Meeting: 9 November 2011
3. Elections
4. Reports
Executive - Linda
Finance
Strategic Planning Committee – Sheri Purdon
o Water Quality Study
Biodiversity Committee – John Purdon
5. Business Arising from Previous Meeting
Dam Proposals
o Stakeholder Advisory
Committee
6. New Business
Fielding Road Industrial
Area - Water and Wastewater
o Municipal Class EA Study
NDCA Presentation – 19 January 2012
o Source Water Protection
under the Clean Water Act
GDD11-39 - Development and Application of a Lake Water Quality
Model
Official Plan Input - Presentation to City Council
o Vermilion River & its
floodplains be designated as a significant natural area & a cultural
heritage landscape
7. Round Table
8. Next Meeting – 8 February 2012
Minutes
Vermilion River Stewardship
Wednesday November 9, 2011
7:00‐9:00 pm
Penage Road Community Centre, Penage Road
Present: Linda Heron, Sheri Johnson Purdon, John Purdon,
Lesley Flowers, Betsy
and Bob Little, Ruth Svensk, Dale Kelbey, Reggie Little,
Al Stanley, and
Neeltje Van Roon
Regrets: Ron Basso
1. Adoption of Agenda:
Moved by John Purdon
Seconded by Lesley Flowers
Adopted
2. a. Adoption of Minutes of 13 September 2011
Moved by Bob Little
Seconded by John Purdon
Adopted
b. Adoption of Minutes of 11 October 2011
Moved by Dale Kilbey
Seconded by Betsy Little
Adopted
3. Reports
a. Executive Report – Attached as Addendum 1
Meeting with Jacques
Barbeau scheduled for Nov. 23, 2011
Xeneca and Earth care
Moment partnership
City of Sudbury made
Xeneca a Business Partner and yet VRS
grant application denied because didn’t want to appear
to take
sides
Meeting with France
Gelinas scheduled for Nov. 22, 2011
ORA made a Part II Order
request on the Xeneca Environmental
Report for the Frederick House River dam project –
addressed the
numerous gaps in the ER
France will be speaking
directly with the Minister of Environment on
behalf of VRS
First Nations – have had
their lawyers send letters to Xeneca to stop
progress on dam proposals on the Vermilion River as they
have not
been properly consulted on the proposals.
Xeneca’s Funding:
OP trust (OPSEU pension
plan)
Xeneca’s proposals do not
fit the OP trust mission statement
OP trust is looking into
Xeneca’s contract with them
Outdoor Canada article:
Interview with Mark Holmes related to the
Northern Rivers has potential to be very damaging for
Xeneca
Ontario River’s Alliance:
Gord Miller Environmental Commissioner of
Ontario will be attending the meeting on 26 November
2011, at
Churchill’s Catering Services, 631, Lakeshore Blvd.,
North Bay.
Invitations for Chief Shining Turtle, Whitefish River
First Nations, and
the United Chiefs & Councils of Manitoulin Island 1045.
b. Correspondence:
Letter from VRS to John
Cannard re: Tertiary Treatment for Walden
Wastewater Treatment Facility in 5 years and not the
proposed 10
years.
Chamber of Commerce – Mark
Holmes guest speaker on Nov. 17,
2011 at Days Inn from 12‐ 2 pm, VRS offered to give a
presentation to
the Chamber.
c. Finance: Balance of
$600
4. Business Arising from Previous Meeting
a. Lively/Walden Wastewater Treatment Facility
VRS’ main objective must
be improved water quality
Tertiary treatment is
necessary within the next 5 years
Phoslock – binds with
phosphorus – Lake Simcoe is undertaking a
pilot project
Look at the City as you
would a company – spills and effluent must
be addressed
City staff do what they
can with their tax dollars
b. Cyanobacteria
Concerns for the rapid
deterioration of the river with the recent
Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom on the Vermilion
River
Bloom cleared up once
heavy rains came in late October
Concern for the Sudbury
and District Health Unit
o Their response was
inadequate
o only a small number of
residents received notification
A letter will be written
to list our concerns of the lack of
communication for those living on the river and the lack
of
retesting protocol to ensure the outbreak was cleared
up.
Nickel District
Conservation Authority Response to the blue green
algae was also of concern. A letter will be written to
Bob Rogers
Chair of the board of directors for the NDCA to enquire
about
their involvement with blue green algae detection in the
water
systems.
MOE response was also of
concern because inspector did not
respond to report of cyanobacteria on Simon Lake, near
the public
beach – it was the Friday afternoon of Thanksgiving
weekend
Must be improved public
awareness when these outbreaks occur
Action Items:
a. A Strategic Planning
Committee, including Sheri Johnson Purdon, Al Stanley,
Lesley Flowers and Dale Kilbey will be formed to:
Take a 3 phase approach to
the solution
1. Immediate
2. Short term
3. Long term
Come up with a plan to
address water quality issues and threats
Existing test results for
the Vermilion River Watershed will be collected,
analyzed and collated
Must model the entire
watershed – all inputs
If there are any lapses in
the test results this committee will develop
testing parameters and protocol to investigate the state
of the watershed
Increase public awareness
Some sources of test
results might be Vale, MOE, Canadian Geological
Association, Junction Creek Stewardship, Nick Bankovich,
Laurentian
University and other Stewardships.
Seek funding from the
Royal Bank’s Blue Water program to assist with
these objectives
b. A Waste Water and
Storm Water Forum will be scheduled in mid‐February to
obtain current information on status of these systems,
and suggestions on
how we might improve – media to be invited.
4. Dam Proposals Update
Xeneca held a Public
Information Centre on 20 October 2011, in Espanola
Xeneca provided an
opportunity to ORA and VRS before the PIC to speak one
on one with our members
VRS submitted a letter to
Xeneca on 26 October 2011, with a list of additional
questions and concerns – Attached as Addendum 2.
Discussion about dams
causing more pressure on the riverine ecosystem, and
the potential to create more cyanobacteria outbreaks
5. Announcements:
Biodiversity Committee –
John Purdon
If anyone has had any SARS animal sightings, on the
Vermilion River in the
vicinity of the proposed dam locations, at McPherson
Falls, Cascade Falls, At
Soo Crossing, or Wabagishik Rapids, please forward
pictures and/or detailed
information which includes location and date, to John at
purdonclan@hotmail.com .
Meeting to discuss the
Class C Environmental Assessment ‐ to
evaluate the
Vermilion water distribution system that services the
communities of
Naughton, Whitefish, and Whitefish Lake First –
scheduled for Nov. 21, 2011,
7 pm, Penage Road Community Centre
Environmental Conference
Planning Committee Meeting scheduled for
Nov. 28, 2011 ‐ contact
Gwen Doyle, Communications
Coordinator,
Walden‐CAN ‐ 692‐3021 for more information.
6. Next Meeting –
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at the Beaver Lake Sports &
Cultural Centre.
Vermilion River Stewardship
EXECUTIVE REPORT
9 November 2011
Report from Chair:
22 September 2011
‐ Attended Walden/Lively Wastewater Treatment Facility Public Meeting
o In Phase 3 now ‐
Identify alternative design for preferred solution
o Must increase
capacity to address growing community and inflow
o First priority is
to decrease flows – by‐law enforcement, inspector/by‐law officer hired
and extraneous flow reduction program
o Eliminate the
Lively WWTF and upgrade Walden WWTF
o No by‐passes from
the Sudbury or Walden plants in last 2 years
o Lower phosphorus
levels are the goal – Proposing 2 Phases – 5 years & 10 years
Present
objectives are 0.5 from Jun to Aug & 1.0 from Sept. to May
Proposed Phase I
objectives are 0.38 to 0.55
Proposed Phase II
objectives – 0.20 to 0.30
o Upgraded
Secondary Treatment by 2016
o Tertiary
Treatment would be implemented in about 2021
o Has not gone to
Council yet, but VRS has promised support if tertiary treatment is
included within 5 years
o Disinfection –
City currently uses chlorine but is considering going with ultraviolet
due to
significant environmental and safety advantages – 2016
o In November they
will decide on final preferred solution and prepare an Environmental
Report
o ER will be filed
and public will have 30 day review and comment period
27 September 2011
– VRS sent letter to John Cannard requesting tertiary treatment within 5
years
23 September 2011
‐ Contacted CEAA to request documentation for Wabagishik Rapids Proposal
– Federal environmental process is totally transparent,
so received several documents,
including:
o Biological
Scoping Minutes – 26 May 2011
o Wabagishik Final
Operating Plan
o Letter of Concern
from Citizen
30 September 2011
‐ Cyanobacteria noticed on the Vermilion River, and reported to Health
Dept. and MOE
5 October 2011 –
MOE confirmed Cyanobacteria on the Vermilion and a few other bacteria as
well
7 October 2011 ‐
Went out to visit McCharles, Simon, Kelly and Mud Lakes to see if they
also
contained Cyanobacteria, and subsequently reported
seeing it on McCharles and Simon Lakes
Went to
Centennial Park area to see if the Blue Green Algae might be coming from
the Northern
part of the Vermilion, however, the water looked
relatively clear there
13 October 2011 ‐
Letter to the Editor – It is Time – Sudbury Star and Northern Life
13 October 2011 ‐
Lake Advisory Panel – Gave a PowerPoint Presentation on Walden/Lively
WWTF
19 October 2011 ‐
Attended the Wanapitei, Allen & Struthers PIC
20 October 2011 ‐
Attended Wabagishik PIC in Espanola
21 October 2011 ‐
Attended an EcoLeague Workshop – Student Project
24 October 2011 ‐
Attended GSWA Meeting
25 October 2011 ‐
VRS to Xeneca – Comments & Questions
25 October 2011 ‐
Article ‐ Vermilion River Troubles – Walden CAN column in Sudbury Star
26 October 2011 ‐
Spoke to Paul Sajatovic, NDCA – Presentation planned for 19 January 2012
at
NDCA Meeting
3 November 2011 ‐
Wanatango Falls ER, Frederick House River – Comment Letter
4 November 2011 ‐
Wanatango Falls ER, Frederick House River – Part II Order Request
22 November 2011
‐ Meeting scheduled with France Gelinas
23 November 2011
‐ Meeting scheduled with Jacques Barbeau
26 November 2011
‐ ORA Meeting – North Bay – Guest Speaker: Gord Miller, ECO
19 January 2012 ‐
Presentation to NDCA, Re: Proposed Hydroelectric Dams on the Vermilion
River
Finance:
Balance $600.09
Website:
Addition of
Social Network Links
Helpful Links
Events Calendar
Correspondence:
23 September 2011
‐ VRS to CEAA – Wabagishik Document Request
27 September 2011
– VRS to John Cannard, JL Richard Consulting – Walden WWTF – Tertiary
Treatment
25 October 2011 ‐
VRS to Xeneca – Comments & Questions
5 November 2011 ‐ VRS to
Chamber of Commerce – Re: Mark Holmes Presentation on 17 Nov.
Update from Vermilion River Stewardship:
Hello
everyone! I just want to follow up on our last Stewardship meeting, and
say thank you to all those who came out to hear Charles’ presentation,
and to show your support.
Charles
was kind enough to let us post his excellent presentation on our website
at:
http://vermilionriverstewards.ca/2011/10/12/blue-green-algae-outbreak-on-the-vermilion-river/
You will
also find a presentation I gave at the Lake Advisory Panel meeting on 13
October, regarding the plans for upgrading the Lively/Walden Waste Water
Treatment Facility at:
http://vermilionriverstewards.ca/2011/10/19/waldenlively-waste-water-treatment-facilities-undergoing-a-class-c-environmental-assessment/
Our next
Stewardship meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 9 November 2011, at the
Penage Road Community Center, on Penage Road, Whitefish, from 7 to 9:00
pm.
VRS is
also extending an invitation to the Simon Lake Community Stewardship
Group, and McCharles Lake, to join us, as it is important to work
together to resolve our water quality issues. I will send an Agenda
out within the next week. Thank you!
Linda Heron
Chair, Vermilion River
Stewardship
VermilionRiverStewards.ca
“Community Supporting a
Healthy, Natural and Sustainable River System”
VERMILION RIVER STEWARDSHIP - GENERAL MEETING - 13 SEPTEMBER
2011, 7 TO 9:00 PM
Hello everyone! I am attaching our updated Agenda for the September 13th
meeting, from 7 to 9:00 pm, at the Beaver Lake Sports and Cultural
Club.
Please be on time as Pat Lewis of Quadra FNX will be giving a
presentation regarding the Victoria Mine development, and is first up on
the Agenda.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting!
Linda
VermilionRiverStewards.ca
2011-Sept13-AGENDA.pdf
2011-March8-VRS-Minutes.pdf
Hello
everyone! This is the official invite from Xeneca – so please try to
attend so they know our Community is concerned and interested! Click on
link below.
Wabagishik PIC Espanola - 22Mar.pdf
Below is a link to the power point presentation
given by Linda Heron to the March meeting of Walden Community Action
Network held at R.H.Murray Public Shcool in Whitefish on March 7th, 2011
2011-March7-Vermillion River Stewardship.pdf . |
