(Almost) everything you need to know about the Spanish

By Craig Gilbert

Over 50 people gathered at the Pinewood Motel Tuesday, October 27 for an update on the recovery of the Spanish River and Spanish Harbour.

The full day of presentations was a follow-up to a similar update forum held five years ago. Months in the making, the meeting featured comprehensive presentations by scientists from Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministries of the Environment and Natural Resources, Domtar, Vale Inco and Sagamok First Nation. The event was organized and facilitated by the Friends of the Spanish River, a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to "restoring, preserving, and celebrating" the Spanish River.

Established in 1994, the group aims “to increase public and industry awareness and involvement in this important environmental trust.”

The history of the Spanish River, its headwaters near Biscotasing and its tail splayed out into the Whalesback Channel near the town of Spanish, is synonymous with transportation, commerce and industry. Earlier this century, industrial development began to take its toll on the water body.

In the 1980s the United States and Canadian International Joint Commission identified 43 “Areas of Concern” around the Great Lakes, including 17 in Ontario. The lower Spanish River and its harbour are among them. The federal and provincial governments agreed to jointly develop clean-up programs called Remedial Action Plans (RAPs.) The RAP team, consisting of water quality specialists from federal and provincial agencies, identified the extent and causes of pollution within the lower Spanish River and harbour, and proposed remedial measures for implementing a clean-up program.

According to www.friendsofthespanishriver.ca : “The Spanish River today is a joy to behold, thanks to the restorative work done by governments, industry and the public. Special mention should go to Domtar Inc.'s Eddy Specialty Papers for their ‘partnership in progress' with the Friends of the Spanish River.”

The Tuesday session provided interested parties with an update on the status of the river, what activities are taking place now, and what should be done in the future to help the Spanish reclaim its full potential. Currently the river is in stage two of a three-stage process to be “de-listed” as an area of concern (like an animal being taken off the endangered species list). At this stage, it is believed that all the work that could be done to rehabilitate the river has been done. The river only needs time to become a habitat where sturgeon, muskellunge, suckers, walleye and other fish and organisms can live normally.

Many of the presentations were somewhat technical, but the data was generally well explained by the presenters. The presentations focused on contamination levels throughout the river and the Whalesback delta. The seminar was set up with the information from the broadest scope early in the morning, and reports more site- and topic-specific in the afternoon.

Data on dioxins and furans, mercury and other contaminants found in the system as a result of industrial development over the past century or more, was presented by scientists from Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE.)

According to Stacey Baker, a ranking MOE scientist that works with all 17 Ontario areas of concern, tests performed in 2005 indicate there are dangerous levels of toxins in gull and osprey eggs in and around the Whalesback. The ministry uses a threshold called the ‘probable effect level' to determine whether the toxicity in a sample presents a risk to animals and humans. The gulls and ospreys feed on suckers, which are fatty, bottom-feeding creatures and therefore are more exposed to the toxins, which reside mainly in the sediment where toxicity is highest.

Her presentation was just one set of data indicating that though the river's overall health is improving, there are still problems with the lower Spanish River and Spanish Harbour area of concern.

According to Bill McKenna, a Friend of the Spanish River and one of the event's coordinators, all the information presented Tuesday was of value.

“The important point is that the Spanish River is being carefully monitored on a continuous basis to ensure that it remains healthy,” McKenna said. “I was overwhelmed again, (2004 was the first time) at how much Spanish River ‘green' work is going on by so many highly qualified people to help us restore and preserve our beautiful river.

“From the first presentation, which outlined the concerns about declining food sources at the bottom of the aquatic food chain in Lake Huron, to the ongoing environmental work being done by Vale Inco and Domtar in and around their facilities, at least now we have a comprehensive picture of what is being done and what still needs to be done on behalf of the Spanish River and all the creatures that call it home.”

McKenna added that the Whalesback Channel at the foot of the river is now front-and-centre partly because of the attention paid to it at our workshop “and that is good news!”

The Friends will be publishing all of the presentations on our website as soon as we