In This Issue. FOSCR Participates at the Go Wild Grow Wild Expo in London, Ontario

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1 June 2017 Volume 8, Number 2 In This Issue Go Wild Grow Wild FOSCR Welcomes New RAP Coordinator Discussing Drinking Water Shoreline Restoration Projects Wetland Work on Clay Creek New Wastewater Projects Good News for St. Clair U.S. EPA Delists 7 th BUI SCRCA Hosts Students Join the St. Clair River BPAC mailing list to stay up-to-date about St. Clair River RAP news and events. To unsubscribe from our distribution list please respond to FOSCR Webmaster FOSCR Participates at the Go Wild Grow Wild Expo in London, Ontario On April 8, 2017, FOSCR members attended and set up a booth for the Go Wild Grow Wild Expo in London, Ontario. The event is held annually by Carolinian Canada and draws over 3000 people from across southwestern Ontario. The Expo focuses on outdoor activities (e.g., gardening, tourism) along with environmental stewardship and protection. The FOSCR booth introduced visitors to what FOSCR does and the progress being made in restoring the St. Clair River Area of Concern (AOC). The one-day Expo was a great success and provided FOSCR members the opportunity to educate a broader audience on the St. Clair River AOC. You may just see us there again next year! Friends of the St. Clair River (FOSCR) President Darrell Randell (left) and Director Archie Kerr (right) attend the Go Wild Grow Wild Expo in London, Ontario. The FOSCR booth provided visitors with information regarding the St. Clair River Area of Concern (AOC) along with activities including mussel and benthic invertebrate identification. Friends Welcomes New RAP Coordinator, Kelly Johnson On May 15, 2017, Kelly Johnson took over the role as RAP Coordinator for the St. Clair River AOC. Kelly is a graduate of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario and brings with her a background in both Environmental Studies and Education. Kelly has experience working and collaborating with numerous stakeholders and First Nation communities and we look forward to the new ideas she will bring to the AOC program. Kelly can be reached at the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, 205 Millpond Crescent, Strathroy, Ontario; (519) ; mailto:kjohnson@scrca.on.ca. Welcome Kelly!!!!

2 Contact Us We love to receive your feedback and comments, drop us a line if you have a story suggestion or comments. Donna Strang, St. Clair RAP Coordinator Ken Hall, FOSCR Webmaster Help FOSCR delist the St. Clair River Friends of the St. Clair River is a registered Canadian charitable organization. Your financial support for our programs will help FOSCR progress towards delisting the St. Clair River as an Area of Concern in the Great Lakes. Contributions can be sent to: Mr. Terry Burrell Friends of the St Clair River 514 Christina Street North Sarnia, ON N7T 5W4 All donations will receive a tax receipt. Call Terry at for more information, PLEASE join us. Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption or Taste and Odour Problems The Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption or Taste and Odour Problems Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) was identified as impaired in the St. Clair River AOC due to frequent water intake closures resulting from upstream industrial spills. Although spill frequency has decreased significantly since the 1980 s, the Canadian Remedial Action Plan Implementation Committee (CRIC) recognized that a discussion paper summarizing the progress made in spill prevention, spill notification and response would be valuable to draft and share locally. Four community open houses were held to present the discussion paper and stimulate discussions among the public, First Nations, stakeholders and agencies regarding the information in the report. These sessions were also used to identify any remaining concerns and/or additional remedial measures that should be considered by the CRIC before they evaluate the status of this BUI. The comments and feedback received have been summarized and presented to the CRIC who will determine the next steps. The discussion paper on the Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption or Taste and Odour Problems BUI can be found on the Friends of the St. Clair River website at under Education Resources. Feedback provided from the community open houses will be posted in early July. Shoreline Restoration Projects Kick Into High Gear Courtright Shoreline Restoration: The existing site is protected with concrete rubble and stone and extends approximately 400 meters along the St. Clair River shoreline. A number of sections along the exposed shore have failed. The purpose of the undertaking is to provide shore stabilization, improve shoreline access, enhance aquatic habitat and to provide general improvements to the existing shore along the entire project site. The main benefits of the undertaking are: prevention of further erosion and river sedimentation improvements to aquatic habitats in the river improvement of the general appearance of the area control of loss of land in this area elimination of hazards associated with existing dilapidated structures improvement of public access to the waterfront The proposed preferred shoreline protection structure, include armour stone/rip rap revetment is incorporated along other parts of the shoreline. The proposed structure will be partly cut into the existing bank in order to maintain the flow conditions similar to the existing along the St. Clair River and ensure that aquatic habitat is not diminished. Aamjiwnaang First Nation Shoreline Naturalization: The project site is located just north or Corunna, Ontario. The site includes the shoreline of approximately 2 kilometers along the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Lands fronting the St. Clair River. The bank is in the order of 10 meters high. The current shoreline of the site, for the most part is protected with rip rap or armour stone revetment. There are some steel sheet

3 structures, docks and a launch ramp within this part of the shoreline. A walkway runs along most of the shore behind the protected shoreline. The purpose of the undertaking is to naturalize the shoreline. This will be accomplished by installing three shoreline features along the St. Clair River Shoreline. The three shoreline features are 1) Habitat pod, 2) Finger Groyne and 3) Fishing Pier. These features, when installed will improve shoreline access, enhance aquatic habitat and provide general improvements to the existing shore along the entire project site. Minimal maintenance is required for these features. FOSCR Funds Wetland Restoration on Clay Creek This spring a new wetland restoration project was completed near Clay Creek. Low lying, and frequently wet field areas were excavated and when they fill with water will result in multiple acres of new wetland habitat. This new wetland will also trap suspended solids in the water and remove nutrients to improve downstream water quality. Rural Lambton Stewardship undertook the project with financial support from Friends of St Clair River and Ducks Unlimited Canada. The ALUS Lambton program created the opportunity of this restoration work by making payments to the landowner to compensate for loss of farmed land. This program is only available on what is considered to be marginal lands and encourages it to be set aside from farming. In addition to the wetlands, several acres were also re-forested by the St Clair Region Conservation Authority. MP Marilyn Gladu Announcement Good News for St. Clair River On May 24, 2017 MP Marilyn Gladu announced the approval of a new list of water and wastewater projects under the Canada-Ontario Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF) agreement, which is designed to improve the safety and quality of water for Canadian families, while supporting a clean economy. As part of the bilateral agreement with Ontario, the following projects across Sarnia-Lambton have been approved for federal funding amounting to $5,464,352. After hearing from municipal leaders in March about the need for investment in our local wastewater infrastructure, I am pleased to welcome this positive news for our community, says Marilyn. These projects will enhance water quality across our region while also addressing capacity issues for some of our municipal partners. We eagerly await news about Phase 2 of this program, and our smaller municipalities will look to be included on future intakes as well. The Government of Canada is providing Ontario with over $569 million under CWWF (up to 50 percent of the eligible project costs). The provincial government is providing up to $270 million (up to 25 percent of total eligible project costs). Municipal recipients will provide the balance of funding. Canada and Ontario announce funding for clean water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Sarnia-Lambton

4 (Background) A new list of water and wastewater projects has been approved under the Canada-Ontario Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF) agreement, which is designed to improve the safety and quality of water for Canadian families, while supporting a clean economy. The Government of Canada is providing Ontario with over $569 million under CWWF (up to 50 percent of the eligible project costs). The provincial government is providing up to $270 million (up to 25 percent of total eligible project costs). The recipients will provide the balance of funding. As part of the bilateral agreement with Ontario, the following projects across Sarnia- Lambton have been approved for federal funding amounting to $5,464,352. USEPA Removes Seventh BUI from Impaired List On June 2, 2017, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) received correspondence from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announcing the official removal of the Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproductive Problems Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) from the St. Clair River Area of Concern (AOC). In the State of Michigan, established guidance for Areas of Concern allows for the removal of this BUI using either observational data and direct measurements in birds or other wildlife or fish tissue contaminant levels as an indicator of deformities or reproductive problems. In the St. Clair River, several studies were performed on bald eagles, mink, tree swallows and forage fish allowing for an assessment of the BUI using each approach. The results of these studies showed that the reproduction and development of wildlife are not being adversely impacted by contaminants in the environment. In her letter to Director Jon Allan of the MDEQ s Office of the Great Lakes, the Director of USEPA s Great Lakes National Program Office, Tinka Hyde, stated, This progress will

5 benefit not only the people who live and work in the St. Clair River AOC, but all the residents of the Great Lakes basin as well. On the Michigan side of the St. Clair River AOC, ten of the possible fourteen BUIs were considered impaired. The removal of the Bird or Animal Deformities BUI marks the seventh BUI removed on the Michigan side, leaving only three remaining. One of these three remaining BUIs is the Loss of Fish and Willdife Habitat which is expected to be removed by the end of St. Clair Region Conservation Authority hosts Great Lakes Student Conference and explore cultural connections to the St. Clair River. Members of Aamjiwnaang First Nation leading a workshop In an effort to increase Great Lakes literacy the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change funded a Great Lakes Student Conference organized by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and the Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB). Over 70 students from four LKDSB high schools attended the conference where they had the opportunity to learn about issues surrounding the Great Lakes, possible career paths, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority Chair, Steve Arnold provides opening remarks at the student conference The conference was a great success, in large part, because of the following workshop leaders that participated and provided their expertise: Pollutech Aamjiwnaang First Nation Sciensational Snakes Return the Landscape St. Clair Conservation Biology Staff Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Top of Page To unsubscribe from our distribution list and no longer receive this newsletter just click here: Please remove me

6 BPAC is a community-based partnership including governments, industry, first nations, academia, as well as environmental organizations and private citizens that work collectively in helping to improve the health of the St. Clair River. Our key goal is to implement the Canadian Remedial Action Plan (RAP) in order to restore the beneficial uses and remove the River from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. This E-Newsletter is produced with support from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment

7 Filename: FOSCR E- Newsletter June 2017 print copy.docx Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\Ken Hall\Desktop\E- News\June 2017 Template: C:\Documents and Settings\Ken Hall\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot Title: Subject: Author: Ken Hall Keywords: Comments: Creation Date: 6/23/2017 6:29 PM Change Number: 4 Last Saved On: 6/23/2017 6:45 PM Last Saved By: Ken Hall Total Editing Time: 15 Minutes Last Printed On: 7/24/2017 4:51 PM As of Last Complete Printing Number of Pages: 6 Number of Words: 2,045 (approx.) Number of Characters: 11,659 (approx.)