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TD 367 .W384 2011 MOE Ontario 1 PIBS8479e ©Queen'sPrinterforOntario, 201 Coverimage:BigCedarPointonthewestsideofCook'sBay,LakeSimcoe. Credit:NickWilson Cettepublicationestdisponibleenfrangaissousletitre Youcan alsocontacttheministry'sPublic Information Centreat Rapportde2010surlaqualitedeI'eau enOntario: pointscles. [email protected] This Highlights reportsummarizesthe information inthe Todownloadcopiesofthis reportandthefullWaterQualityin WaterQualityin Ontario 2010 Report. Ontario2010Reportpleasevisittheministry'sv\/ebsite, www.ontario.ca/environment Formoreinformation on this reportpleasecontacttheOntario TD Water quality in Ontario 2010 Ministryofthe [email protected]. 367 highlights. .W384 2011 Introduction ntario borders on four ofthe five Great Lakes and has more than a quarter of a million lakes, rivers and streams. These water resources are the cornerstone ofthe quality of life we enjoy in Ontario. Our health, the health ofthe environment and our economic prosperity depend on them. We monitor to understand the state of our water resources, the impacts of human activities, the causesofproblemsandtoidentifyemergingprob- lems. The scientific information from monitoring is used to develop new protection measures and to track and report on our progress in improving andprotectingwaterresources. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) does extensivemonitoringofwaterqualityinthe Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, streams, and groimd- wateracrosstheprovince. Many partners contribute to the success of the ministry's monitoring programs: the federal gov- ernment, provincial ministries, municipalities, conservation authorities, academic institutions, environmentalassociationsandvolunteers. WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights 1 Collecting and Analyzing Information The ministry monitors over the long term to track overall conditions over an extended period oftime and in the short term to examine impacts of contaminants on specific sites. Every year, the ministry collects and analyzes tens of thousands of samples from water, sediment, and aquatic life such as fish and algae. Monitoring equipment used in lakes ranges and MOE have — from the very sophisticated two boats fully collected sport equipped to collect and analyze samples on fish from more — TheLandOceanBiophysicalObservatory board to simple Secchi disks lowered into the than 1,950 loca- (LOBO)isareal-timewaterquality watertovisuallymeasure waterclarity. tions across the monitoringbuoythatcollectsarangeof province, which physicalandwaterqualitydatathatcanbe The 11.5 metre Great Lakes Guardian and the were then ana- accessedinnearreal-timeviatheinternet. 8.6 metre Monitor VI are specifically outfitted to lyzed for a variety ofcontaminants. Through the collectwaterandsedimentqualitysamplesinthe Lake Partner Program, volunteers help monitor Great Lakes. Both vessels conduct monitoring morethan500inlandlakesbycollectingphospho- operations in deeper open waters, in shallower russamplesandmakingmonthlyobservationson water close to shore, and in the inter-connecting waterclarity. Theprovincial (stream) waterqual- rivers betweenthe GreatLakes. itymonitoringnetworkmeasureswaterqualityin Otherequipmentisalsousedtomonitorthe Great rivers and streams at over 400 locations across Lakes. Sensors such as the Acoustic Doppler Cur- Ontario. The provincial groundwater monitoring rent Profilers are placed in a lake for extended networkmeasuresgroundwaterlevelsandchem- periods to measure currents and wave action. A istryatover470 wells across Ontario. monitoring buoy in Lake Ontario collects arange Every year, thousands ofwater samples are ana- ofdata that can be accessed in close to real time lyzed inthe ministry's laboratories andtested for viatheInternet. basic water quality parameters such as acidity Theministryhasmonitoringnetworks acrossthe and hardness. Samples are also tested for signs province. Forthesportfishcontaminantmonitor- of pollution such as nutrients, mercury, lead, ing program, the Ministry of Natural Resources PCBs andpesticides. 2 WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights Using Monitoring Information The ministry's water quality monitoring programs provide valuable scientific information for developing policies and programs to protect water resources, aquatic life and our health. Monitoring was instrumental in setting the target for reducing phosphorus in Lake Simcoe. The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan sets a deep water dissolved oxygen target of seven milligrams per litre. This level is required to support a naturally Scientistscollectingsedimentcoresfrom HawleyLake. reproducing and self-sustaining cold-water fish community. This target translates into reducing Sport fish samples are collected and analyzed to the amount of phosphorus entering the lake by determine if they contain persistent toxic sub- almost40percentfrom72tonnesto44tonnesper stances. This information is used to prepare the year. To accomplish this, in July 2010, the prov- Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish. Published ince launched the phosphorus reduction strategy every two years, the guide gives anglers and forLakeSimcoe. Thestrategyoutlineskeyactions others who eat sport fish the advice they need to to reduce phosphorusfromeachmajorsource. ensuretheyare notendangeringtheirhealth. This yearthis information is also available online in an Based on monitoring information, the ministry interactive map onthe ministry'swebsite. has modified the water quality objective for total phosphorus in lakes in Ontario's Precambrian Monitoring also helps to prioritize key issues and Shield. The revised approach allows each lake to choose the geographic areas in which to con- have its own phosphorus objective to maintain centrate to get a better understanding of what is ecological diversity. The new Lakeshore Capacity happening. For this reason, Ontario extended its Assessment Handbook helps municipalities accu- monitoring efforts to the far north. The ministry rately assess the risk of future development to collected sediment core samples from several water quality. The handbook sets out a scientific lakesinthefarnorthregiontoexaminetheeffects approach based on the principles of ecosystem of climate change in this area. Results from this sustainabihtyandwatershed-basedplanrung. workwill bepublishedinfuture reports. WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights 3 Water Quality in Ontario 2010 Report The second Water Quality O 100.0 in Ontario Report presents findings on areas of focus for the ministry's water monitoring. Monitoring showing the is success of protection actions. We are seeing improvements in Year the Great Lakes, Lake Simcoe and Pesticidedetectionratesintreatedsurfacewaterand other water bodies. groundwater,1986-2006. Wheatley Harbour in Lake Erie is no longer on habitat. Contaminants such as PCBs and DDT the list ofGreat LakesAreas ofConcern. The revi- have generallydeclinedinLake Simcoe sportfish. talized harbour is now home to an abundant and Levels of three common lawn care pesticides diverse community offish and wildlife, and water decreased about 80 per cent in urban streams in qualityhas improved. thefirstyearofOntario's cosmeticpesticides ban. Levels of PCBs, mercury, dioxins and furans are Pesticide levels in treated drinking water from generally stable or decreasing in sport fish from surface watersources dropped substantiallyfrom the Canadian Great Lakes. As a result, sport fish 1986to 2006. from the Great Lakes are safer to eat today. The 2011-2012 Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish The 2010 reporthasnew information onanumber shows amodest decrease in consumption restric- ofemergingandongoingchallenges. tionssincethe 2009-2010 guide. New data indicates that a warming climate is Compared to past decades, phosphorus levels in affecting Ontario's water resources. Warmer Lake Simcoearelower. This has contributedtoan air temperatures in June and September have increase in dissolved oxygen in the deep waters increased the length of time the water in Lake ofthe lake, which is an important cold-water fish Simcoe is separated into warm and cool layers by 4 WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights New monitoring and research indicate the Rainy River is the larg- est single contributor of phosphorus to Lake of the Woods. Recent studies show phosphorus concentrations are highest in bays in the lake near the mouth of the river and that algal blooms appear first in this area. Since the 2008 report, the ministry is acquir- ing more information — on pathogens micro- scopic organisms that InvasivemusselsintheGreatLakesaredrasticallyalteringthelakebedandtheecosystem. can cause disease in approximately33daysoverthelastthreedecades. humans and animals and chemicals of emerg- These changes are likely contributing to observed ing concern. changes in the algae in the lake, which in turn is The ministry started using advanced techniques possiblyinipactingthe foodweb ofthe lake. topinpointthesources offecalpollutionatselect Warmer air temperatures likely also played a role beaches in Lake Huron. The technique involves — inthemajordie-offsofbrooktroutandwhitesuck- taking samples of E. coli an indicator offecal — ersintheSuttonRiverinOntario'sfarnorthregion. pollution fromdifferentsourcessuchas beach water, sand, nearby rivers, wildlife, farm animals MonitoringresultsforinvasivespeciesintheGreat andhumansinthe surroundingareato determine Lakes and Lake Simcoe are featured in the report how genetically related they are to one another. forthefirsttime. In2008, invasivemusselscovered Using this innovative approach, the genetic infor- 47 per cent ofthe lake bottom in coastal areas of mation revealed that E. coli came from many Lake Ontario. Invasive mussels in the GreatLakes different sources including agriculture, wildlife are drasticallyalteringthelakebed andthe ecosys- and human sources. The main source was of tem.Invasivemusselsarecreatingmorefavourable agricultural origin and was transported to the conditionsforalgaegrowth onthelakebedandfor beaches throughrivers. nearshoreaquaticplantgrowthdisruptingthehab- itatandfoodsupplyofnativespecies. WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights 5 The ministry used an innovative device called a passive sampler to monitor concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the Great Lakes. Passive samplersareusefulinlocations where watercon- ditions change often, such as streams and rivers, and the nearshore areas ofthe Great Lakes. The samplers replace the need to collect many indi- vidual water samples overtime to obtain average concentrations. They essentially mimic the expo- sure oforganismssuchasfishto chemicalsinthat Year areaofwater. The studyfoundlowbut detectable AverageannualchlorideconcentrationinOntario'sstreams concentrations in Great Lakes water. Concen- (modifiedfromTodcj,KalteneckerandRocksinpreparation). trations were similar or lower to those found in other surface water studies. As expected, the decades. Concentrationsinurbanstreamsaretypi- highest concentrations were found in the waters callyhigherand are increasingatafasterrate than near sewage treatment plants of urban centres theprovincialaverage. Roadsaltislikelythemajor suchasHamilton andToronto. source.Averagechlorideconcentrationsinstreams peak in the wintermonths. The highest concentra- For the first time, the report provides chloride tions generally occur in urbanized regions where monitoring results. Chloride concentrations in there are more roads, parking lots and sidewalks Ontario'sstreamshaveincreasedoverthelastthree andgreaterquantitiesofsaltsareused. TheGreatLakesGuardian,aministryGreatLakessurveyvessel. 6 WaterQualityin Ontario2010:Highlights 0 Conclusions The monitoring results in the 201 report show that the investments and efforts by governments, industry and individuals to protect water quality in Ontario are successful. While improvements have been made we still need to do more to address new and ongoing challenges to protecting our valuable water resources. Further reductions in phosphorus loads to The Clean Water Actto help protectsources Lake Simcoe are required to reach the target ofourdrinkingwater for dissolved oxygen necessary to support Lake Simcoe Protection Act to restore and cold-waterfish. Continuedeffortsto reduce phos- protectthehealth ofthisthreatenedlake phorus levels and to better understand the role ofinvasive mussels in the GreatLakes and inland Toxics Reduction Act to protect human lakes are required to discourage excessive algae health and the environment by reducing the growth. Ongoing actions to reduce toxics emis- use andcreation oftoxic substances sionsandto cleanup contaminated areas inlakes Water Opportunities and Water Conserva- andstreamsarerequiredtoreducerestrictionson tion Act to help Ontario become a leader in eatingsportfish. water conservation and treatment technolo- Monitoring will continue to track the progress of gies as well as encourage Ontarians to use Ontario'swaterprotectioninitiatives. Ontario has watermore efficiently. some ofthemostrigorouswaterprotectionmeas- ures in NorthAmericaincluding: WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights 7 3 WaterQualityinOntario2010:Highlights