On the advice of two, extensively published scientist-members of our society, we are herewith providing an overview of our above 13-page email-submission. We have also converted our December 18^th email-submission into a convenient web page.

 

The web links here are visible as (clickable) underlined words only.

 

We comment only on the environmental aspects which are contained essentially in Chapter 2: Environment, Draft #2, of the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy.

 

There are only five (5) summary aspects in this overview-email; they are our recommendations to set up a civil service Lakes Authority; on Lake Carrying Capacities; Over-reliance on advisory boards should be avoided; the dire need for studies by qualified limnologists in all studies relating to lakes and rivers; and archives on our intense cooperation and mostly solicited donations to the HRM:--

 

 

(1)   With no further delay, the Regional Planning team should strongly recommend setting up of a pragmatically effective LAKES AUTHORITY staffed with two to three qualified as well as practical limnologists, i.e., not theoreticians:--

 

This modus operandi would be lot more economic and wholistic than the large amount of public funds that HRM is planning to expend on hired consultants; further, the HRM is also planning on a kindergarten limnological level only.

 

The primary function of this Lakes Authority is to be pro-active, i.e., not be just `advisory types’. The staff could carry out in-house lake studies inclusive of field sampling not only of chemistry, but more importantly of biological limnology. See why biomonitoring is more revealing than chemistry, assuming the HRM is seriously interested in preserving and/or restoring lakes!

 

The Authority could also be developing Lake Carrying Capacities as needed.

 

It should also respond effectively to the vast number of public concerns rather than passing the perpetual buck as has been the case with HRM and its previous municipal units to date!

 

Indeed, staff was positive to the idea when we made the original appeal on this subject to the Regional Council on August 21, 2001, and we herewith thank them for it.

 

 

 

(2)   Lake Carrying Capacities (LCC):--

 

These should be set by HRM and not by developers’ consultants. Before adopting them as planning tools, extensive public consultations should take place (in round-table format) over and above consultations with appointees of advisory boards and elected councils!

 

[Return]

 

 

(3)   Over-reliance on advisory boards has proven to be futile, and the advisory boards do not consult the public anyway:--

 

The whole aspect of professional lake management is quite specialized and should not be restricted to advisory boards; further, the boards do not have any eminently qualified scientists in lake management and applied limnology.

 

No advisory board has published any credible papers or handbooks relating to APPLIED LIMNOLOGY and BIODIVERSITY and BIOTIC INTEGRITY of our invaluable freshwater resources. Hence, how can HRM rely exclusively on such boards?

 

HRM should enshrine the tenets enshrined in our web page titled, “Community goals- Lake and River management” which were essentially derived from the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS); Dr. Tony Blouin of HRM, and Mr. Darrell Taylor of the NSEL are indeed members of the NALMS!

 

[Return]

 

 

(4)   The dire need for studies by Qualified Limnologists in all studies relating to potential impact on lakes and rivers:--

 

The planning documents should give a commitment that HRM would insist on the dire need for studies by `qualified limnologists’; it has never done so to date although it has been the NSEL’s policy from as long back as year 2002 (see section V.2 of the NSEL’s Storm Drainage Works Approval Policy).

 

[Return]

 

 

(5)   Archives on our intense cooperation and mostly solicited donations to the HRM:--

 

These can be fathomed from a combination of our letter to His Worship dated, October 05, 2004, and from our related web page!

 

[Return]

 

 

 

 

Shalom M. Mandaville Post-Grad Dip., Professional Lake Manage.

Chair & Scientific Director (902-463-7777)

Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax

Dartmouth, NS

Canada  B2Y 3C4

• Master Homepage: http://lakes.chebucto.org/

Email transmissions cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses.

The sender therefore does not accept any liability for errors or omissions in the contents of this message that arise as a result of email transmissions. If verification is required please request a hard copy version.

 

[Return]