(I am addressing this informal email to you, Gloria, and Cc’d to the rest of the 6 members of the HECC as you have all shown varied interest in lakes based on a combination of media (printed and radio) statements and/or statements at the Regional Council over the last handful of years. Also Cc’d to select staff members of HRM and Halifax Water. No response needed unless you have questions. I am also attaching a photograph of the heavy weed growth that one of our member’s paddles got caught up with when we were rowing in BISSETT LAKE, Cole Harbour; while that photo is somewhat dated, it was no different 2 years ago).

 

Following is in only 3 aspects in order to avoid any potential confusion. As usual, I provide web links and you all have to click on them to instantly launch the relevant web pages:--

 

(1)   Kindly read the subtitle, “THE PLANT DOMINATED STATE”, before you remove the so‑called weeds in any lakes without `intense reflection’ and well advertised public consultations (I would love to attend if I know about them unless I have `conflicts’ in my time; I had attended several such meetings in parts of the mighty USA during the 1980’s and 90’s)!

(2)   SHALLOW LAKES (please click on it to understand more):--

 

As I had stated at the public meeting at the MicMac Boat Club last month, there are way too many errors being made in the calculation of trophic status even by some of the scientific academia. Most of them (including ourselves when we were still in `our infancy’) are basing only `pelagic, i.e., open‑water samples’, alas!

 

The internationally accepted definition is, “Trophy of a lake refers to the rate at which organic matter is supplied by or to the lake per unit time” (Wetzel, 2001).

 

Trophy, then, is an expression of the combined effects of organic matter to the lake! As developed originally and as largely used today, the trophic concept (e.g., TP, Cha, SD, and TN) refers to the pelagic-zone-planktonic portion of the lake ecosystem (cf. Tables 4.1 and 4.2, Environment Canada-2004). The littoral flora and its often dominating supply of autochthonous organic matter to the system, was, and usually still is, ignored. `CCME guidelines’ are just that, and are/were never intended to replace a comprehensive research analyses as proven time and time again. In addition, many are not specific to every ecosystem in Canada, but are `generalizations’ only.

 

There are indeed `models’ to include plant and weed growth in the trophic computations but it can be quite cumbersome (I have already done that in some models)! Afterall, plants and weeds supply organic matter to the lake, hence, have to be taken into account if one is serious about assessing lakes properly!

 

 

(3)   This email is also triggered by the HRM’s latest mail-out, Naturally Green, which I received today. A short article on page-11 titled, “Shoreline Stewardship-Help Protect our Lakes” instantly caught my eye.

They have a figure of `over 5500 lakes’ in HRM which is totally incorrect. The correct figure is approximately 1,100 lakes/ponds over 1 hectare in size. As I said before, I have completed predictive modelling of both `TP’ and `Cha’ of almost all lakes/ponds in HRM as well as in 3 adjacent Nova Scotia counties.

 

Note to Dr. TONY BLOUIN (since I think `you may’ still have behind-the-scenes advisory role to the HRM): I have used more regressions in my predictive modelling than you were familiar with based on our intense past discussions.

 

I got better predictions that way and in general, our values are lower than those predicted by CWRS, Dalhousie University in the Papermill Lake Watershed (on HRM’s website), and those by that MSc student of one of our members, Prof. Dr. Peter Dillon (I will let him know later on).

 

In reality, the entire watershed inclusive of the upstream catchment areas counts, not just the shoreline contrary to what was stated in the aforementioned NATURALLY GREEN newsletter!

 

Among the 323 Television shows that we produced, the one most relevant in this case is where JOHN SHEPPARD PEng was the valued guest on March, 10, 1992; it is literally `timeless’. John did not address all the urban stressors though but he addressed most of them, in a general way.

 

Even `automobile traffic’ can have negative impacts due to micro‑mini oil spills, wearing out of the brake pads, tires, etc., which can result in carbonaceous oxygen demand (COD), heavy metals, etc., in the receiving water courses with the impact being most severe in small freshwater lakes; it is not as severe in the Halifax Harbour (we have sediment results, etc.)

 

 

PS:- Councillors Gloria McCluskey and Bill Karsten (and many others at HRM and Halifax Water) have that video on the DVD+R disks that I gave them. I am now seriously considering placing that whole video file on the internet though I have not made the final decision since most web pages I write are quite scientific but the public may relate more to the one featuring JOHN SHEPPARD though (he had spoken in clear terms)!

 

 

(Clicking on the underlined words will launch the relevant web pages)

 

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

 

“Yes, We Can!”, a 4:30 minute music video on YouTube

 

Chair & Scientific Director

Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax- SWCSMH, a multi-discipline scientific/technical stakeholder group

 

…………… and Public Art in Halifax Regional Municipality, NS

 

310-4 Lakefront Road, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada  B2Y 3C4

Tel: 902-463-7777

 

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