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Papermill Lake, Bedford

March 12, 2008   

Caution: Since Papermill is a shallow lake, the standard limnetic (i.e., open water) trophic parameters may not represent the true trophic status of the lake

Contents:

• Water quality, and general overview!
  • Future and monitoring
  • Total stormwater treatment recommended
  • Our original submissions to the BWAC: July 27 and September 15, 1996

• Concerns of stakeholders and statements by Government agencies

Water Quality

Select scientific modelling and chemical/biological limnology are part of our miscellaneous archives!

The bathymetric map; the morphological data; the watershed plan; the Papermill Lake watershed flow chart; the paleolimnology of lakes in the HRM; HRM's receiving water baseline sampling program for fecal coliforms; Examples of recent closures of the supervised beach: 2001

Our submission to the Regional Council dated June 12, 2006 delves into some detail

• For sound LCC methodology, see the report by a leading worldwide scientist in this domain, Prof. Dr. Peter Dillon FRSC, and his collaborators!

• Also read our Lake Carrying Capacities Homepage

The Predictive TP/Cha base model developed by Shalom Mandaville along with control field data elucidates total correspondence even with latter data! For a brief overview on our predictive TP/Cha modelling, see TP/Cha Models!

As the year-2004 CCME Policy on Phosphorus (TP) clearly narrates that not adhering to the reference/background (i.e., the natural pre-development value) + 50% maximum increase concept, even if they fall within the reference/background trigger ranges, could result in significant changes to the `COMMUNITY STRUCTURE' (cf. eutro1, and eutro2)!

Our original recommendation was not based on the CCME's year-2004 policy since the recommedations were developed during the mid-1990s. While the CCME's policy was based on a 1991 paper published by NALMS (Hutchinson et al., 1991), nevertheless, it was not the official policy of CCME until year-2004!

Also see our original submissions to the BWAC: July 27 and Sept. 15, 1996

Future and monitoring:

Since Papermill Lake is a shallow lake, the standard limnetic (i.e., open-water or pelagic) trophic parameters may not represent the true trophic status of the lake.

The limnetic parameters may not reflect changes in the watershed unless those changes are significant in relationship to the overall size of the watershed and/or in its prevailing inputs!

To reliably ascertain incremental inputs from new developments, outflows of every storm pipe outlet, of in-situ devices (e.g., CDS, Stormceptor or Vortechnics), of constructed wetlands outlets, and others have to be monitored almost on an hourly basis during runoff, and pollutographs have to be developed.

Total stormwater treatment recommended:

A note of caution: There have been conflicting results in the long term removal of typical stressors in storm drainage using constructed (or engineered) wetlands. Further, such wetlands have not had a successful history in the amelioration of acid drainage in HRM. Hence, the only sustainable methodology would be treatment of urban and suburban stormwater by traditional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) based on the tertiary removal process in the case of stressed lakes! This implies considerable capital costs and operation & maintenance!

The other option is to disallow any further development similar to what residents in Lower Sackville triumphed at Second Lake after years of intense lobbying! Even there, significant amount of chemical and biological limnology was conducted by us!

Our original submissions to the BWAC: July 27 and Sept. 15, 1996:

The Bedford Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) did indeed support us, and pursuant to their support, the North West Community Council (NWCC) was also in favour of our recommendation. But nothing has transpired on a pragmatic level to date!

Concerns of stakeholders and statements by Government agencies

• Developer plans lawsuit against councillor opposed to 340-home project; September 13, 2005  

• Media statement by Councillor Len Goucher of Dt. 21; April 29, 2003 pursuant to our major press release to the dedicated reporter, Ms. Kim Moar, as well as our clarification to the Editor, of The Daily News, in April of 2003!

• Comments of Tony Blouin of HRM on request by the North West Community Council; June 20, 1996

• Lake's origins and concerns of residents

• Bedford residents say `no' to a major development proposal. The Halifax Herald Ltd., 1994

• Dams on the lake- Andre Ducharme, Director, Habitat Management Branch, DFO; February 06, 1991

• A campaign to save Paper Mill Lake by the "Save Paper Mill Lake Committee"; March 28, 1990

• At times, the so-called `battle' can get `hot' as in the media article

• Strong concerns of the Bedford Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC), Town of Bedford: February 05, 1990
  

Comments of Tony Blouin of HRM on request by the North West Community Council:

Dams on the lake and the need, if any, for fish passage-- Andre Ducharme, Director, Habitat Management Branch, DFO; February 06, 1991:

Acknowledgements

We salute the Chebucto Community Net (CCN) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for hosting our web site, and we applaud its volunteers for their devotion in making `CCN' the best community net in the world!