By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
People are starting to see cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms on lakes in Yarmouth County and in some cases the blooms are showing up earlier than in past years.
On Wednesday, June 22, people living on or near Lake Vaughan discovered the unwelcome bloom on their lake. For some residents with property on this lake, it was the first time they had seen the bloom and they were understandably devastated.
For other people living near, or with property on, other lakes however, the blooms are becoming an unwelcome and dreaded annual occurrence. It’s something they know is coming, but are powerless to stop.
“I have reports from members of our group on Fanning Lake and Ogden Lake that the blooms have started there already,” says Debbie Boudreau, of the Tri-County Watershed Protection Association. “Considering how cool the temperatures have been, this is really early . . . It seems to go down the chain starting in Digby County in Hourglass Lake and ending in Lake Vaughan.”
The association says that despite cries for help from concerned citizens, the troubles experienced by the YMCA camp, and three studies of 10 area lakes in 2008, 2009 and 2010 documenting the deteriorating condition, nothing has been done to remedy the situation.
“This algae is caused by increased nutrient levels in the lakes and continues to get worse. Where does this come from?” the group asks in a press release.
But they feel certain they know. They are others believe mink farms are to blame.
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, water quality surveys on the impacted lakes suggested the lakes were relatively pristine at the time. But since then things have changed.
In an excerpt from his 2010 Water Quality Survey of Ten Lakes Located in the Carleton River Watershed, Mike Brylinksy of Acadia University stated: “Although the surveys were not intended or designed to provide evidence of a direct link to any particular nutrient source, the most probable source of nutrients leading to the decline in water quality are those originating from the activities of the mink farms highly concentrated in that area. The low fecal coliform numbers present in shoreline water quality samples suggests that residential development along lake shorelines is not a serious contributor to nutrient over-enrichment.”
While the N.S. Department of Agriculture has said there will be regulations in place and inspections done to make sure the lakes and rivers are protected from mink farms, those regulations are not yet in place. And once they are, existing operations will have three years to comply, which causes concern for local residents. They also don’t think new operations should be allowed until the regulations are in place.
In an email response sent to a Yarmouth County resident, which was forwarded to the Vanguard’s newsroom, Agriculture Minister John MacDonell clarifies that he has not placed a moratorium on new mink farms in Nova Scotia, which is something the Tri-County Watershed Protection Association had indicated that he had said during a meeting where members of the group were present.
“Applications for new farms will be processed respecting the legislation currently in place. I have instructed staff to proceed with requests for new fur farming permits, provided that the proposed farm has the correct zoning and meets the setback requirements defined by the municipality,” the minister wrote.
“All farms in Nova Scotia, regardless of the species grown or raised, are required to follow generally accepted farm practices for their operation. When these practices are followed the right to farm is protected. This right does not supersede other provincial, federal, or municipal requirements,” stated MacDonell. “Department staff are available to advise those who are constructing new farms throughout the process from start to finish. With the current development of new regulations for mink farming , we advise farmers to follow modern designs and best practices and to operate the facility in a responsible manner.”
MacDonell says follow-up inspections from previous work carried out by the departments of Environment and Agricultural will take place again this year.
“Due to the many lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands in Nova Scotia many, if not all, farms may be located on or near a water course. Having a blanket rule that farms will not be located near a watercourse is not practical. Therefore, municipal governments have established setback distances in order to protect watercourses,” he says.
“Going forward, the department is working on a regulatory package that will ensure a more rigorous process for establishing a fur farm. This legislation will focus on preventing problems on the farm before they occur. Over the next few years we are committed to bringing all fur farms to a standard where manure will be collected and disposed of properly.”
The Vanguard will have more to report on this issue in upcoming stories in the newspaper and posts to this website.
