Issue report

Other

Picton, Ontario, Canada

Reported by:
Don Ross
About this Location

Picton Harbour on Lake Ontario : Picton Harbour at Mouth of Marsh Creek

Calm sheltered harbour in Picton where boats are docked and easily accessible from the boardwalk beside the Harbour Inn. The Marsh Creek empties in...
45 Observations
2 Issues
0 Comments

See trends at this location

Notes

Conductivity reading was extremely high at 741 considering the average here has been 365 and previous high was 661 in march of 2021. anything over 500 is considered unhealthy for fish and other wildlife so this is concerning to see. we’ve never recorded a reading that high ever at any of the 70+ locations our csg test around the country. i took multiple readings this day to ensure it wasn’t an issue with our test equipment, then confirmed it was working correctly by testing at other locations.

Details:

Have you seen this before?

Has never been such a high reading in the 5 years we’ve been testing here. Previous high was 661 on March 23/ 2021. The average has been in the mid 300’s.

Have you notified any other agencies?

Contacted Mary Gunning at Quinte Conservation who manages water quality for them and she referred me to the govt agency that must follow up. I filed a report with them on July 18th. Thank you for letting us know. Can you fill out this form? https://report-pollution.ene.gov.on.ca/ The form will notify Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). Alternatively, you can call Spills Action Centre at Toll-free: 1-800-268-6060. MECP is obligated to investigate. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks, -Mary Mary Gunning (She/Her) Aquatic Science Coordinator Quinte Conservation

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Issue history

  • 2022-07-02 - 13:00:00

    Other reported to County Sustainability Group by Don Ross.

  • 2022-07-18 - 11:51:00

    Don Ross is currently investigating this issue.

    Your pollution report has been submitted! Keep this reference number 220718-000009 if you wish to follow up with your local Ministry District/Area Office.

  • 2022-07-20 - 19:37:00 Don Ross commented

    Got a call today….July 20th….from the Ministry of Environment concerning the report I filed. They said they’d be going out to this site today to investigate in person and determine what might be happening there. From the photos I had sent it’s possible there is blue/green algae present. As to the aerator fountain that has been missing for several years, he will check in with his contacts in the municipality to see if they’re aware of who has responsibility for it.

  • 2022-07-22 - 10:57:00 Don Ross commented

    Quinte Conservation will be performing their Algae monitoring on Monday (provided that the weather cooperates) and their field staff will check it out. They do test for Microcystins in Picton Harbour, and it has been negative so far this year.

  • 2022-07-31 - 15:42:00 Don Ross commented

    The conductivity, which was so extremely high when last tested about a month ago, was back into the normal range again today ( July 31st ) Tested multiple times in various spots today to ensure it was OK and all readings consistent.