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Photo by Linda HeronPhoto Credit

Mill Creek Weir Removal Project

By Linda Heron on Saturday, October 8th, 2022
Posted in Aquatic Life, Brook Trout, Dam Removals, Dams, Mill Creek Weir, Removal

The ORA is pleased to partner with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) in the Mill Creek Weir Removal Project. Mill Creek is home to an at-risk population of native Brook Trout, and the weir is a barrier to fish passage and prime habitat.   Mill Creek is the lowest dam before its confluence with the Credit River.

The concrete weir is broken and cracked, and if individuals from the Brook Trout population were to breach the weir, they could be permanently trapped in a small pool on the other side, with no way back. Removing the weir will remove this hazard, open up 5 km of uninterrupted Brook Trout habitat, and increase Mill Creek’s resilience to a warming climate. The ORA applied for and received a $5,000 Lush grant towards the new detailed channel design. Continue reading →

Join ORA: Adam Shoalts – #1 Best Selling Author & Wilderness Legend

By Linda Heron on Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
Posted in Events, Media, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk

Adam Shoalts, Author and Wilderness Legend

ORA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SPEAKER: ADAM SHOALTS – #1 BEST SELLING AUTHOR
Saturday, 22 October 2022
Free – Limited Seats

AGM at 10:00 am – Keynote Speaker at 10:30 am

REGISTER NOW TO SAVE YOUR SEAT!

ADAM SHOALTS: A well-known explorer, adventurer, conservationist and bestselling author.  Adam will join us to share stories of his expeditions in Canada’s wilderness and talk about the importance of preserving wild rivers from remote hinterlands to our own backyards.

BIO: Best known for his long solo canoe journeys, including crossing nearly 4,000 km of Canada’s Arctic alone, Adam Shoalts is the Westaway Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a regular guest on television and radio. His national bestselling books include Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic, A History of Canada in 10 Maps, and The Whisper on the Night Wind. A geographer, historian and archaeologist, Shoalts has a PhD in History from McMaster University.

Register here to reserve your seat.

All registrants will receive an Agenda one week before the AGM.

All members wishing to vote at the AGM must renew their membership by 21 October 2022.

Drop us a line if you interested in joining our Board of Directors at info@ontarioriversalliance.ca   

                                              

ERO 019-5816 – Development of a Clean Energy Credit Registry

By Linda Heron on Friday, September 16th, 2022
Posted in Clean Energy Credits, Energy, Environmental Registry, ORA Submissions, Regulatory, Regulatory Submissions, River Concerns

The total amount of GHGs emissions from a hydroelectric facility is dependent upon many factors, including the impounded reservoir, terrain, amount of organic matter, air-water temperature, reservoir depth and size, vegetation (algae and plant/tree litter), pH values, oxygen levels, flow velocity, water level fluctuations, wind speeds, precipitation, wetlands within the impoundment zone, and facility operating strategy (cycling and peaking to maximize power generation).  Every hydroelectric facility is unique in its complexity and must be carefully studied and continually assessed and monitored to determine the total daily, seasonal and annual GHG emissions per MWh emanating from the system.

Continue reading →

Erin WWTP – Environmental Compliance Approval – Joint

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, August 24th, 2022
Posted in Environmental Compliance Approval, Erin WWTP, Joint, ORA Submissions, Regulatory, Rivers at Risk, Urban Development, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, West Credit River

Photo by Steven Noakes – West Credit River Brook Trout

The Coalition for the West Credit River (Coalition) remains very concerned with the potential environmental impact of the Erin Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) and, in particular, the temperature of its treated effluent harming the sensitive coldwater Brook Trout habitat of the West Credit River. 

As your Ministry is aware, the approved sewage treatment plant proposes to discharge large flows of sewage effluent into the relatively small flow of the West Credit River. The lack of significant dilution will greatly magnify the thermal impact of warm effluent on this coldwater stream. 

Continue reading →

Put nature at the centre of Canada’s Adaptation Strategy – Joint

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, July 13th, 2022
Posted in Climate Change, Joint, River Concerns

Photo by Steven Noakes – West Credit River

As representatives of more than 90 organizations from across Canada, we are writing to urge you to put nature at the centre of Canada’s forthcoming National Adaptation Strategy.

The impacts of climate change are already being felt across the country, and we must all work together to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilient communities and ecosystems.

Continue reading →

Environmental Compliance Approval Number 7877-CALRZU – Erin Water Resource Recovery Facility – Joint

By Linda Heron on Friday, June 3rd, 2022
Posted in Aquatic Life, Brook Trout, Erin WWTP, Fisheries, Joint, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sewage, Urban Development, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, Water Quality, West Credit River

Photo by Steven Noakes

First, the Coalition for the West Credit River (Coalition) would like to express our deepest appreciation that you and your staff worked with our Technical Team over the last several months to incorporate some of our recommendations into the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA). However, we are concerned that our key recommendations for improvements to the draft ECA, received by you on 2 May, were not reflected in the ECA approved on 3 May 2022. 

Continue reading →

Delegation Request – Erin Water Resource Recovery Facility – Joint

By Linda Heron on Friday, June 3rd, 2022
Posted in Aquatic Life, Brook Trout, Environmental Compliance Approval, Erin WWTP, Fisheries, Joint, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sewage, Sewage, Urban Development, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, West Credit River

Photo by Steven Noakes

The Coalition is very appreciative of your strong support in recommending to the Honourable David Piccini, Minister of Environment, Conservation Parks (MECP) and Mayor Allan Alls, Town of Erin, that our draft Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan be integrated into the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA). As you are likely aware, the ECA for the Erin Water Resource Recovery Facility was approved on 3 May 2022 by Aziz Ahmed, P.Eng., MECP Manager of Municipal Water & Wastewater Permissions, appointed for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Environmental Protection Act. 

Continue reading →

Renomination of Radionuclides as Chemicals of Mutual Concern Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

By Linda Heron on Monday, May 16th, 2022
Posted in Great Lakes Protection Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Joint, Radionuclides, Regulatory, Regulatory Submissions

Five years ago, in March 2016, 110 groups submitted an application under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) to designate radionuclides as Chemicals of Mutual Concern (CMCs) under Annex 3 of that Agreement. We submitted our nomination in reply to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) call for nominations from the public. 

Continue reading →

Hydroelectric Program Development and Assessment – IESO Small Hydro Program

By Linda Heron on Friday, May 13th, 2022
Posted in Class EA for Waterpower, Energy, Heavy Metal Contamination, Hydroelectric, Industry, Ontario Water Resources Act, ORA Submissions, Pollution, Regulatory Submissions, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Species at Risk, Water Quality

First, it was enlightening to be provided with a clear definition of small and large hydro facilities in the Hydroelectric Program Development and Assessment webinar, as well as a total amount of power generated by these categories. You informed that the definition of small hydro would have a scope of installed capacity of 10 MW and under, with 30 companies representing 50 facilities generating a total of 120 to 150 MW, and large hydro having a scope of installed capacity of over 10 MW, with 3 companies representing 22 facilities producing a total of 1,000 MW. 

The increased number of small hydro facilities making such a small contribution to our electricity grid impacts on multiple Ontario riverine ecosystems, whereas the 22 facilities producing 1,000 MW of power on presumably fewer rivers has a much lower trade-off value. Additionally, larger rivers have a greater capacity to buffer some of the worse effects of hydroelectric. 

Continue reading →