ST. MARYS RIVER
Summary of the St. Marys River RAP Stage 2 Report
Canada
Ontario
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The St. Marys Remedial Action Plan 2 Report contains detailed descriptions of over 60 recommended remedial actions which environmental degradation
in the St. Maiys River Area ot Concern. These actions fall into four categories: point sources of pollution, non-point sources of pollution, flora and fauna,
and public involvement. The Report outlines delisting criteria for each impaired beneficial use and ultimately the AOC itself. The process for revising and refining these
criteria is also outlined.
This brochure is a summary of the St. Marys Plan Stage 2 It a list of and it the RAP
and as well. To more information the St. Action Plan or a full copy of the Stage 2 Report, contact one
of the listed at the end otthis document
The St. Marys River is an international waterway located in northern Ontaiio between the communities of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and SaultSte. Marie, Michigan. It is the
only outlet of Lake Superior, and as such it is the main mute for matine traffic on the Great Lakes-St, Lawrence Lakes Superior and Huron. Major
industries in the area steel making, commercial fishing and tourism.
The St. iarys River was originally identified as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1985, as a result of the following problems:
4 Pollution from identifiable sources such as industrial facilities or Water Pollution Control Plants
4 Pollution from diffuse sources such as sediment, air, water or land
<* in fish and wildlife
In 1998, Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
renewed their intentions to resolve these problems by a Letter of Commitment to ecological restoration of their Areas of Concern, This
identified Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to lead restoration and protection activities in the
the first stage of the all the and magnitudes of the environmental problems in the
St. iarys River AOC, and this information with the public through a Binational Public Advisory Committee (BPAC). During this initial stage, it was determined that
nine of the fourteen beneficial uses were impaired as a result of the problems listed above. These nine uses, impaired not only from the human perspective but also from
that of the local fish and wildlife, are:
* Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
* Unhealthy fish and wildlife populations
<* Fish and other
<* Unhealthy populations of bottom-dwelling organisms
* Restrictions on dredging
* Undesirable algae due to excess nutrients in the water
4 closures
+ Poor aesthetics
* Loss of fish and wildlife habitat
During the second stage of the process, the BPAC developed a vision of the future which is articulated in a list of Water Use Goals. Then, with the of agency
experts, the Stage 2 Remedial Action Plan Report was which to each of the uses and the
Water Use Goals. These recommended actions fall into four flora and fauna, and and sediment, and water and air quality.
Now that the St. Marys Stage 2 RAP Report is complete, the new focus will be implementation of these important recommendations and monitoring progress towards
restoring impaired beneficial uses in the AOC.
Cover Photo; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit Office.
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jn 1978, Canada and the United States entered into an international treaty called the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) in order to restore, protect and
maintain the environmental quality of the Great Lakes Ecosystem. In 1987, the GLWQA was revised to include an Annex to address Areas of Concern .(AOCs), locations
where the environment is especially degraded. The Annex Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) whose aim is to protect and restore these degraded areas. Under
the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a RAP is required for each Area of Concern to encourage an "ecosystem approach" to improve water quality at these
locations so that the environment is no longer degraded. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement requires that each RAP produce a report after each of three
Stage 1: AQC Assessment and Identification of Beneficial Use Impairments
Stage 2; Selection and Implementation of Appropriate Remedial Actions and Selection of Appropriate Oelisting Targets
Stage 3: Confirmation that Remedial Actions have restored Beneficial Uses and DelistingTargets have been met
Currently there are 41 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin that have ongoing RAPs. Five, including St. Marys River, are shared between Canada and the
States. Regardless of their location, the general goal of all RAPs is to restore ecosystem health by achieving the Oelisting Targets for the Area of Concern. When this
occurs, the RAP has been successful and the AOC can be delisted from the program. Currently only two AOCs have been delisted: Collinpood Harbour and Severn
Sound, in Ontario, Canada,
Since the St. Marys River is an international waterway, public involvement is an international effort. The goal of public involvement is to make the remedial action plan
accountable to the opinions and needs of the local community. Headed by the Binational Public Advisory Committee (BPAC), a number of community workshops have
been held to increase awareness of the St. Marys River RAP and to obtain public opinion and support for restoration from citizens and industry on both sides of the river.
After several public workshops and meetings with local stakeholders, the BPAC decided on the Water Use Goals for the remediation of the St. Marys River in December
1992. These goals have been as the ideal vision of the St. Marys River once the over 60 recommended remedial actions have been successfully completed.
Public involvement and input from BPAC has been an important part of the St. Marys River RAP process. BPAC supports the goals and objectives laid out in the RAP Stage 2
Report and looks forward to their implementation. The BPAC has established an office and library at Lake Superior State University in Michigan in order to provide better
information access to local citizens on both sides of the border.
Friends of the St. iarys River, a Canadian non-profit group, will be asked to assist with implementation of the Stage 2 recommendations, especially those related to
remedial work, education, promotion and reporting.
The following government agencies work together on the St. iarys River Remedial Action Plan:
4 Environment Canada (co-lead)
* Ontario Ministry of the Environment (co-lead)
4 United States Environmental Protection Agency
* Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Many other groups, organizations and individuals from the St. Marys River community and beyond have also contributed to the St. Marys River Remedial Action Plan,
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The Sediment Management Program is an important component of the St. Marys River RAR The sediment, or riverboftom soils, are contaminated with excess nutrients,
heavy metals, toxic organic chemicals and oil and grease. Some of these toxins are ingested by bottom-dwelling organisms that are eaten by fish, and thus the fish
become exposed to toxins as well. Furthermore, the toxins and contaminated sediment can be mixed into the water of the St. Marys River, which may pose a risk to plants,
animals and humans alike, and the excess nutrients cause unpleasant algal blooms. The contaminated sediment and its effects on the ecosystem could be responsible
tor many of the Beneficial Use Impairments identified in Stage One of the RAR Therefore, a major portion of Stage Two of the RAP is the Sediment Management Program
that aims to assess and manage the contaminated sediments of the St. Marys River.
The majorgoals of the St. Marys River Sediment Management Program are:
& Describe and assess each zone of contaminated sediment in the river
ฉ a consistent, science-based, community supported method for identifying remediation options for each zone if necessary
ฎ Identify and control all major sources of toxins (excess nutrients, heavy metals, toxic organic chemicals, oil and grease) to prevent further sediment contamination
ฉ Monitorthewaterand sediment quality near majorsources of toxins to ensure no further sediment contamination occurs
ฉ Monitor and control the mixing of water and contaminated sediment during remediation activities where required to ensure water quality is maintained
ฎ Monitor and control the input of toxins from the air (e.g. factory smokestack emissions) into the water and sediment of the St. Marys River
1 Conduct long-term monitoring of qualityto is
The remediation of the St. Marys River Area of Concern has only just begun. In order to restore proper ecological function and sustainable human use of the river, much
more activity is Some of the currently , stem from the over 60 recommendations in the Stage 2 Report,
* Elimination of phosphorus, bacteria, trace chemicals, heavy and oil and from all
* Developinga contaminated sediment management program which will and implement any necessary remediation measures and associated monitoring
* Continuation of sea lamprey control efforts
+ of the Slag shoreline to improve
* Various ecological restoration projects to improve habitat and ecosystem health in the main channel and tributaries of the St. Mary's River.
Each of these projects will be conducted in conjunction with ongoing monitoring of the water quality, sediment contamination, fish, birds and wildlife in the St. Marys
River.
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4- Assist the recovery of the Bar Riverwalleye stock by redueingthe effects of land use practices upstream of historic spawninggrounds
4- ImplementtheWatershedDevelopmentPlanforBennettandWestOavignonCreeks
4 a Watershed Development Plan for East and Fort Creeks
4 .Reduce sediment inputs from erosion in the lunuscong Riverand Bay
4 Complete a characterization and feasibility studyforwaste removal in Mission Creek
4 Remediation of rapids habitatand associated wetlands to enhance fish and wildlife populations
4 Develop a ten yearf isheries assessment program forthe St. Marys River
4 Monitorwaterquantity
4 Evaluate the influence of water levels on fish reproduction and population levels, and determine minimum water levels and flow rates needed for successful
reproduction
4 IdentifycausesoffishtumotirsandotherdeformitiesthatoriginatewithintheAOC
4 Continue supportf or sea lamprey control efforts .
4 MonitortheCanneltonlndustriesSite wetland area
4 Continue to participate in the Marsh Monitoring Program to provide baseline information on marsh bird and amphibian populations
4 Continuethefish harvest surveytomeasurethenumbe^^^
4 Continue fish contaminant monitoring programs that are used to determine fish consumption advisories
.4 CompleteaCanadianWildlifeServiceassessmentofcommonandblackternpopulationsforthe.entireSt,iarysRiver
Control of undesirable emtic species, such as the black sea
lamprey pictured above, is essential to improving the health
of animal populations in the St. Marys River and
accomplishing water quality goals. Photo-. U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service.
Long term monitoring offish populations will be important to
measuring the success of the St. Marys River RAP. Angler
surveys are just one of many ways that the health and
populations offish can be monitored. Photo; John Cooper.
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4 Revitalize public consultation activities in to^ I
4 Communicate potential adverse effects of aboriginal lands or water supplies to the local First Nations community by utilizing existing aboriginal outreach j
, programs |
j 4 Identify, track and publicize implementation activities within the AOC and their benefits to local residents and industry |
' 4 Raise public of environmental health concerns, reduce human exposure to potentially harmful contaminants, and increase public support for |
remediation *
4 Publicize the links between economic development of the area and the restoration, enhancementand protection of the natural ecosystem
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4- Develop a multi-agency Sediment Management Program to oversee the planning, remediation and monitoring of sediment quality
4- Further characterize several high priority areas of poor sediment quality, includingtheSlag Dump, the East End Water Pollution Control Plant, the Algoma
Slip and Little Lake George
* Complete the St. Marys River Contaminated Sediment Zones Evaluation
4 Assess potential health risks to swimmers at Bellevue Marine Park
4 Continue studies of bottom-dwelling organisms, toxins and sediment at Bellevue Marine Park
4 Identify and control contaminants from the Algoma Slag Dump
4 Monitor persistent contaminants from the East End Water Pollution Control Plant and identify other upstream non-point sources of these harmful
substances
4 Re-sample river sediments to obtain trend information on sediment quality and benthic community status
4 Evaluate Algoma Slip sediment quality and implement clean-up as needed
4 Control non-point source pollution from agriculture and road crossings
4 Stabilize the shoreline of the Algoma Slag Dump to provide habitatfor plants
4 Conduct aerial monitoring of the Cannelton Industries site to ensure that sediment erosion will not be a concern in the future
4 Conduct biological monitoring to ensure fish and wildlife are protected from persistent toxic substances
4 Determine disposal options for dredged material following Provincial Sediment Quality Guidelines
4- Monitor change and impacts of remedial activities
4 Establish a monitoring program for potential dredging and sediment dispersal within navigation channels
An important goal of the St. Marys River RAP is to make the shoreline more aesthetically pleasing similar to other
nearby portions of the Lake Superior shore. Photo: Michigan Sea Grant Extension (Carol Y. Swinehart).
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Government agencies, local communities and industries have already contributed substantially to the St. Marys River RAP through a number of funding initiatives, process
improvements and remediation projects, Some of these contributions are:
* Investment of $102 million by Algoma Steel Inc. since 1990 that has helped to reduce input of trace organic chemicals, heavy metals and phosphorus into the St.
Marys River
4 Investment of $14 million by St. Mary's Paper Ltd, to minimize input of phosphorus and trace organic chemicals into the St. Marys River
* Commitment of $25 million by Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to eliminate overflows in the community and minimize phosphorus and bacterial inputs
into the St. Mary's River
4 Commitment of $20 million by Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to improve sewage collection in the community and minimize phosphorus and bacterial inputs into the St.
Marys River" of Trader's Metal to and add the St. Marys River waterfront
4 Investment of $40 million by the governments of Canada and Ontario in December 2001 to improve the East End treatment plant and sanitary sewer
overflows
* Cannelton Inc. has their tannery site by 35,000 tons of and soils, the area and planting
native plants to prevent erosion
* Algoma Steel Inc. has become a role model for community involvement by voluntarily signing an Environmental Management Agreement in 2000 with Environment
Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to their on the St. River.
* Formation oftheSt. Marys River Fisheries Task Group
The support and co-operation of local industries are essential
to the success of the St. Marys River RAP, St. Mary's Paper,
pictured at left, has spent $14 million to install a wastewater
treatment facility that will improve the of
entering the St. Marys River from the paper plant Photo:
NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (John
Rabbins),
For more information aboutthe St. Marys River Remedial Action Plan, orto obtain a copy of the complete St. Marys River RAP Stage 2 Report, please contact:
Victor Oriecuia
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
#331-435 James St. South
Thunder Bay, ON PIE 6S7
(807)4754615
victor.oriecuia@ene.gov.on.ca
John Marsden
Environment Canada
49050ufferinSt.
DownsviewONM3H5T4
(416)7394759
john.marsden@ec.gc.ca
Arthur Ostaszewski
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
P,O.Box30273
Lansing, Ml 48909
(517)3354119
ostaszea@state.mi.us
Jennifer Manville
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
400BoardrnanAve.
Traverse City, Ml 49684
(231)9224769
manville.jennifer@epa.gov
This document is printed on paper containing 30% post consumer waste,
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