New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

A delegation that included the general managers of three of the four Conservation Authorities that are responsible for watershed management in Frontenac County, made a presentation to the monthly Frontenac County Council meeting last Wednesday (January 16) in Glenburnie.

Katrina Furlanetto, from Cataraqui Conservation, led the delegation, supported by Sommer-Casgrain Robertson (Rideau Valley), Sally McIntyre (Mississippi Valley), and Brad McNevin, chief administrative officer from Quinte Conservation. 

The politicians around the table are familiar with the work of the Conservation Authorities (CA) because they, or members of their council, sit on the governing boards of each Conservation Authority whose watersheds include territory that falls within their boundaries. The CA’s also provide services to the municipalities under contract.

The presentation was designed not only to provide some basic information about the mandates of the CA’s but also to bring Council up to speed about the changing political reality that may be facing both the CA’s and the municipalities as the provincial government contemplates changes.

Last year, the Conservation Act was changed, but the new regulations that spring from those changes have not been developed. In August, the Minister of the Environment sent out a letter telling CA’s that they should prepare to wind down services that do not fall within their core mandate.

“From the Province’s perspective, that core mandate relates to our work on natural hazards, flood control being central to that, not the natural heritage, hydrogeology and storm water management work that we do” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, in a phone interview after the meeting.

Since the summer, the provincial position seems to have changed. The range of services provided by CA’s to municipalities such as: water quality studies, working with landowners on stewardship efforts, protecting and preserving shorelines, wetlands and floodplains , will likely be maintained. But these services will have to be governed by a series of memoranda of understanding between the CA’s and each of the municipalities that they work with and for.

During her presentation, Katrina Furlanetto pointed out that for this year at least, changes are on hold and the CA’s are operating as normal as consultation regarding he changes is still under way.

Meetings between the Ministry of the Environment and municipal officials are taking place in the coming weeks, including one in Peterborough in early February. CA’s are asking that if there are going to be substantive changes, that there be sufficient lead time so they are less disruptive, and are hoping their municipal partners will impress that need to the province as well.

Furlanetto pointed out as well that the province provides only a small amount of CA funding, between 3 and 5 per cent, for specific services. Grants and fundraising provide funding for projects, but the bulk of funding for CA work comes from the municipalities where they are located. CA’s are also governed by municipally appointed boards.

“We are always working to improve our operations, and provide transparency to our boards and municipal funders,” said Casgrain-Roberston.

CA’s are also a commenting agency for planning departments, as part of the planning approval process. The province is seeking a speedier planning approval process and there may be measures aimed at changing how that work is done by the Conservation Authorities.

Katrina Furlanetto said CA’s across the Province are working to standardise how they provide planning comments, while maintaining the local perspective that comes from their accumulated knowledge about their own watersheds.

“We are always open to improvement,” she said.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 04 December 2019 10:17

South Frontenac Council Report - December 3

Deputy Mayor for 2020

Councillor Ross Sutherland took the declaration of office as Deputy Mayor for the coming year, and was welcomed by Mayor Vandewal. 

Johnston Point Delegation

Meela Melnik-Proud spoke on behalf of a delegation of residents concerned about the Johnston Point condominium project. Specifically, she addressed the construction of a walking bridge on lot 6, built to connect the main property to an island in order to provide access to the lake. Apparently the structure in question was partially constructed before the CRCA issued a permit for it, and to date, the only available copy of the accompanying benefit permit has been blacked out (redacted) so thoroughly that what remains are mostly a few pronouns and the words “Grey rat snake” and “Blandings turtle”. A benefit permit is the document that details particular actions the applicant must undertake within a specified time, in order to provide an overall benefit to the species that is threatened by their proposed activities.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) states that: “No person shall damage or destroy the habitat of a species that is listed on the Species at Risk in Ontario list as an endangered or threatened species…(However) the Minister may issue a permit to a person under subsection 17(1) of the Act that authorizes the person to engage in an activity that would otherwise be prohibited by the Act.”)

Many questions remain: what are the requirements of this particular benefit permit, and who has the authority (the Ministry? The Conservation Authority? The County? The Township?) to ensure that they are met in a timely manner? Where does the OMB decision fit into this puzzle? How does this affect further development on Johnston Point?

Deputy Mayor Sutherland brought a notice of motion that council direct staff to contact the township solicitor for clarification on the township’s obligation to approve and enforce the site plan control and condominium agreements.

However, CAO Carbone and Director of Development Claire Dodds both advised patience, saying “there are processes underway addressing some of these issues”, and “every day we are getting more information and action on this file.” They are looking at updating the condo agreement, and both recommended it would be premature to seek further legal advice. Carbone said a reasonable timeline would be for Council to revisit the issue “in the first Q” ie, in late February or early March, by which time the issue might be sorted out. Council agreed to defer Sutherland’s motion until they receive their staff’s report.

Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve (FABR)

Julie Savant director of the FABR presented a summary of the reserve’s activities, reporting that its UNESCO designation had been renewed for the next 10 years. As of 2017, South Frontenac Township and Frontenac Provincial Park are included within its boundaries. The designation does not come with any federal or provincial funding, although the reserve, through grants and donations, contributes substantially to education, tourism, trails and networking in the area. In order to ensure their financial stability, they are seeking to secure support from the municipalities within their boundaries. Mayor Vandewal advised Savant that although the township was positive to the reserve’s work, and had provided a degree of support in the past, the 2020 budget process was in its final stages.

Council would consider her request, but he could make no promises, and said it would be much better if next year’s request came in October.

2020 Revised Budget

Later in the meeting, when Treasurer Fragnito presented a summary of revisions to the November 7 draft budget, which by taking into account the finalized MPAC assessment and a reduction to the Quinte Conservation levy estimate, has maintained Council’s direction of a 2.0% impact on the average phased-in property.

Through Council discussions, the following have been added: $30,000 for a Lake Study Grant program, $7,040 to reinstate maintenance of non-township facilities as a council grant and the addition of a Winter Festival in the amount of $5,000. Davidson Beach access road was changed from $200,000 to $50,000 and the following projects have been put on hold, pending council approval: branding strategy and implementation, electronic sign, charging station for electric vehicles, ice stock dedicated lanes - pending consideration of  multi-use pad and confirmation of fund-raising contribution. Fragnito confirmed there is a modest discretionary amount council could draw on, if they choose to contribute to the biosphere reserve.

Garbage and Recycle Collection RFP

This RFP will be issued in early 2020, for closure in the fall of 2020. Public works Director Segsworth recommended the following points be included:  the RFP will allow contractors to bid on the entire township and/or separate collection areas; collection areas will be revised to 4 day/week pickup; garbage and recycling on the same day for all residents; the basis of payment shall be an amount of dollars per household; the length of contract shall be 5 years plus 2 optional years, to allow for the rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) within the blue box program on or around 2025; appropriate termination clauses shall be included; the RFP will specify the age of trucks be no more than 10 years; grandfathered lanes will continue service. Mayor Vandewal suggested trucks be assessed by a combination of age and quality/condition. Segsworth said he will be working together with the Public Service Committee to pull together the final RFP document.

In another report, Segsworth recommended and received approval of Waste Management’s bid to continue to receive domestic waste and bulky goods from the township (Storrington has no waste site). Currently, the township exports about one third of its waste annually.

Private Lane Assistance

Council approved $129,264.27 for the private lane upgrading Assistance Program, which has proven increasingly popular every year since its introduction. The 2019 budget for the program was $100,000: the remainder was made up by accessing unused PLA funds from 2018 and leftover money from the 2019 budget for Council grants.

Meeting Cancellation

The Dec 10 Committee of the Whole meeting has been cancelled.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

It’s a busy week for technicians working for Conservation Authorities (CA) in Eastern Ontario.

Of the 37 such entities in Ontario, 4 are located in this corner of Eastern Ontario; Mississippi and Rideau Valley Conservation, in the Ottawa River watershed, and Quinte and Cataraqui, in the Lake Ontario watershed.

They have put out notices this week about spring flooding and its impact on some of the lakes within their systems.

They also all received notification that the portion of their funding that the Province of Ontario provides for natural hazard management is being cut this year.

In the case of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) for example, the allocation is dropping from $242,000 last year, to $125,000 this year.

The $242,000 annual payment, which had remained the same since 1996, was the Province’s contribution towards the RVCA’s efforts to mitigate against flood erosion, maintain infrastructure such as the Bolingbroke dam, and monitor stream flows, maintain a flood watch and generate flood warning messages, and produce mapping of flood plains.

“These are core functions,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager of RVCA, “which the Province has always supported. “The $242,000 was about 2% of our annual budget, and it is now about 1%. The municipalities within the watershed provide about 50% of our funding, and the rest comes from user fees, application fees and fundraising. The Province, through the Ministry of the Environment, also contributes funding towards source water protection for drinking water.”

Flood water protection and monitoring had been a direct service of the Ministry of Natural Resources before it was downloaded to the Conservation Authorities in the 1990’s and at first the Province provided a significant share of the funding, but with inflation and other cost increases over 23 years, that share had diminished over that time to 2% until it was cut in half last week.

“We are not going to change our flood mitigation and monitoring operations, said Casgrain. “Over the next few months our board will decided how to handle the financial implications.”

We know the Province was up against a significant financial hurdle, and we knew the budget would contain cuts, we were waiting to see if our funding would be cut, but since our funding is so limited it was not a cut we were expecting. And when you consider that with climate change, we are definitely seeing an increase in extreme weather events, this is coming at a time when we probably should be looking at doing more in this area.”

The RVCA board is made up of appointees from member municipalities. One of the options they could consider would be to make up the shortfall by increasing the contribution from member municipalities towards natural hazards, which would lead to decreases in other municipal services or increases in municipal taxes.

The Mississippi Valley Conservations Authority (MVCA) is seeing a provincial funding cut from $248,000 to $128,000.

In a written statement, MVCA staff talked about the scope of the program that is supported by provincial funding.

“Through our watershed planning, programs and services, we put as much effort into preventing flooding as we do into responding when weather conditions overwhelm the system. Examples, particularly at this time of year, include: monitoring water levels and weather forecasts, operating water control structures, providing advanced notice of flooding to area municipalities and residents, and coordinating with emergency responders. We operate five Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, 11 smaller MVCA dams, and 2 facilities on behalf of Ontario Power Generation. Our on the ground presence throughout the watershed and daily monitoring of water flows, levels and weather conditions, allows us to understand and predict how water is coming off the land.”

They also said that they are not contemplating making any changes to their core operations in the short term in response to the sudden cut in provincial funding.

“We will look internally and at existing programs and reserves to compensate while continuing to work on the ground, maintaining the same level of service that member municipalities and other partners have come to rely on,” said Sally McIntyre, General Manager.

On a province-wide basis, the funding envelope for Conservation Authority natural hazard funding has been decreased from $7.4 million to $3.7 million.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, under Minister John Yakabuski, who represents the riding of Renfrew, is also undertaking a review of the Conservation Authorities Act, with a view towards improving “public transparency and consistency” according to a government news release.

The release quotes Minister Yakabuski: "Our government is putting people first to help communities and families prepare and respond to climate change," said John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. "Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our regulations is a critical component of our government's strategy for strengthening Ontario's resiliency to extreme weather events."

Published in General Interest

“Everything’s looking quite healthy,” auditor Cara Chesney of MNP LLP told Central Frontenac Council at its regular meeting Tuesday evening at Oso Hall. “There were no difficulties encountered during the course of our audit procedures: no changes to the initial audit plan and no disagreements or difficulties with management.

She said there was an increase in tangible capital assets in 2018 (acquisitions totaled $2.8 million) and large projects included Elm Tree Road bridge and Henderson Road culverts. Large purchases included fleet and machinery.

This was offset by amortization expense of $1.8 million and disposals of capital assets. There was an increase in deferred revenue due to unspent funding from OCIF (which is required to be spent on infrastructure).

The $2.8 million in capital asset additions was the third largest figure since 2013. The largest figure was in 2015 at $6,199,670, which Treasurer Michael McGovern noted included Wagarville Road, which was paid for largely with grant money.

She said there was an increase in total expenses in 2018, attributable to wage increases, materials purchases and amortization of capital assets. However, total expenses were consistent with budgeted figures.

In the summary of audit findings, she said tangible capital assets are approximately 34 per cent used (35 per cent in 2017) and more than half of the annual expenses are related to transportation, followed by protection and general government.

Software woes for fire department
The fire department has its head in a cloud, and Dep. Chief Jamie Riddell didn’t seem too happy about it.

Riddell reported that Firehouse Cloud software has been installed but it has problems.

“IT has been one headache after another,” he said. “Cloud was supposed to make firehouse better — but it’s done the complete opposite.”

He did say that Central Frontenac joined South and North Frontenac to purchase a fit test machine for breathing apparatuses.

The home inspection program starts in May.

Hazardous waste day is gone for 2019
Council passed a resolution officially cancelling Household Hazardous Waste Day for this year but Mayor Frances Smith pointed out that if a plan to work with South Frontenac and/or the City of Kingston doesn’t work out, it could be revisited next year.

Coun. Tom Dewey tried to reopen debate to no avail. However, Dewey did ask for a recorded vote, with the results being Dewey and Coun. Elwin Burke voting against the measure.

New Quinte Chief administrator comes calling
New Quinte Conservation Authority CAO Brad McNevin addressed Council as part of his tour of the municipalities the CA services.

In Central Frontenac, Quinte Conservation administers the Fish Creek and Kennebec Complex wetlands,, the Depot Lakes Conservations Area, 45 lakes and six dams — Second Depot Lake, Third Depot Lake, Upper Arden, Middle Arden, Lower Arden and Dead Creek.

Central’s contribution to the total special levy is $8,567 of $350,000.

Later in the meeting, Council passed a resolution to firm up a special service delivery agreement with Quinte Conservation as it relates to planning matters.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Ken Arney does not expect Central Frontenac Township to pull out the large culvert that they put in to allow water from Dead Creek to pass under the Henderson Road a few metres from his home, just because the culvert and the rocks that are holding it in place are jutting onto his property.

He would like to get paid some compensation for the land that has effectively been taken by the township, and he would also like the township to re-install the fence that was pulled down in order to do the work. But mostly he would like some acknowledgement that the township should have shown him some more respect.

“I never heard anything from before they started, not until I began seeing equipment arriving in the last week of November. Then, I saw that the survey stake that marked the border between mine and my neighbours property had been buried, and that the fence marking the border between his property and the township property was gone. That’s when I started asking questions.”

“When I asked the workers what was going on, they told me that they would remove any of the material that was on my property,” said Arney, in an interview at this house this week.

Arney said that he called Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith the next day on Saturday, December 1st.

Frances Smith does not recall exactly what she told Arney on the phone on December 1st.

“I would have told him then what I told him when he came to council last month. If we did anything wrong, we will make it right,” she said in a phone interview this week.

The old culvert was removed and the new one installed a few days later, just before freeze up. By Friday, December 7, barely a week before arriving, construction crews were gone.

“What was left is a culvert that is wider and a lot longer than the one that was replaced. I have a copy of the permit they got from Quinte conservation, which says the new culvert will be 15 feet longer, but what is there is much longer than that. The permit also says that a sediment screen should be in place until the site has stabilised and there is no screening in place,” said Arney.

The construction took place after Greer Galloway, an engineering firm working for Central Frontenac, obtained a development permit from Quinte Conservation. The permit was granted on the basis of a report on the project prepared by Greer Galloway and submitted to Quinte Conservation, along with a “construction sequence and dewatering plan” that was submitted by Crains Construction.

The permit sets out six conditions, one being that a 27.5 metre long culvert will be replaced by a 31.5 metre long culvert. It also says that “sediment and erosion controls must be properly installed to isolate the work site from the watercourse and must remain in place until the site has stabilised.”

Quinte Conservation may or may not have visited the site before approving the permit. One of the notes attached to the permit says “Quinte Conservation inspects, some, but not all permits.”

When construction was complete, Ken Arney was not happy with the outcome. He called his local councillors, and eventually all members of council, and asked them to come look at the situation. He went before, and presented his concerns in February.

“They did not apologise. I got the feeling that they thought I was making trouble,” he said about the meeting.

He also said that while council is committed to buying the piece of land that they have effectively appropriated, they are not planning to build a new fence to replace the one that was removed.

He refers to a document he obtained from the public works department of the township, titled “notes on 2138 Henderson Road” which says, in part, “we can also investigate the possibilities of providing services in lieu of payment … (ie. repairing of fence or entrance improvements … )”

France Smith said that it is her understanding that Crains construction is going to replace the fence, and that a surveyor is going to be determining how much land is involved and the township will then purchase it.

“But none of this can happen in the winter,” she said. “We told him that. As I said, if we do anything wrong, we fix it.”

She also said that is it her understanding that Ken Arney was seeking a survey of his whole property as part of the resolution.

“We see no reason to do that, we will only survey what we need to survey,” she said.

Ken Arney is not quite ready to put the matter behind him.

“I think a lot of people messed up; Quinte, Greer Galloway, Crains and the township. Someone should look at this. The culvert is longer than they said it would be, and the sediment is leaching into the creek,” he said.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Addington Highlands Council approved a request to bend the rules on how waste is delivered to one of its waste sites at its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon in Flinton.

The request came from Jenelle and Joseph Rosenblath, who are renovating the 41 Stop business.

“We purchased the property in October, 2018, (and) are attempting to renovate it and open as soon as possible as the summer months approach us,” the Rosenblaths said in a letter to Council. “Our next step is to prepare the site so that above ground fuel tanks can be installed and we need o remove an old free standing garage and deck.

“We would like to take the material to the Vennachar waste site in four large truck loads versus 16 smaller trailer loads as it is simply more convenient and cost effective and likely easier to dump and handle at the waste site.”

Coun. David Miles said he’d be in favour of making an exception to the dump rules in this case.

“But you’d be opening a can of worms,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson. “If you open that up, it’s never going to go away.”

“One of the reasons we have the rules is to discourage that sort of dumping at our waste sites,” said roads/bridges supervisor Brett Reavie.

Mayor Henry Hogg said there would be an option for the Rosenblaths to rent a dumpster but “they’re not cheap.”

“We want to be accommodating to our small businesses but we have to abide by the rules,” said Coun. Helen Yanch.

“We do make exceptions to bylaws on occasion,” said Clerk Christine Reed. “For example, we make exceptions to the noise bylaw.”

“Yes, but the noise goes away eventually, garbage is forever,” said Yanch.

In a recorded vote, Council defeated a motion to deny the request with Yanch and Thompson voting for.

“So, what do we do now?” said Hogg.

The answer was another motion, this time to approve the request. Again, it was a recorded vote and only Yanch voted against.

New CBO
Council passed bylaws appointing David Twiddy as both Chief Building Official and Municipal Law Enforcement Officer.

SDRA rejected
Council denied a request from the Skootamatta District Ratepayers Association for $1,000 to test the water quality on Skootamatta Lake.

“I think all lake associations do water testing as part of their raison d’etre,” said Mayor Henry Hogg. “But if we do it for one, we’d have to do it for all.”

“I don’t think we can go down that road,” said Coun. Helen Yanch.

Council passed a motion to receive the request and refer the lake association to Quinte Conservation for assistance.

OPWA rejected as well
A request from the Ontario Public Works Association to proclaim a Public Works Week and hold a “Truck Roadeo” was turned down by Council.

“I don’t think we make proclamations,” said Mayor Henry Hogg.

“Never have,” said Coun. Helen Yanch.

“Unless Brett (roads/bridges supervisor Reavie) wants to do a demonstration of snowplowing,” said Hogg.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

Quinte Conservation and the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority have both declared a level 3 water conditions.

The Quinte declaration includes the Salmon River, which runs from south of Cloyne, through Arden to the Depot Lakes and Stone Mills Township, and eventually into Lake Ontario.

“This is the most severe low water level that Quinte declares. We have received approximately 35% of average rainfall across the watershed in July. This means that some lake and river levels are visibly lower than they would normally be for this time of year. Flows in the Moira, Napa and nee and Salmon Rivers continue to be extremely low and we need a significant amount of rain to change that,” said Quinte Conservation Water Resources Manager, Christine McClure.

A level 3 condition indicates a failure of the water supply to meet demands. It can result in restrictions on water use in municipalities that supply water to their residents, and residents on private wells are asked to voluntarily curtail their water usage in order to keep more water in the system and to keep wells from running dry.

Quinte reports that water levels have become “dangerously low” on the Skootamatta, Black, Salmon, and Napanee rivers. For that reason, Quinte has released water from a number of upstream dams.

“We are attempting to maintain a minimal flow in the rivers to support local ecosystems. These dams have been identified as low flow augmentation structures and are being operated according to their individual operation plans. Residents above the dams we are operating will notice a decline in their water levels,” said McClure.

The dams that have been activated include the Deer Rock Lake Dam, the Upper Arden Dam, the Second and Third Depot Lake Dams, and the 13 Island Lake Dam. Water has not yet been released through the Skootamatta Lake Dam but Quinte says it might do so if “conditions warrant”.

Residents and businesses located along the Salmon River watershed that experience dry wells or other water-related issues are asked to call Quinte at 613-968-3434 or 613-354-3312, ext. 129. Tips for conserving water are available at Quinteconservation.ca

On Wednesday morning (August 10) The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) followed Quinte's lead and made a level 3 declaration. CRCA covers lakes ans streams in the eastern and Central part of South Frontenac, including Dog, Collins, Loughborough and Sydenham Lakes as well as the Cataraqui River.

Teh CRCA explained the circumstnces which led to the declaration in a release on Wednesday, which poined ominously towards low water levels through the summer and fall seasons.

"The last four months (April through July) were some of the driest ever recorded in the Kingston area. Only 10 mm of rain fell, on average, across the CRCA in the last 30 days (average is ~70 mm) and there has been essentially no rain yet in August, 1/3 of the way through the month. Stream flows are now exceptionally low, close to the lowest ever recorded, with some streams having dried up entirely. Lake levels across the CRCA, and eastern Ontario, have been falling due to evaporation (as much as 2.5 cm each day), and are as much as 20 cm below normal for this time of year. These low levels will be potentially exposing hazards that are normally irrelevant. Recreational users (swimmers, boaters, etc.) should exercise caution. These low levels are expected to persist into winter conditions."

Conservation is the only means that residents can employ to stretch the dwindling water resource. the CRCA published a chart outlining how household water use breaks down to help South Frontenac residenst controltheir usage. Toilet flushing accounts for 24% of water use, showers and faucets both account for about 20%, clothes washers 17%,  leaks 12%, baths 4% and dishwashers 1%. So, plugging leaks, using low water flushing techniques, and following the old hippy adage (if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down) might be the best advice going in the coming months.

Full fire bans are in place in South, Central and North Frontenac, Addington Highlands and the City of Kingston. Small campfires are still permitted in Lanark County, and there are fire restrictions at provincial campgrounds. Check with the campgrounds for details.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 22 June 2016 23:28

Drought conditions worsening

As the weather continues its hot and dry pattern, local conservation authorities are sounding the alarm bells.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority issued a statement this week, on Monday, June 20.

The statement said the Mississippi River is in a minor drought condition, but that the tributaries are now experiencing a moderate to severe drought. Flows in the river are at 25% of the norm and in the tributaries the flows are at 10% of the norm. While lake water levels remain at the summer average, they are starting to drop.

“Water conservation is recommended for everyone within the watershed,” said the statement.

Quinte Region Conservation issued a level 1 low water warning in early June, and has requested that homes and businesses reduce water consumption by 10%.

Both the Cataraqui Region Conservation (CRCA) and Rideau Valley Conservation Authorities (RVCA) issued slightly more optimistic statements just after some heavy rains in early June. On June 7, the CRCA said it was maintaining its minor drought level even though 20-50 mm of rain had fallen on the watershed in the two previous days. On June 9, citing the same rains, the RVCA downgraded its warning to minor. With little rain since then except for heavy but spotty thunderstorms on Monday, the next statements from both the CRCA and RVCA will likely be more dire.

Residents in all districts are advised to check for fire bans before lighting any fires, as bans have been issued in different jurisdictions at different times over the past month (see editorial).

Published in General Interest

On April 20, close to 70 enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the boat launch at Deerock Lake near Flinton, armed with gloves and bags, eager to clean up the mess that careless campers left behind over the years.

The lake, which is located in the Elzevir Peatlands Conservations Reserve, is protected under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act and receives the same kind of protection that the local provincial parks do.

The area attracts campers and fishers, and offers 28 picturesque campsites. Most of them are located on small islands, and are free to visitors on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Unfortunately, campers have failed to heed the sign on the road leading to the boat launch that reads: “Please, take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but foot prints.”

The cleanup was initiated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and was also supported by Quinte Conservation, who owns the 60-70 acre parcel of land in and around the boat launch.

They were joined by numerous local groups and organizations, including members of the Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA); the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council; the Township of Addington Highlands as well as staff and students from North Addington Education Centre; and employees from the Milestone Funeral Center in Northbrook.

The event demonstrated how cooperation between like-minded groups can positively impact the natural environment they share. The event was headed up by Justin Punchard, a partnership specialist with the MNRF, who works for the Peterborough district at the Kingston field office.

Punchard instructed and organized the volunteers, who met at the boat launch at 9am and were supplied with a map of the lake, rubber gloves and plastic bags. They then took to their boats and headed out to their designated locations on the lake.

“The goal here today is to clean up all of the campsites and surrounding shoreline to ensure the sustainable use of the site for the future, and to return it back to its natural state,” Punchard said. He said that the group would be collecting mostly household recyclables, like pop cans and pop bottles, but also numerous lawn chairs that were left behind to rot.

Addington Highlands Township provided a large bin and a tri-axle dump truck, the former to collect recyclables and the latter to collect garbage. Both delivered the waste to the Kaladar dumpsite later that day. Toxic materials were also separated and hauled off. Those planning to visit the site this year will no doubt notice a big change.

Terry Murphy, manager of Quinte Conservation, said that the area is a very popular fishing place. “We are hoping that by cleaning up the islands and doing a good public relations job, we'll be able to convince users to keep the lake and the islands clean so we can keep the access to the lake open to the public. We want people to be able to use the area, but we also want people to respect it”, Murphy said.

Wilf Deline, president of the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council, had the same motivation for taking part. “This is our backyard and where we live, so it's important for us to be here today to help, and we just hope that people down the road keep it clean.”

Punchard thanked staff from Quinte Conservation, who he said are key stakeholders, and also thanked all the volunteers and other local resource groups who made the event so successful.

Visitors to the area are required to pay $10 for parking in the summer months, which will be managed by local students, who will also be responsible for educating the public about keeping the area clean. Murphy said that this event is the first massive cleanup of the area and he hopes it won't have to happen again.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 16 April 2014 20:00

Water, Water Everywhere

Conservation authorities throughout the region were posting and updating flood advisories early this week as the higher than average winter runoff combined with the latest in a series of spring rains caused floods along the Mississippi, Rideau, Quinte and Cataraqui Conservation area watersheds. Among the hardest hit areas in the Frontenac News' region were places in the vicinity of Arden in the Salmon River watershed and Verona in the Salmon and Napanee River watersheds, both of which are watched over by Quinte Conservation.

Bryon Keene, the water resources manager for Quinte Conservation, said on Tuesday that, “Overnight rainfall Monday and the present downpour are contributing to rising levels in the headwater areas and this water still has to pass downstream.”

Among the water flow monitors that Quinte has in place is one at Depot Creek at Bellrock Road. The flow rate at that location was high last week, and then dropped over the weekend but has since jumped up with the Monday night rains. On Tuesday morning the flow rate was 18.9 metres per second, 3.5 times the average flow for that location, and by 7 pm the rate had risen to 19.7 metres.

Keene said he expects that rate to continue to rise, and even after it peaks it will not likely start to decline for a number of days. Low-lying areas in Verona have been affected, including some businesses along Verona Main Street.

“We only have one way of controlling the water flowing through the Napanee River watershed, and that is by storing water in the Depot lakes. At this point the lakes are full so we don't really have anything we can do.”

The Salmon River has overflowed its banks as it rushes south through a culvert on Highway 7 at the Arden exit, flooding a park along the highway as well as a small section of the Arden road.

The situation is more dire for a number of residents living on the Elm Tree Road, which is downstream from Big Clear Lake before it feeds into the Salmon River.

Several back and front yards are under several feet of water, and one home is surrounded by water.

A few houses over, Rob Woodcock's woodpile and picnic table are under water and he is concerned that a holding tank he put in last year will be ruined by the flood waters. “The water level was high over the weekend but last night it went up another two feet,” he said.

Mississippi Valley Conservation has issued a flood warning for Dalhousie Lake and further downstream towards Carleton Place, and also along the Fall River. The already high waters of Sharbot and Bennett Lakes are expected to rise by 5-10 centimetres in the coming days.

Cataraqui Region Conservation is maintaining a flood warning for a number of lakes, including Sydenham, Loughborough and Buck. A number of creeks that were going down last week and are not considered in the flood warning area, have risen as the result of rains this week but are expected to start dropping back by the end of the work week. These include Wilton Creek, Millhaven Creek, Collins Creek, Little Cataraqui Creek, Lyn Creek, and Buells Creek.

Bobs Lake is a key reservoir lake for the Rideau watershed, and Rideau Valley Conservation reports that it has risen by over a metre since mid-March. As of early this week it had gone above its upper limit at 163 metres; therefore water will be released at the Bolingbroke dam, relieving flood concerns at Bobs Lake but creating more concern downstream towards the City of Ottawa.

Conservation authority officials point out that they are responsible for monitoring water levels and exercising control where they can; however, it is the local townships that are responsible for dealing with flooding if it affects residents. In most cases, the main concern of the local townships has been the effect of high water levels on local roads, and crews have been busy repairing culverts and some washed out roads.

In Central Frontenac a family living in a rented dwelling at the far end of Burke Settlement Road has been forced to leave because their road has been washed out twice, and is not being repaired by a contractor. Alan Kehoe reports that he was forced to leave on Tuesday, April 8, when his washed out road was so filled with water that fire crews had to come in and take his girlfriend and their newborn child out in a boat. They are now staying with family, as is his father, a dialysis patient who lives on the same property.

Alan Kehoe is not pleased with how the road issues were dealt with by the township. “At one point [public works manager] Mike Richardson told me I should park my car on the other side of the road and carry my child across. But the water was high and there was a current and it wasn't safe. Later when he was here I heard him say to one of his workers that he did not realise the water was so high.”

For his part Mike Richardson acknowledged he suggested Kehoe carry his child across. “But at that point the water was only 2 or 3 inches deep. It became a more serious situation a few days later when the water kept coming even after we had replaced culverts and even cut a hole in the road to let water run off. That's when we needed the fire crew to get them out.”

The Kehoes did return home on Saturday night (April 12), but were forced to leave again on Monday morning (April 14) after more rain came.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mike Richardson said it will be another two days, at least, before the Crains' Construction crews will have the road repair complete.

Meanwhile road crews in all local townships are busy trying to keep all the roads open and drivers are being warned to exercise caution on the roads.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
With the participation of the Government of Canada