In 2002 the federal, state and provincial agencies that manage binational environmental activities under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement formally endorsed the formation of a Lake Huron Binational Partnership. The Partnership facilitates information sharing and priority setting for binational environmental protection and restoration activities of importance to the Lake Huron basin, as well as the development of partnerships to undertake efforts that cannot be accomplished by individual agencies alone.

The main binational priorities the Partnership is addressing are contaminants in fish and wildlife, ecosystem change (biodiversity, ecosystem function, and exotic species), and loss of fish and wildlife habitat.

The Lake Huron Binational Partnership also facilitates the sharing of information between countries on issues which are more local in nature. However, actions to address these local domestic issues are undertaken outside of the Partnership. On the Canadian side of the basin, domestic issues are dealt with through the Lake Huron Federal/Provincial Working Group. Water quality in Southeastern Lake Huron is one such domestic issue.

Background

Recreational use of southeastern Lake Huron shoreline waters has been adversely affected by both bacterial pollution and algal blooms at different places at different times over the past several decades.  Five beaches along this shoreline were permanently posted by the Huron County Health Unit as unsafe for water recreation following storm events for the 2003 swimming season.  Public attention on these water quality problems has been focused by the efforts of cottage associations to monitor bacteria levels in tributaries draining to the shoreline and to support ongoing scientific research.

Evidence suggests that bacterial pollution and algal fouling of these beach waters is a long-standing problem.  Within the southeastern Lake Huron watershed, there are many land uses – all of which are potential nutrient and bacterial source areas at any given time.  These include urban areas, cottage developments and farming operations with livestock.  This area also hosts abundant wildlife – including migratory and resident shorebirds.

Improved knowledge of and effective actions to address the chronic beach water quality impairments along this shoreline are best developed through multiple agency partnerships.  The Ontario Ministry of the Environment led such a partnership on this issue when it formed the “Lake Huron Science Committee” to compile a report (April 2005) on the scientific information available for potential bacterial sources and other factors pertinent to this problem.  This collaborative, science-based work is important to continue in order to add important information, test hypotheses and validate effectiveness of changes made to address the problem.  A “technical sub-committee” of the Lake Huron Southeast Shores Working Group (LHSSWG - the “Working Group”) has been formed to meet this need.

Lake Huron Southeast Shores Technical Committee (LHSSTC)

This sub-committee will have a research project focus.  It will work independently of the Working Group but will provide representation on it in order to ensure linkages between research and implementation. The LHSSTC committee will also make every effort to work collaboratively with key stakeholders and the broader research community.  It will also provide a critical conduit for strategic research resource sharing and project planning between partner agencies and with these groups in its projects. 

Membership

 • Environment Canada – NWRI (co-chair)
 • Huron County Health Unit (co-chair)
 • Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
 • Ontario Ministry of the Environment – EMRB/Laboratory Services
 • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
 • Conservation Authorities  

Purpose

• Monitor and assess the condition of nearshore and tributary water quality
• Identify nutrient and bacterial pollution sources and their relative contributions to water
quality impairments under different conditions
• Study the roles of natural processes and human behaviors/decisions that may govern these pollution events
• Evaluate management practice changes for improved water quality 
 

Objectives

To address and identify key research gaps/needs through:

• Development of annual work plans
• Developing research proposals for funding
• Directly carrying out research projects
• Engaging key partners (i.e. - academia) in the development and implementation of research projects
• Providing recommendations to the Working Group on priority implementation measures
• Assist the Working Group in establishing/developing performance measures and targets in order to track effectiveness of implementation efforts.
• Reporting findings from the LHSSTC back to the Working Group as well as being involved in public forums and communication efforts to the public.
• Act as a pool of expertise for project proposal review for partner agencies.
• Based on a technical understanding of the bacterial pollution of shoreline, as augmented by the targeted studies, recommend actions and/or directions for addressing the bacterial pollution of shorelines.
• Advocate research funding programs to include the Lake Huron Southeast Shore study area as a priority area for funding.
• Make links between local and outside partners for research (ie- finding local partners or local focus for projects proposed by outside researchers, assist local partners with getting their research needs met through the LHSSTC or outside researchers).

Dated : July 19, 2005  

A copy of this document in Adobe Acrobat is available for downloading by Clicking Here.

“Nearshore Water Quality- A Preliminary Report on Historic Nearshore Water Quality Information for Southeastern Lake Huron”

In 2003, a review of historic information (data, reports, interviews) on water quality in the nearshore area of Southeastern Lake Huron was commissioned from the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation by Environment Canada. The focus of the report was on bacteria used to indicate health risk (such as E. coli), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), the potential sources of these two kinds of contaminants, and the impact they may be having on water quality and beaches.

The review considered information that related to the shoreline area from Sauble Beach to Sarnia, the shallower waters adjacent to it, and the streams and rivers that drain to it. Published and unpublished information from as far back as 1984 to as recent as 2003 was compiled.

Results of The Review

This review helps to set the stage for present and future work in the Southeast shore area by examining what is currently known about

i) how the land and the lake may influence water quality,

ii) how human activities may influence water quality,

iii) the most likely sources of pollution, and iv) the extent of the issue.

A summary of the results of the review is as follows:

The land plays a role in nearshore water quality.
 Some areas are more likely than others to transport pollutants to the shoreline because of soils and geology. Some areas of sandy soils may allow pollutants to flow through the soil to groundwater, and some areas of heavy clay soils are too dense to filter and hold surface runoff.

The lake plays a role in nearshore water quality.
Some beach areas are more sensitive than others because their physical features create better conditions for survival of bacteria. A large portion of the shallow lake bottom adjacent to the shoreline provides suitable conditions for the growth of attached algae. Currents, wind direction, and river flows are all important factors in the movement of bacteria and nutrients from streams and rivers to beaches and along the shoreline.

Land-use plays a role in nearshore water quality.
There have been significant losses of forest cover in the watersheds draining to the lake and this reduces the ability of the land to absorb and filter pollutants in surface runoff. In addition to forests, much of the natural filtering capacity of other natural features such as wetlands has been lost. Much of the strip of land adjacent to the lakeshore has been developed for seasonal cottaging, and there is an increasing trend towards permanent residency in these areas. Urban development is generally increasing in shoreline areas. The intensification of agriculture and the resulting manure production in main watersheds of the area has increased over the past two decades. These watersheds have been ranked high in provincial and nationalscale studies for their level of risk for water pollution (manure spills, cattle access concerns, nitrate, etc.).

It is a multiple-source problem.
Reviewed information pointed to three primary sources of nutrient and bacterial pollution to the shoreline from human activites; private septic systems, municipal wastewater and agriculture. A fourth source is wildlife, particularly gulls and geese living and feeding in the vicinity of beaches.

Beach postings and bacterial pollution are more frequent in some areas than others.
While most areas saw occasional postings on beaches warning swimmers of bacterial pollution between 1984 and 2003, the majority of cases occurred at public beaches in the area between Kincardine and Bayfield. There was no apparent trend in the frequency of postings over time.

There have been occasional and localized episodes of algae fouling the shoreline.
Public complaints and municipal records for the area show episodes of decaying algae at public beaches and along the shoreline. These appear to have been focused mostly in the Goderich and Point Clark areas, occurring on record as early as 1979, and as recently as 2002.

Many groups and agencies have been collecting, and are continuing to collect information.
Water quality and related information collected in this review came from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, First Nations communities, Health Units, Conservation Authorities, the Township of Huron-Kinloss and other municipalities, and cottage associations. Many of their water quality monitoring programs are ongoing.

A copy of the complete report is available for downloading in adobe acrobat format by Clicking Here.

The purpose of this study is to determine the economic impact of beaches along the Lake Huron Shoreline and to determine motivations for visitors and attitudes about beach attributes. The study area for this research includes the Lake Huron shoreline on the counties of Lambton, Huron and Bruce, from Sarnia in the south to Tobermory in the north.

The report was funded by Environment Canada and completed by Dr. Rachel Dodds, Associate Professor of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University.

Importance of Study

If used responsibly and maintained in a sustainable manner, tourism based around beach areas can be a force for positive growth and economic success. Tourism has great importance and economic impact for people and areas near lakes. Lake tourism is defined as a recreational activity (or activities) that involve travel away from one's place of residence and which have as their host or focus the water environment (Miller, 1990). Lake areas are one of the most valuable tourism attractions because of their vivid natural landscape, high quality environment and cultural features (Zhou & Lin, 2003; Bahar & Kozak, 2008). Boating, swimming, relaxation or sunbathing have been identified as the main purposes of visits to beaches. Tourism may become a more important component of local economic development strategies in areas where other sectors such as manufacturing or agriculture have seen an employment. For example, in some areas of the Great Lakes, recreation and tourism are becoming an increasingly important part of the economy, surpassing manufacturing and other activities (The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, 1995).

In 2008, the tourism industry (i.e. international and domestic) generated approximately $15.1-billion for the Canadian economy. It was also estimated that about 79% of Canadians, aged 25 and over, spent at least one night out-of town on leisure purposes (Crompton & Keown, 2009). Ontario is the most visited province in the country with about 853,666 travelers in 2008, accounted for 37% of Canada's tourism revenues. The tourism industry is Ontario's fifth-largest export and is worth about $16.5-billion in revenues each year (Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture, 2009). According to an Ontario Regional Tourism Profiles Study conducted in 2007, tourism is one of the most important economic activities in Southwestern Ontario. Tourism receipts (including direct, indirect, and induced expenditures) in the area, which includes the Lake Huron shoreline, were over one million dollars.

Tourism has the capacity to create employment, attract visitors from outside the area and keep local people spending money inside the area, generate opportunities in many areas where other economic activity may be limited, bring earnings and foreign exchange, provide infrastructure, create economic activity that does not threaten the local environment and provide recreational and social opportunities to the local community and tourists.  On the other hand, environmental issues such as poor beach water quality, large accumulation of algae, bird excrement from large numbers of birds, as well as other issues, such as the lack of washrooms and lifeguards in an area, may result in a loss of appeal and visitation and ultimately a loss of economic injection into the community as the visitor seeks alternative leisure opportunities.
Visits to beaches are considered key motivations for many leisure travelers worldwide and in many cases, the beach itself may be the primary attraction in the destination. Water quality is a key issue for lake tourism as visitors want an experience which is safe and there are no health concerns. Popular lake destinations generally have water of high quality, without fear of health or safety concerns.  Conversely, lakes with water of poor quality are not popular travel destinations because of the uncertainty surrounding the quality of the water (Puczkó & Rátz, 2000).  Caulkins, Bishop, Bowes (1986), conducted a study showing that visitation to Shadow Lake in Wisconsin increased as a result of water quality improvement. 

Labeling and publically posted environmental quality is also a key motivator for visitation to beaches. In terms of rating water quality in lakes, there are various systems with various labels denoting water quality.  One of the most popular labels denoting high water quality is the Blue Flag label. The Blue Flag is a well known international eco-certification for beaches based on 27 environmental standards and lets visitors know which beaches are best for swimming (www.blueflag.ca). Blue Flag status has gained popularity internationally and there are now over 3200 beaches in 37 countries which have obtained the status. Blue Flags are flying at 11 beaches in Ontario, Canada and three beaches are on their way to achieving the Blue Flag. A study conducted in the United Kingdom showed that 72% of beach users stated that the Blue Flag status was an important basis for their selection (Nelson, Morgan, Williams, & Wood, 2000).

A copy of the final report dated April 15, 2010 is available here in adobe acrobat format.