Friends of the Sydenham, an informal group of Owen Sounders who live near the Mill Pond south of the mill dam, received a briefing this past week from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on the quality of the river’s water. The verdict: better than expected! In fact, Hugh Geurts, the Ministry’s Surface Water Specialist from London, explained that the water quality in the Sydenham watershed, according to their sampling was, in general, “very good – it’s very pristine water.” Geurts emphasized, however, that the results represented only a snapshot of one summer.

Over the summer of 2018 students employed by the Ministry took dozens of samples from the Mill Pond at various times of the day, before and after storms. The testing was a result of inquiries earlier in the year by Friends of the Sydenham to the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the City and Conservation Authority. MECP (its name changed when the Ford government was elected) officials interpreted the raw data and promised that a full report will be forthcoming sometime this year.

Geurts said that the water in the Mill Pond is similar in quality to the source water of the Sydenham which flows past County Road 18 just south of Inglis Falls, as tested by Grey Sauble Conservation Authority staff. This suggests that the runoff from the valley’s wallb has not had a serious impact on the quality of the water as it follows through the Mill Pond. One positive factor, it was suggested, is that the rapid turnover of the water in the Pond, the area from Harrison Park to the mill dam, is better than it would be in a larger dammed area.

One of our primary concerns was what we call ‘swimmability’. More than one long-time resident said that “I let my kids swim in the river, but I discourage my grandkids from swimming because I’m concerned about rashes and stomach ailments.” Surprisingly, before the summer of 2018 no testing of the pond water had occurred for several decades.

The Ministry tested for all common contaminants including phosphorus and nitrates that are key indicators of organic waste such as manure; iron, aluminum and zinc that come from industrial processes such as paint manufacturing and metal casting; and petroleum hydrocarbons which could result from poor fuel storage or dumping. In each case, by and large, the levels were within acceptable limits and, in fact, minimal. But, of course, there were areas where the levels were higher than they should be. Near the bird pens in Harrison Park, for instance, nitrate levels were elevated due, presumably, to bird poop in the water.

The testing, it turns out, did not include e-coli or other bacteria that can cause diarrhea and other more serious illnesses due to swimming or ingesting water. Apparently, e-coli testing is highly variable and expensive to do, and levels typically vary significantly day by day making interpretation of the results rather difficult. This is, however, an aspect of river ecology and safety that suggests a need for further analysis, so this coming summer Friends of the Sydenham will be asking the Grey Bruce Health Unit to test the Mill Pond water for e-coli and anything else that can make swimmers sick.

Click here to read Good news on the Sydenham - Part 2

Friends of the Sydenham
Owen Sound