The Friends of the Sydenham are still concerned about three other aspects of the river’s ecology: the increasing proliferation of algae every summer; the growth of sand bars on the east side of the Mill Pond which appear to be the result of runoff down the east side of the valley; and the destruction of trees from growing flocks of cormorants. The algae, it seems, is a natural phenomenon, especially in the hot, sunny days of summer in an area like the Mill Pond where the water moves slowly. No easy solutions there!

As for the sand bars, which are clearly growing near the north-east entrance to Harrison Park, they come from erosion of the banks of streams coursing down the east escarpment. Tests indicated that contaminants in the sediment, including the sand bars, were similar to what is found in river ponds in southern Ontario. However, for the Friends of the Sydenham one particularly troublesome runoff that pushes a great deal of sand and muck into the river will require further analysis and, hopefully, action from the City of Owen Sound.

Cormorants are roosting in increasing numbers in several colonies on the shores of the Mill Pond, including in Harrison Park. They are killing many mature trees at the water’s edge, which will almost certainly impact the stability of the shoreline as the trees fall and uproot the bank. The birds are having a negative effect on esthetic values and may be impacting the ecological balance in the pond in other ways through their feces and consumption of fish. Our group is in agreement that local government should take action to eliminate colonies within city limits to protect the ecology, shoreline and esthetics of the Mill Pond.

Friends of the Sydenham sincerely thank the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks staff who organized the testing and conducted the water analysis. And, in particular, we thank the young students who, over many weeks, did the leg work to collect the samples. Job well done and, in most respects, rather encouraging. The river and the Mill Pond are cleaner than we thought! If you want to comment on this report or assist Friends of the Sydenham as we move forward, please contact the writer, Michael Craig ([email protected]>.

Here is the link to Good news on the Sydenham part 1.  

Friends of the Sydenham
Owen Sound