Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
Cottagers and others in the upper reaches of the Ottawa River learned about the work of the River Keeper program and the role of river watchers in preserving the health of the Ottawa River.
Guest speaker was Delphine Hasle, director of outreach for the Ottawa River Keeper organization.
Ottawa River Keeper is a citizen-based organization that works to protect and enhance the ecological health and integrity of the Ottawa River system.
It has two paid positions: that of River Keeper Meredith Brown and that of the director of outreach. River watchers are citizens who volunteer to monitor the river in the area for which they are responsible.
River watchers for the stretch of the river reaching from Petawawa to Oiseau Rock are Joann McCann and Chris Graham, both residents of Ottawa who have cottages along the river.
“Once a year, Delphine visits each river watcher,” said Ms.
McCann. “They go on the river together and discuss local issues. There’s an annual meeting for all the river watchers.”
Ms. Hasle said River Keeper is there to support the efforts of local people with an interest in the river.
“For instance, when the fish were dying around Arnprior, we called the local river watcher,” she said. “That’s how we found out very quickly the extent of the problem and we told the Ministry of Natural Resources and government of Quebec about it. When you have a river watcher, you can send a fast response to a problem.”
Ms. Hasle said the bacteria which killed the fish in the section of river between the Bonnechere River and Chats Falls is only part of the story.
“That bacteria is present all the time and only harms the fish if they’re stressed,” she said. “Yes, water temperatures were high, but they were high all along the river, not just in that section.”
She suspects raw sewage may have entered the system and played a role in the fish deaths.
“We don’t know how much or where,” she said.
Another possible factor could have been a release of water at the Chenaux dam.
“The water behind the dam is colder and lower in oxygen,” she said. “There’s also a lot of agricultural land around the Bonnechere. There were heavy rains causing a lot of runoff which could have played a part. There are still a lot of questions.
“It was like the perfect storm. A whole lot of things came together.”
The River Keeper program is concerned not only with the river but with the entire watershed. Its mission is:
There is a pollution hotline (1-888-9KEEPER), and a website: www.ottawariverkeeper.ca
RiverWatcher for lower Allumette Island to Chenaux is John Meadows, and for Chenaux to Chats Falls is Evelyn St. Amour. The position for Pembroke to Petawawa is still vacant.
The Daily Pembroke