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OTTAWA – The blocks and sediment that comprise the retaining wall in the Rideau River behind the Chinese Embassy are likely considered pollution under the federal Fisheries Act, according to a federal biologist.
A field assessment of the site by local and federal conservation authorities in the coming days will evaluate the impact of the wall on the river’s fish population, said Mark Ferguson, a fish-habitat specialist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Under section 35 of the act, any work or undertaking that causes the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat is prohibited, Mr. Ferguson said. Sediment is considered a pollutant under the act, he said, as it “can be very deleterious to fish.”
The department usually discusses construction projects in the conceptual stages so that they proceed without harming fish habitats, which are typically found in any water below the high-water mark.
“We’re trying to follow any kind of international protocol here so that everyone’s comfortable,” Mr. Ferguson said.
Fisheries and Oceans is working with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the Department of Foreign Affairs to arrange a field assessment of the shoreline and the embassy property. The assessment is expected to happen in the next 48 hours, Mr. Ferguson said.
(C) Ottawa Citizen