Pollution

Pollution

Airborne Pollutants:

What goes up must come down! Emissions from smelters in the Sudbury Basin travel hundreds of kilometers through the air before falling back to earth. These emissions contain many heavy metals, some of which are carcinogenic and others that are highly toxic. Prevailing westerly winds in south-central Ontario bring much of this material over and into the Algonquin Ecosystem.

Waterborne Pollutants:

This graphite mine which was operational during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s has resulted in increased acidification in the headwaters of the north and south branches of the Magnetawan River. Proposed expansion of this mine along the graphite deposit to the east would affect the headwaters of the Tim River, which flows easterly through Algonquin Park to join the Petawawa River.

Ground Pollutants:

Slag from Sudbury smelters, used to build and maintain the Canadian National Railway through Algonquin Park, has resulted in the presence of ballast along the right-of-way that contains high levels of heavy metals, some of which are carcinogenic and others that are highly toxic. Bulldozing during the removal of tracks and ties in 1997 resulted in the deposition of slag, varying in particle size from dust to 10cm in diameter, into brook trout nursery creeks and onto lake trout spawning beds in the Little Cauchon Lake area. In addition, bird life along the entire length of the right-of-way will ingest small rock particles to aid in their digestive processes.

Chemical Pollutants:

The continuing presence of abandoned trestles along the rights-of-way of the CNR and J.R.Booth Railways means that creosote is and will continue to enter waterways, many of which are headwaters. Creosote is known to be a toxic substance.

Creosote from this old trestle, which was part of the Canadian National Railway, continues to enter the waters of Little Cauchon Lake.

The continuing use of road salt is significantly increasing the salinity of lakes adjacent to Highway 60 through Algonquin Park. Environment Canada tentatively classed road salt as a toxic substance in 2001. Since salt water is denser than pure water, it tends to sink. This is particularly serious in headwater lakes, since the flushing rate is low, and spring and fall runoff characteristically occur from the upper strata.

Found Lake, adjacent to Highway 60 has salt concentrations many times higher than lakes not affected by road salt.”