ZHIIBAAHAASING—The results are in for the first year of sampling of water in Zhiibaahaasing First Nation and Cockburn Island and those results show that the water supplies meet established standards. As was reported earlier this summer, a new science water monitoring hub has been opened in Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, as announced by non-profit group Swim Drink Fish.
“Everything is very good,” said Jon Riberdy who, along with coordinator Chelsea Antoine operate the program in Zhiibaahaasing and Cockburn Island.
“The test results were good, 100 percent good water quality, each time we sampled,” said Ms. Antoine.
The local water quality hub, as well as several others in Ontario, were created by Swim Drink Fish through $1.8 million in funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Great Lakes Protection Initiative. Volunteers help hub coordinators collect water samples in places where people swim, boat and hold ceremonial activities, according to a press release. Swim Drink Fish analyzes the samples and informs the community if the water meets established standards for recreational water quality. The results are published in the Swim Guide (www.theswimguide.org) or on an Apple or Android app.
These hubs are part of a four-year demonstration project meant to engage underserved communities on the Great Lakes in water quality monitoring, data-sharing and stewardships. Swim Drink Fish’s goal is to invent a scalable, sustainable model for ongoing water quality monitoring in Great Lakes communities. The hubs are also supported in part by the Anishinabek Nation and IDEXX.
Mr. Riberdy said the sampling testing for Gaanogwongapgishmok in Zhiibaahaasing as well as Rocky Beach and Sandy Beach on Cockburn Island took place weekly this past summer (although not as often in Cockburn Island due to wave action and weather at times).
“All samples passed standards,” said Ms. Antoine. She pointed out the Zhiibaahaasing locations were sampled 21 times this summer.
The test sampling took place between May and October.
“The test samples were really good,” said Mr. Riberdy, who also runs the water treatment facility in Zhiibaahaasing and along with Ms. Antoine are the Swim Drink Fish staff on site that run the program locally. “The water quality is excellent. The water on Manitoulin Island and Lake Huron is actually super clean as the source water and area is clean. The beaches are really clean, as long as the water is moving and not stagnant in an area.”
Swim Drink Fish established the first monitoring hub in downtown Toronto through its Lake Ontario Waterkeeper Initiative. The second hub launched in the fall of 2018 on Manitoulin Island is hosted by Zhiibaahaasing First Nation. The third hub was established in the spring of 2019 on the north shore of Lake Erie in the Niagara region.
Gabrielle Parent-Doliner of Swim Drink Fish explained, “at this time last year Environment Climate Canada had a stream of funding that we had applied for. Our ambition is to have serviceable, (swimmable, fishable, drinkable) water.”
The program includes 10 countries and a total of 8,000 beaches. All on-site coordinators are trained and they monitor the water quality at beaches by taking samples regularly. They have a lab on site, so they can test and analyse all the data that they collect. The public can see the results of the testing for the beaches in Zhiibaahaasing and Cockburn Island on the website www.theswim guide.orgcan which provides a searchable map.
“This is a demonstration project with six hubs and the program runs until 2022,” Ms. Parent-Doliner told the Recorder. “In communities where issues are demonstrated, we work with the community. If after the program is done, and if the community wants to continue the program, we try to find funding sources for them to access.”
“The other component of the program is that a community will be able to use our operational procedures, equipment and all of this will be available free,” continued Ms. Parent-Doliner. “The whole idea is to empower people to know how to collect and store data, and be able to provide this information to their community.”
Mr. Parent-Doliner pointed out not all other community hubs have had as positive results as Zhiibaahaasing-Cockburn Island has. For example, in a sampling area in the downtown area of Toronto some problematic concerns have resulted.
There is also an educational component for the community for its youth and adults to take part in a water literacy program to get an idea of what they should be looking for and how they can help, along with the regular monitoring that takes place. Mr. Riberdy said a very successful week-long youth water camp was held on Cockburn Island this summer, with 22 people taking part, including youth, elders, Lakeview school teacher Elaine Debassige, Zhiibaahaasing Chief Irene Kells and the children’s parents attending.
“Oh yeah, the kids loved the program,” said Mr. Riberdy, noting the youth program was held August 26-30. “The camp went really well. We will be starting the sampling and testing of the water again, probably in mid-May (2020).”