Callander’s council is on a mission to protect the town’s water.
Recently, councillor Jordy Carr presented a motion to review past municipal policies to see if any changes need to be made, and to look into launching a public education campaign on the impact all residents have on the lake.
“We’ve had some poor-quality water within our bay,” Carr noted, referring to Callander Bay, the town’s drinking water source. For example, a lot of algae bloomed within the bay and lake this summer and fall, and residents quickly expressed their concerns to municipal staff.
However, the Ministry of the Environment is responsible for the water, Carr reminded council, “and they’re sitting on their hands. Something needs to be done. It’s continuing to get worse and they’re not doing anything about it.”
Her motion suggested council “build a little bit of a fire” to urge the Ministry to move towards finding some solutions to the growing algae problem.
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The municipality is also “taking a beating” on social media regarding these issues, Carr noted, and she wants the town to put out more information for folks about municipal water quality and the state of the town’s sewage lagoons.
Mayor Robb Noon agreed that offering more information to residents would be beneficial. As for other strategies, there’s not much more the municipality can do. The Clean Water Act applies to the region, and the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority keep a close eye on the district’s water.
See: Everything you wanted to know about Callander’s sewage lagoons
The province and municipalities have high standards for drinking water. After the tragic events in Walkerton in 2000, which saw seven people die and 2,300 sickened due to bacterial contamination within the water supply, the province of Ontario “took strong action to ensure our drinking water is among the best protected in the world,” the government detailed on its website.
Callander’s tap water has always been fine, but at times, the algae in the lake and bay creates concern for some. For instance, this past September, some residents thought algae was getting into their homes through the taps as their water was discoloured. However, that discolouration was the result of the town flushing the pipes and had nothing to do with algae in the lake.
Lake algae will not make its way through the town’s water filtration process and find its way to your kitchen. “That could not happen,” municipal staff assured back in September.
See: Callander, your tap water is safe
However, the water needs to remain as pure as possible, and algae blooming in the lake is a concern. Council agreed a public education campaign could help keep phosphates, fertilizers, and chemicals out of the lake. “We all need to take care of the town’s water,” Carr emphasized. “We’re all a part of it.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
