THUNDER BAY AREA OF CONCERN
Status Update:
Beach Closings Beneficial Use Impairment

Sandy Beach on Thunder Bay, Ontario (Jim Bailey, 2014)

 Delisting Criteria: Beach Closings
BUI
• Developed by the Thunder Bay RAP Implementation

Committee (RAPIC) and the Public Advisory Committee
(PAC) in 2013:
1) All public beaches have identified primary sources of fecal pollution and
pollution control plans have been developed and implemented, including :
•
•
•
•

Management of stormwater inputs
Upgrades of septic systems to provincial standards
Implementation of a management program for birds and animals
A completion of feasible actions to improve water circulation

2) Water quality testing carried out at all public beaches on a regular,
frequent and ongoing basis demonstrates that 80% of geometric means
have E.coli counts of 100 or less colony forming units per 100mL of
water (MOE, 1994) based on a five year monitoring average

• Criterion # 2 is linked to MECP’s Provincial Water Quality
Objectives and MOHLTC’s Recreational Water Quality
Guideline

 Revised Delisting Criteria
• Effective January 1, 2018, MOHLTC’s guideline revised
from a geometric mean of ≤100 E.coli per 100mL to ≤200
E.coli per 100mL

• To reflect the MOHLTC guideline changes and to stay
consistent with and linked to the government guideline,
delisting criterion #2 will be updated:
2) Water quality testing carried out at all public beaches on a
regular, frequent and ongoing basis demonstrates that 80%
of geometric means have E.coli counts of 200 or less colony
forming units per 100mL of water (≤200 E.coli/100mL)
(MOHLTC, 2018b) based on a five year monitoring average.

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Monitoring
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit has and continues

•

to routinely monitor bacterial levels at Chippewa
Main, Chippewa Sandy and Boulevard Main beaches
since 2005
Samples are collected on a
weekly basis from the end
of June to the end of
August
– A minimum of 5 samples
collected per visit to
calculate the geometric
mean

Chippewa Main Beach on Thunder Bay, Ontario (CBC News, 2018)

 Monitoring Results
2018 Geometric Means for Boulevard Main, Chippewa
Park, Chippewa Sandy Beaches
700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
Jul. 3

Jul. 9

Jul. 16

Jul. 23

Boulevard Main

Jul-30
Chippewa Main

Aug. 7

Aug. 13

Chippewa Sandy

Aug. 20

Aug. 27

 Monitoring Results
Percentage of Adverse Conditions (2005-2018)
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Boulevard-Main

2011

2012

Chippewa-Main

2013

2014

2015

Chippewa-Sandy

2016

2017

2018

*Used to calculate the 5- year
monitoring average

 Monitoring Results
Recall: Water quality testing carried out at all public beaches on a regular, frequent and
ongoing basis demonstrates that 80% of geometric means have E.coli counts of 200 or
less colony forming units per 100mL of water based on a five year monitoring average.
Five-Year Monitoring Average of Adverse Samples
(2014-2018)
70
60

9%

21%

50

6%

40

91%
79%

30

94%

20
10
0
Boulevard Main

Chippewa Main

Total Number of Samples

Number of Adverse Samples

Chippewa Sandy

 Delisting Criterion #1
1) All public beaches have identified primary sources of fecal pollution
and pollution control plans have been developed and implemented,
including:
•
•
•
•

Management of stormwater inputs
Upgrades of septic systems to provincial standards
Implementation of a management program for birds and animals
A completion of feasible actions to improve water circulation

12 out of 19 Remedial Actions Completed!

 Completed Actions
• Identified primary sources of fecal pollution
– 2011 Fratpietro DNA study concluded human fecal matter was
not a contribution factor at Chippewa Main and Boulevard Main
beaches.

• Management of stormwater inputs
– Between 1993 and 1997, improvements to wastewater treatment
at local pulp and paper mills were implemented by local
industries in response to provincial and federal wastewater
regulations.
– Chippewa Main Beach: Re-grading beach, drainage system
upgrades, sediment removal post 2003 dredging.

 Completed Actions
• Upgrades of septic systems to provincial standards
– Installation of new septic field for public washrooms at Chippewa
Main Beach
– RV park septic system upgraded at Chippewa Main Beach

• Implementation of a management program for birds and
animals
- Bird hazing and egg depredation program, and removal of band
shell at Chippewa Main Beach
- Grass grooming/raking programs

• Stormwater Management Master Plan – Boulevard Lake
Beach

 Next Steps
• Continue to evaluate monitoring data from Chippewa
Main, Chippewa Sandy and Boulevard Main beaches to
include 2019 beach season

• Produce an Assessment Report to make a case for BUI
re-designation to “Not Impaired”

QUESTIONS?