The document summarizes upcoming events celebrating Lake Superior Day and meetings of the Public Advisory Committee (PAC) working on the Thunder Bay Remedial Action Plan. Lake Superior Day on July 21st will include a visit from the tall ship Sorlandet where tours can be taken for $3. The September 11th PAC meeting will include tours of the Current River fish ladder, North Harbour mercury contamination site, and rehabilitation work at the Current River mouth to discuss environmental issues and remediation efforts. The public is welcome to attend the meeting and tours.

1. Issue 2
Summer 2013
RAPort
Quarterly Newsletter from the
North Shore Remedial Action Plan
Thunder Bay and Nipigon Bay
How
to
Celebrate
Lake
Superior
Events!
By
Ashley
Preim
Lake
Superior
day
is
a
special
day
that
encourages
people
to
celebrate
the
largest
freshwater
lake
in
the
world.
Lake
Superior
Day
is
a
FREE,
fun,
family
event
that
includes
something
for
everyone.
This
year
the
celebration
takes
place
at
the
Pool
6
Cruise
Ship
Dock
in
Marina
Park.
This
summer,
the
romance
of
the
high
seas
comes
to
Lake
Superior
Day
with
a
visit
from
the
tall
ship
Sorlandet.
Entry
to
Lake
Superior
Day
is
free
and
tickets
for
the
Sorlandet
tours
will
be
sold
on
site
for
just
$3
per
person,
under
3
years
of
age
free.
Guaranteed
to
bring
out
the
Jack
Sparrow
in
all
of
us,
a
deck
tour
aboard
the
Sorlandet
is
an
experience
not
to
be
missed.
The
57-­‐metre
(210
ft)
fully
rigged
sailing
ship
is
the
oldest
and
largest
fully
rigged
ship
in
operation
today.
She
was
built
in
1927
in
Norway
and
served
as
a
training
vessel
for
the
Norwegian
navy.
Lake
Superior
Day
Kayak
Tour
Thunder
Bay PAC
Meeting
July 21st 2013 @ 10am
Pool 6 ship dock at
Marina Park
August 15th 2013 @6pm
Marina Park
Sept. 11th 2013 @ 6pm
Current River Park at
Fishermens Rd.
Oct. 9th 2013 @ 7pm
To be announced
For more
www.infosuperior.com
details
check out:
A
picture
of
the
Sorlandet
provided
by
Class
Afloat
Continued on page 4
Assuring environmental health on the North Shore of Lake Superior

2. 2
1
Issue 2
www.infosuperior.com
September
11th
PAC
Meeting
“Walk
the
Talk”
Summer 2013
Current
River
Fish
Ladder
–
The
Current
R.
has
approximately
50
km.
of
potential
spawning
and
nursery
habitat
available
to
rainbow
trout.
Passage
is
altered
by
the
dam
situated
approximately
600
m.
upstream
from
the
mouth.
PAC
members
will
visit
the
fish
ladder
at
the
dam
and
information
will
be
provided
as
to
potential
future
remedial
actions.
North
Harbour
Mercury
Contamination
–
Sediment
in
the
northern
portion
of
Thunder
Bay
Harbour
has
total
mercury
levels
that
exceed
the
Provincial
Sediment
Quality
Guidelines
severe
effect
level
in
an
area
covering
approximately
three
hectares.
This
is
in
an
area
adjacent
to
the
former
Cascades
Fine
Papers
mill.
PAC
members
will
view
this
area
from
the
shoreline.
The
geographic
extent
of
the
contamination
will
be
described,
and
information
provided
about
research
completed
over
the
summer.
If
you
are
interested
in
environmental
matters,
especially
as
they
relate
to
Thunder
Bay
Harbour
and
Lake
Superior,
please
feel
free
to
attend
the
Sept.
11th
meeting.
PAC
members
want
to
see
effective
solutions
put
in
place
to
address
the
above
issues
and
are
always
glad
to
see
broader
public
interest.
Feel
free
to
attend,
learn,
ask
questions
and
provide
comment.
The
complete
information
package
for
the
meeting
will
be
accessible
in
August
at
www.infosuperior.com.
This
includes
the
agenda,
overall
meeting
format
and
all
documents
associated
with
the
meeting.
Contact
Thunder
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
Coordinator
Jim
Bailey
for
more
information
–
343-­‐8514
or
jfbailey@lakeheadu.ca.
By
Matt
Quick
Thunder
Bay
PAC
meeting
The
remediation
of
impairments
in
the
Thunder
Bay
Harbour
is
assisted
by
a
Public
Advisory
Committee
(PAC).
See
the
complete
list
of
PAC
members
in
a
separate
article
in
this
newsletter.
The
Public
Advisory
Committee
(PAC)
usually
meets
at
Lakehead
University
but
on
September
11th,
6
p.m.,
the
group
will
be
trying
something
a
little
different
when
they
meet
in
the
picnic
shelter
near
the
commercial
fishing
dock
near
the
mouth
of
the
Current
River
beside
Fishermens
Rd.
To
access
this
site,
turn
off
Cumberland
St.
North
towards
L.
Superior
onto
Shipyard
Drive,
proceed
a
few
hundred
meters
then
turn
right
onto
Shipyard
Rd.,
proceed
a
couple
of
hundred
meters
then
turn
left
onto
Fisherman’s
Rd.
beside
the
Current
R.
You’ll
see
the
picnic
shelter
on
your
right
beside
the
Current
R.
After
a
bite
to
eat
(provided)
the
“meeting”
will
begin.
The
general
public
is
welcome
to
attend
and
there
is
no
charge.
The
term
“meeting”
is
used
rather
loosely
when
it
comes
to
Sept.
11th.
Actually,
the
PAC
will
tour
three
areas
of
interest,
all
within
walking
distance
of
the
picnic
shelter:
Current
River
Mouth
–
Work
has
been
completed
to
rehabilitate
degraded
walleye
spawning
habitat
at
the
Current
River
mouth.
PAC
members
will
visit
this
location
in
person;
rehabilitation
work
and
subsequent
monitoring
will
be
described
and
information
provided
as
to
potential
future
remedial
actions
for
this
site.
2
Geotechnical and
environmental
sampling is being
completed to
further assess the
characteristics of
mercury impacted
enriched organic
sediment in
Thunder Bay
North
Harour. This
picture shows the
barge and drill rig
used for the work.

3. 2
1
Issue 2
www.infosuperior.com
Summer 2013
Thunder
Bay
Yacht
Club
has
close
ties
to
the
Harbour
By
Jim
Bailey
On
May
21st,
the
Public
Advisory
Committee
tried
to
change
this
situation.
Lakehead
University
Remedial
Action
Plan
representatives
Jim
Bailey
and
Matt
Quick,
accompanied
by
Public
Advisory
Committee
Outreach
Chair
Bruce
Pritchard,
presented
an
overview
of
the
Remedial
Action
Plan
to
the
Yacht
Club
board.
The
presentation
included
past
success
stories
like
cleanup
of
creosote
at
the
former
Northern
Wood
site
and
outstanding
challenges
like
how
to
address
the
problem
of
mercury
contamination
in
the
north
portion
of
Thunder
Bay
Harbour.
Bruce
Pritchard
pointed
out
that
the
Red
Rock
Marina,
which
many
Thunder
Bay
Yacht
Club
members
have
visited,
was
actually
a
Nipigon
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
project
incorporating
fish
habitat
features.
This photo
features
"AirAura"
sailed by
Thunder
Bay Yacht
Club
members
Chris and
Susan
Bailey.
The
Public
Advisory
Committee
to
the
Thunder
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
is
always
seeking
perspective
on
cleanup
plans
for
Thunder
Bay
Harbour.
Current
members
include
a
broad
range
of
members
including
a
science
teacher,
representatives
from
industries
such
as
Resolute
Forest
Products,
Erco
Worldwide
(chemicals),
Richardson
International
(grain
elevator),
the
North
Shore
Steelhead
Association,
EcoSuperior
and
Lakehead
University.
Subsequent
to
the
May
21st
meeting,
the
Public
Advisory
Committee
received
notice
that
Yacht
Club
board
member
Denette
Maslach
would
represent
the
club
as
a
Public
Advisory
Committee
member.
The
Committee
is
very
pleased
to
have
representation
from
a
group
with
such
strong
ties
to
the
harbour
and
Lake
Superior.
To
date
however,
the
PAC
has
not
included
representation
from
the
largest
recreational
group
using
the
harbour,
the
Thunder
Bay
Yacht
Club.
The
Thunder
Bay
Yacht
Club
has
approximately
400
members
with
sailboats
and
powerboats
both
large
and
small.
Members
utilize
the
harbour
and
lower
Kaministiquia
River
on
a
regular
basis,
some
almost
daily.
In
fact,
some
members
of
the
club
are
involved
in
harbour
sailboat
races
several
nights
per
week.
Many
members
know
all
areas
of
the
harbour
and
lower
Kam
River
intimately.
Community
Outreach
Subcommittee
The
Public
Advisory
Committee
has
also
given
presentations
to
other
groups,
like
the
March
28th
presentation
to
the
local
chapter
of
the
International
Grain
Elevator
and
Processing
Society.
At
this
meeting,
30
people
who
depend
on
the
harbour
to
make
a
living
learned
about
Remedial
Action
Plan
progress
and
challenges.
Want to get more involved with
upcoming Outreach activities?
Meetings will occur every 1-2
months.
Contact Matt Quick if interested:
mkquick@lakeheadu.ca
3

4. 2
1
Issue 2
www.infosuperior.com
Summer 2013
Continued
from
page
1
the
Pearl
Street
Marina
Park
entrance,
the
public
is
encouraged
to
park
off-­‐site
and
walk,
bike
or
take
the
free
shuttle
bus
to
the
Cruise
Ship
Dock.
There
is
no
public
parking
available
at
the
Pool
6
site
Sunday,
July
21
or
Monday,
July
22,
2013.
Limited
spaces
available
on
site
for
handicap
parking.
The
City
Shuttle
Bus
will
pick
up
and
drop
off
at
the
following
locations:
Thunder
Bay
Community
Auditorium,
Heart
of
the
Harbour
Parkade
(parking
fees
applies)
and
Water
Street
Terminal.
Something
to
keep
in
mind
as
you
attend
Lake
Superior
Day
is
the
very
large
Thunder
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
project
completed
just
across
from
the
Pool
6
Cruise
Ship
Dock.
About
500
meters
south
of
the
Pool
6
Dock
and
just
north
of
the
former
ore
dock,
cleanup
of
a
portion
of
the
harbour
contaminated
with
creosote
took
place.
Cleanup
centered
around
the
former
Northern
Wood
Preservers
site
and
was
completed
in
2003.
Contributions
from
the
former
owners
of
the
site,
as
well
as
from
the
federal
and
provincial
governments,
made
the
project
possible.
Looking
across
from
the
Pool
6
dock
you
should
be
able
to
easily
see
the
“habitat
buffer”
which
surrounds
the
Northern
Wood
cleanup
project.
The
buffer
is
comprised
of
small
islets,
bays
and
coastal
indentations
and
is
designed
to
increase
aquatic
habitat
for
fish
and
wildlife.
2011
Lake
Superior
Day
event
She
was
later
used
for
accommodations
for
German
submariners
in
World
War
II.
Currently,
the
ship
hosts
Class
Afloat,
an
exclusive
floating
school
offering
a
unique
way
to
finish
a
high
school
diploma
while
visiting
ports
around
the
world.
The
Sorlandet’s
first
trip
across
the
Atlantic
was
in
1933
when
she
was
a
highlight
of
the
Chicago
World
Fair
and
served
as
the
Norwegian
pavilion.
This
year,
the
ship
is
re-­‐enacting
that
historic
voyage
with
a
visit
to
Chicago
and
many
other
Great
Lakes
ports
as
part
of
the
Tall
Ships
Challenge
2013.
The
Lakehead
University
Remedial
Action
Plan
office
will
also
be
attending
Lake
superior
Day.
Be
sure
to
check
out
our
booth
featuring
information
about
cleanup
of
the
Thunder
Bay
Harbour
including
the
lower
Kaministiquia
River.
This
year’s
festivities
also
include:
educational
displays,
the
Science
North
Cool
Science
Caravan,
a
Canadian
Coast
Guard
Search
&
Rescue
b oat,
a
Tug
Boat,
a
nearshore
clean
up
by
Thunder
Bay’s
EcoDivers,
and
food
vendors.
*Be
advised
that
while
transportation
to
the
site
is
accessible,
the
ship
itself
is
not
wheelchair
accessible.
Lake
Superior
Day
starts
at
10:00
am
on
Sunday
July
21st
and
ends
at
5:00
pm.
The
Sorlandet
is
also
open
for
public
tours
on
Monday
July
22nd
from
10:00
am
until
4:00
pm
with
n o
other
associated
activities.
This
year’s
event
takes
place
at
Marina
Park,
Pool
6
Cruise
Ship
Dock.
Although
Pool
6
can
be
accessed
from
A
picture
of
the
Sorlandet
provided
by
Class
Afloat
4

5. 2
1
Issue 2
www.infosuperior.com
Summer 2013
Nipigon
Chair
Outlines
Successes
By
Jim
Bailey
Nipigon Mayor
Richard Harvey,
Public Advisory
Committee
members Dave
Crawford, Betty
Brill and MPP
Michael Gravelle
Dave
Crawford,
current
chair
of
the
Public
Advisory
Committee
(PAC)
to
the
Nipigon
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
(RAP)
is
a
long-­‐
serving
member.
Betty
Brill
and
Bruce
Pritchard
have
also
been
involved
from
the
late
eighties
inception
of
this
cleanup
plan
for
Nipigon
Bay.
generation.
The
agreement
really
helped
the
trout
fishery.
I’m
not
saying
things
are
perfect
but
it
is
much
better
than
it
was
before
this
agreement
was
put
in
place.
Another
big
success
was
putting
in
place
secondary
municipal
wastewater
treatment
for
Nipigon.
The
RAP
played
a
large
role
in
bringing
in
funds.
I’m
proud
of
this.
We
know
Red
Rock
will
be
putting
in
place
secondary
treatment
in
the
near
future.
Dave
says
his
interest
in
the
outdoors
forms
the
basis
for
his
involvement
in
the
RAP,
“As
kids
we
were
always
in
the
outdoors,
whether
fishing,
hunting,
biking
or
hiking.
I
really
learned
to
love
the
area
around
Nipigon;
the
lake,
the
river,
the
inland
lakes,
bush
roads
and
trails.
As
I
grew
older
I
really
wanted
to
ensure
the
natural
environment
was
protected.”
I
also
have
to
mention
the
marina
in
Red
Rock.
It’s
great
to
see
the
new
marina
building.
What
a
beautiful
facility.
The
RAP
program
assisted
in
putting
in
place
the
large-­‐scale
funds
necessary
to
construct
the
marina
in
the
first
place.
The
marina
is
unique
in
that
it
was
designed
to
incorporate
fish
habitat.
The
RAP
program
has
been
beneficial
to
both
Nipigon
and
Red
Rock,
primarily
in
an
environmental
sense
but
also
in
an
economic
sense.”
The
RAP
has
dealt
with
issues
such
as
loss
of
fish
and
wildlife
habitat,
the
health
of
fish
populations
like
the
Nipigon
Bay
walleye
population
and
excess
nutrients
and
undesirable
algae
in
the
lower
Nipigon
River.
The
PAC
offers
local
input
to
RAP
government
agencies
like
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
the
Environment,
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Natural
Resources
and
Environment
Canada.
RAP
work
on
the
environment
has
gone
hand-­‐in-­‐hand
with
other
community
efforts
like
construction
of
the
Nipigon
River
trail.
“We’ve
had
as
many
as
240
people
out
on
the
Hike
for
Health.
People
connect
with
n ature
on
the
trail.
They
are
happy
and
healthy.
The
trail
passes
the
lower
river
wetlands.
These
are
an
important
fish
habitat
component
and
should
be
p rotected,”
says
Dave.
“I
think
our
first
really
big
success
was
putting
in
place
an
agreement
with
Ontario
Hydro
(now
Ontario
Power
Generation)
to
limit
water
level
fluctuations
in
the
Nipigon
River.
There
was
a
real
problem
with
spawning
areas
being
left
high
and
dry
due
to
big
water
level
swings
from
hydroelectric
In
closing
Dave
adds,
“The
Nipigon
is
the
largest
river
entering
the
Great
Lakes.
When
you
consider
all
of
the
water
coming
down
through
the
Ogoki
diversion,
we
really
are
the
Great
Lakes
headwaters.
I
think
this
needs
to
be
kept
in
mind,
even
when
considering
issues
like
potential
nuclear
waste
storage.”
5
Public Advisory
Committee Members for
Thunder Bay:
Co-Chairs
Frank Edgson
Northshore steelhead
Association
Jean Hall-Armstrong
Thunder Bay Field
Naturalists
Members
Gerry Heinrichs
Richardson International
Ashleigh Marchl
Resolute Forest Products
Bruce Pritchard
Lake Superior Discovery
Place
Jamie Saunders
EcoSuperior
Carl Taylor
Erco Worldwide
Gordon Van Fleet
Confederation College
General Public Members
Charlene Carson
Jessica Dyczko
Duncan Hutchison
Samuel Pegg
Josh Singh
Heidi Strobl
Chris Walton
If interested email
jfbailey@lakeheadu.ca

6. 1
2
Issue 2
Improving
Fish
Populations
www.infosuperior.com
By
Samuel
Pegg
Kaministiqua
to
understanding
the
fish
community
across
the
whole
AOC.
The
AOC
includes
the
entire
Thunder
Bay
Harbour
area.
Summer 2013
Some
of
the
projects
the
RAP
is
working
on
to
better
understand
and
improve
the
fish
community
include:
a
fish
community
index
netting
program,
a
multi-­‐year
radio
telemetry
program
to
document
the
seasonal
distribution
and
movement
of
adult
walleye,
a
study
of
lake
sturgeon
spawning
sites
just
below
Kakabeka
Falls,
and
an
assessment
of
spawning
walleye
near
the
mouth
of
the
Current
River.
There
is
some
indication
that
fish
populations
are
slowly
improving;
however,
continued
monitoring
needs
to
be
conducted
to
ensure
this
trend
continues.
Rainbow
Trout
during
spring
migration
on
a
north
shore
stream.
In
1987,
the
governments
of
Canada
and
United
States
identified
43
locations
around
the
Great
Lakes
where
the
quality
of
the
environment
had
declined
to
the
point
that
it
hindered
enjoyable
and
sustainable
use
of
the
area.
Thunder
Bay
was
listed
amongst
the
43
Areas
of
Concern
(AOCs)
largely
because
of
historic
industrial
discharges
and
increasing
urbanization
of
the
waterfront,
leading
to
loss
of
fish
and
wildlife
habitat.
The
Lakehead
University
Remedial
Action
Plan
office
coordinates
efforts
aimed
at
improved
environmental
quality
in
the
Thunder
Bay
AOC.
The
lead
agency
working
to
improve
the
dynamics
of
fish
populations
is
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Natural
Resources.
MNR
is
assisted
by
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
the
Environment
and
Environment
Canada.
To
deal
with
environmental
issues
in
these
areas,
Remedial
Action
Plans
(RAPs)
were
established
to
guide
restoration
efforts.
The
Thunder
Bay
Remedial
Action
Plan
Stage
I
Report
identified
fourteen
beneficial
use
impairments
(BUIs),
which
would
require
action
before
the
area
could
be
d eemed
remediated.
Dynamics
of
fish
p opulations
is
one
such
impairment.
At
the
time
the
Stage
I
report
was
prepared,
there
were
low
levels
of
dissolved
oxygen
coupled
with
high
water
temperatures
in
the
Kaministiqua
River.
This
resulted
in
periodic
fish
kills
and
a
difference
in
fish
community
structure
above
and
below
the
Bowater
outfall.
Since
then,
very
substantial
investment
to
upgrade
mill
effluent
treatment
has
taken
place
resulting
in
improved
water
quality.
Strict
environmental
regulations,
a
cessation
of
river
log
drives
and
an
overall
reduction
in
shipping
traffic
have
also
assisted
in
improving
environmental
conditions
in
the
lower
Kaministiquia.
The
current
focus
of
the
RAP
has
now
expanded
from
specific
impairments
on
the
Fisheries
biologist
holding
a
walleye.
Information
Bulletin
Board
If
you
have
an
interest
in
environmental
matters,
the
harbour,
Lake
Superior
in
general
or
if
you
represent
a
group
which
does,
the
Public
Advisory
Committee
would
be
glad
to
have
you
as
a
member.
Also,
if
your
group
would
like
a
presentation
about
the
Remedial
Action
Plan
for
either
Thunder
Bay
or
Nipigon
Bay,
please
get
in
touch.
Contact
Jim
Bailey,
343-­‐8514
or
jfbailey@lakeheadu.ca
6

7. Issue 2
www.infosuperior.com
Summer 2013
SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Environmental Issue
1991 Status
2004 Status
2011 Status
(Stage 1)
(Stage 2)
(Update)
Dynamics of Fish Populations
I
I
I
Loss of Fish Habitat
I
I
I
Fish Consumption Restrictions
I
I
RFA
Fish Tumours & Other Deformities
I
I
RFA
Degradation of Benthos
I
I
I
Restrictions on Navigational Dredging
I
I
*NI
Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption
or taste and odour problems
NI
NI
NI
Excess nutrients and/or undesirable algae
NI
NI
NI
Added cost to agriculture and industry
NI
NI
NI
Beach Advisories
I
I
I
Degradation of Zooplankton & Phytoplankton
I
I
RFA
Degradation of Aesthetics
I
I
I
NI
NI
NI
RFA
NI
RFA
Loss of Wildlife Habitat
I
I
I
Dynamics of Wildife Populations
I
I
I
Impairments to Fish Health
Impairments to Sediment Quality
Impairments to Water Quality
Impairments to Wildlife
Wildlife Consumption Restrictions
Bird and Animal Deformities or Reproductive
problems
I = Impaired, NI = Not Impaired/No Longer Impaired, RFA = Requires Further Assessment, Asterisk* = Proposed Designiation
7

8. The Remedial Action Plan is undertaken with the financial support of:
Environment Canada
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
North Shore Remedial Action Plan Office
Thunder Bay and Nipigon Bay
Lakehead University
RC 3000
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 5E1
jfbailey@lakeheadu.ca
/Info
Superior