BY BILL BRADLEY
Sudbury?s reputation as an environmental leader is bringing new support for the city?s lake water quality program.
Reports of Sudbury?s track record in ecological restoration efforts have prompted a southern Ontario watershed organization to include Sudbury in a new program to protect water quality, said Lana McKinnon, coordinator of Sudbury?s Lake Water Quality Program.
?The City of Greater Sudbury has partnered with the Centre for Sustainable Watersheds (CSW) from Portland, Ontario to implement a public education campaign to protect the health of local lakes,? said McKinnon.
Sudbury is only among three locations in Ontario selected for CSW?s Community Water Stewardship Program.
?Others are hearing great things about what Sudbury is doing... This program means we will get the expertise of the CSW to help design programs that are most effective.?
The lake quality program came about following a public forum initiated by former city councillor Austin Davey in September 2000. Council later approved funds for the creation of the Greater Sudbury Lake Improvement Advisory Panel.
McKinnon?s healthy shoreline program is ready to roll.
?I?ll first be contacting all 35 stewardship groups to tell them we will be coming out to their lakes. We?ll be handing out information packages door to door to lakeside residents. If they are interested people can get together in a group to book us for more in-depth sessions on someone?s property,? said McKinnon.
Finally people can ask for one-on-one home visits.
?This is a very intensive interview. We have a checklist we run through with the property owner-what structures such as cement walls that are adjacent to the shoreline, boating facilities like docks, septic systems, control of run-off, overview of yards and if they are using pesticides on them,? she said.
The program is strictly voluntary.
?We are not an enforcement group. This is a new program for Sudbury. It?s about educating people first. We are trying to educate the public about how what they do on the land affects the water in front of their place.?
For more information, phone 671-2489, ext. 4604.