Nearshore Marine Ecological Monitoring Workshop

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Nearshore Marine Ecological Monitoring Workshop

• Bedford Institute of Oceanography
• Feb. 7-9, 2006

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The View From the Land

• What is the municipal mandate?
• What is the municipal interest?
• What is the municipal role?
• What information do municipalities need?

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Municipal Mandate

• Municipal Government Act
• Surface water management is provincial
• Coastal waters not municipal mandate
• Land Use Regulation
• Service Delivery

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Municipal Interest

• Environmental Protection
• Coastal Preservation
• Public Access and Recreation
• Public Health
• Regulatory Compliance

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Municipal Role

• Land Use Planning and Regulation
• Services
• Sewage Treatment
• Waste Disposal / Recycling
• Stormwater Management
• Pollution Prevention at Source
• Septic System Management ??

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Municipal Role

• Harbour Monitoring
• Harbour Solutions Project
• 30 Sites Halifax Harbour / Bedford Basin
• Bacteria and Chemistry
• Background and Future Improvements

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Harbour Water Quality Objectives (HHTF 1990)
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Harbour Water Quality Monitoring Sites
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Information Needs for Decision Making

• Coastal Resources
• Environmental Quality
• Shellfish Closures
• Impacts from Land-Based Activity
• Coastal Assimilative Capacity
• Risk-Based Management

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Data Needs

• Central Consolidated Data Repository
• Coastal Water Chemistry
• Sediment Chemistry
• Biological Samples
• Tissue Contaminants
• Organics
• Hormone mimics, persistent toxics

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What Should Municipalities Do?What Can We Do??
Decision Making

• Attempt to regulate land use to protect aquatic
  resources freshwater and coastal
• Improve wastewater/stormwater treatment
• Reduce pollution at source
• Educate the public
• Eg. Only Rain in the Storm Drain

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Any Questions?
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Harbour Solutions Project
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