When will Frelighsburg residents be able to swim again in the Pike River?
How much of our river's pollution comes from Lake Carmi in Vermont?
Click images to expand...
EDEN MUIR, FRELIGHSBURG, 2009/07/26.
In the current discussion surrounding Frelighsburg's sewer project it is often assumed that the village itself is the
major polluter that prevents us from swimming in the Pike River as previous generations did. It follows that many
people expect that our planned multi-million dollar investment in sewers and sewage treatment will cure our river's problems and
leave us with a clean beach for swimming in the town's park.
(Image A) Archival photo of Frelighsburg kids swimming in the Pike River. Courtesy Missisquoi Museum.
However, upon closer examination, it appears that the major sources of our river's pollution are
at some distance from the village and are beyond
the control of the town of Frelighsburg.
In the context of a $5-million
sewage treatment and drinking-water project, one would expect the town of Frelighsburg to make available to its
citizens up-to-date information on the characteristics of the Pike River,
and the nature and sources of its pollution.
This is especially true because our new drinking-water supply is to be a well
that has been drilled near the Pike River in a location that is periodically submerged in river water!
The Missisquoi Bay watershed map (1) shows how the Pike River is fed by Lake Selby in Dunham, and by Lake Carmi
in Vermont. It also indicates levels of fecal coliforms at several sampling stations.
Fecal coliform bacteria are found in the intestinal tracts of animals.
Their presence in water is an indicator of pollution and possible contamination by pathogens.
(2)
(Image B) Map of Missisquoi Bay watershed, showing Lake Selby and Lake Carmi. Click image to expand.
The map shows that Pike River water sampled at the Vermont
border had a 120/100 ml concentration
of fecal coliforms. This is a median value, meaning that half of the test samples
had values higher than 120. From bacteriological data, the EPA has estimated that fecal coliform concentrations
of 200 per 100 mL would cause
8 illnesses per 1,000 swimmers at fresh water beaches and 19 illnesses per 1,000 swimmers at marine beaches. (3)
It bears repeating that
this is the water that inundates the field where the town plans to obtain its drinking water!
The map also shows concentrations of nitrates. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) in groundwater may result from
sewage disposal systems and livestock facilities, as well as from
fertilized cropland, parks, golf courses, lawns, and gardens. (4)
Nitrate is a potential human health threat especially to infants. (5)
The concentration of nitrates was 0.27 mg/L.
Since this water is tested just as it crosses the border into Quebec, we know that
all of this pollution must be produced by Vermont farms and cottages in the Lake Carmi basin, the source of the Pike River.
Lake Carmi has a maximum depth of 33 ft. It is
1,402 acres in size with a watershed area of 7,710 acres, 44% of which is tilled or
untilled farm land, comprising dairy farms, hay, corn and pasture. Lake Carmi
does not meet Vermont Water Quality Standards; during the summer of 2006 and 2007,
algae blooms tested positive for cyanobacteria. (6) This is the water that flows directly north into
Frelighsburg.
(Image C) Photo of the Lake Carmi and its watershed with the Adirondack Peaks in the
background as seen from Frelighsburg
The Pike River enters the village of Frelighsburg at Richford Road, where it
is joined by a relatively small tributary,
the stream which drains Lake Selby in Dunham.
A few hundred meters
further, the water flows past the village's new drinking water site, and then arrives at the
traditional "swimming hole" by the park.
It would be interesting to verify the pollution levels of the Selby stream, so that
the blame for Frelighsburg's river pollution
could be accurately proportioned between Selby Lake and Lake Carmi.
Since the Selby stream is relatively small and
Selby Lake has had
a system of public sewers for many years, while Lake Carmi has only had septic tanks and fields,
one suspects that most of the pollutants come from Vermont rather than Dunham.
When admiring the charming archival photograph of the kids swimming in Frelighsburg it
is tempting to think that
we are spending $5 million to make it possible for future generations to use the same
beach that the old-timers affectionately called "le swimming hole."
Our mega-project may be necessary for
other reasons, such as water quality downstream in Stanbridge East, but we
should not fool ourselves that it will suddenly clean
up the water in our parks above the waterfall.
The inconvenient truth is that the quality of the river water in Frelighsburg
appears to be largely beyond our control; it is in the hands of Dunham, Quebec
(Selby Lake) as well as Franklin and Bershire Counties, Vermont (Lake Carmi).
(Image D) Youtube Video: Frelighsburg Raconté,
Madelaine-Fontaine Desroches tells stories about Frelighsburg's past
and speaks of swimming in the Pike River. (7)
SOURCES:
(1) References : Donnees du MENW, 1998-2000, Stations d'echantillionage bassin versant de la Baie Missisquoi.
Donnees du Lake Champlain Basin Program, 1992 - 2000, Stations riviere Missisqoui et baie Missisquoi.
(2) www.epa.gov
(3) (USEPA, 1986) http://www.water-research.net/Watershed/bacteria.htm
(4) water-research.net
(5) www.nitrate.com
(6) http://www.franklinvermont.com/watershed/Carmi%20TMDL%20Final_Approved.pdf. This document outlines
the severe pollution problems that Lake Carmi is facing.
(7) Video: Frelighsburg Raconté, available on YouTube.com (search for "Frelighsburg").
Part 1 of 2: Stories of life in Frelighsburg, Quebec, as told by
Sherman Young, Francoise & Marcel Duguay, and Madelaine-Fontaine Desroches in 2006.
Madelaine-Fontaine Desroches speaks fondly of bathing in "le swimming hole" in the area behind today's baseball field.
SEE ALSO: http://www.lcbp.org/PDFs/CBVBM_Bilan%202000-2005.pdf. Plan d'action concertée
de la Corporation Bassin Versant Baie Missisquoi