'Come on folks, it's reconciliation time': B.C. scientist behind new data on contaminated fish habitat
A combination of rewilding and reconciliation could help B.C. protect its fish and fish habitats while improving the province’s response to climate change, according to one scientist.
Peter Ross is the lead author of a recently-published study that analyzed water samples collected from the former Semá:th X̱ó:tsa (Sumas Lake) region following last November’s historic floods.
A team led by Raincoast Conservation Foundation identified an inordinate amount of contaminants in the former lake, which was drained in 1924, including “excess nutrients, metals, fecal coliform, hydrocarbons, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, perfluorinated compounds, sucralose and tire-related chemicals.”
It’s the first monitoring of water in the fish habitat and former lake, which was artificially drained by hydraulic pumps installed in 1921—making a prairie out of what was once a vibrant aquatic habitat that First Nations communities relied on.
“The history was not only a disservice to the community, it was something that flew in the face of Mother Nature and said ‘OK, what do you think of this, we’re going to drain this lake that quadruples in size,” Ross told CTV News.
“What we've been seeing since we constructed those pump stations since 1924 is five major floods. We call them floods, but really it’s just Sumas Lake re-emerging,” he said.
The report explains the goal of the study was to “understand the threat of myriad pollutants to flood-affected areas with a focus on fish (salmon) habitat and the well-being of First Nations communities.”
It’s also meant to complement the work of B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in the aftermath of last year’s severe flooding. That involved a one-time sampling of surface waters in the Sumas Prairie and Fraser River that revealed low risk to public and environmental health due to flooding.
In an email to CTV News, the Ministry stood by the results of early surveys of soils and floodwaters in the region.
“Samples were tested for a wide range of contaminants including fecal coliform bacteria, nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons,” the statement reads. “Those results have shown there has been no widespread contamination issues to date.”
The ministry also says it is taking the time to carefully review the Raincoast Conservation Fund commissioned study.
Ross says his team likely found more contaminants because they used a better lab and better technique during the study, while being sympathetic that the province was struggling to protect properties and organize evacuations in the aftermath of the floods.
“I believe the province was concerned that if they said ‘we have a problem,’ it would create a panic,” Ross said “The win-win in this whole scenario is that these data and the way we’ve positioned them provides an ample amount of opportunities, some of which can be done with ease,” he added.
B.C. faces two options moving forward, according to Ross: build a wall to keep Mother Nature out, or invite her in to help respond to a changing climate. He recommends the province do the latter by copying the Dutch model of rewilding, an approach to conservation that protects an environment by returning it to its natural state.
A series of destructive floods in the Netherlands decades ago inspired the Border Meuse project, the largest river-restoration project in Europe. One crucial aspect of the project, is moving farmers away from Dutch rivers to protect nature from being damaged by agriculture and human waste.
“What the Dutch have done is create floodplains areas and bank complexity,” Ross said of the project, which is set to cost the equivalent of more than $157 million. “In the case of the Fraser Valley and the Sumas Lake barrier, there’s agriculture right up to the water’s edge, there’s no buffer zone.”
The concept of rewilding is in line with Indigenous conservation practices, and has the potential to better protect different species and communities in the face of climate change.
“Climate change is a huge problem for salmon, they’re a cold water fish, but habitat destruction on land is something we can control,” Ross said, emphasizing the province has an obligation to protect the environment and food security for B.C. First Nations.
“Come on folks, it’s reconciliation time with our Indigenous friends. We have an obligation not only to protect salmon for the average consumer, but basically to provide a reconciliation pathway that’s meaningful and goes beyond the simple apology that some are offering.”
Sumas First Nation tells CTV News that it may host a workshop connected to the study in 2023.
“As of right now, leadership and management are still analyzing the results we were given,” said Ida Dutt of Sumas First Nation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Early results from London, U.K., suggest Labour's Sadiq Khan will secure a record third term as mayor
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, appeared Saturday to be romping to victory as results from the capital pour in.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.