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Greater Sudbury City of - (Municipality)

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The following section highlights the City of Greater Sudbury’s efforts towards the Source Protection Plan’s Environmental Monitoring Policy. The David St. WTP Raw Sodium & Phosphorous Sampling Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) (Appendix H) was developed to address this policy. The SOP outlines the procedures to be followed when sampling from the intake in the spring and fall, for both sodium and phosphorus. 5.1.1 Phosphorus: The City’s Lake Water Quality Program, under Environmental Planning Initiatives, continues to coordinate the Blue-Green Algae Monitoring Program, which consists of weekly visual inspections. During the weekly observation program, the AuqaFluor Handheld Fluorometer is deployed to identify levels of chlorophyll A and Phycocyanin concentrations throughout the ice-free period. Ontario Regulation 170/03, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, requires weekly sampling of microcystin from June to the end of October. If a bloom is observed during the visual lake inspection in the Intake Protection Zone 1 (IPZ1), then water sampling is increased to a daily requirement until results show no presence at the intake depth. The Municipal Drinking Water Licence for the Sudbury Drinking Water System was updated on March 25, 2020, to include the requirement for the owner to develop and keep up to date a Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring, Reporting, and Sampling Plan (Appendix I). The plan is in effect from June through to October annually. In 2023, there was no microcystin present in any of the weekly WWTC sample results. There was no visual proof of blue-green algae blooms in the Ramsey IPZ1, thus daily sampling was not required. Public Health Sudbury & District did not report on any cyanobacteria blooms in the vulnerable areas. Aside from the samples collected by Water Treatment, Environmental Planning Initiatives conducts Spring sampling for total phosphorous, sodium and chloride for the monitoring of Ramsey Lake. Into late summer, they continue ice-free phosphorous, sodium and chloride samples, along with D.O./Temperature profiles that are taken bi-weekly from three (3) different locations on Ramsey Lake. The raw sample data have been appended to this report (Appendix J). The Risk Management Office has also began carrying out sodium and chloride sampling of Frobisher Creek in the spring and fall seasons. This is conducted as part of the monitoring for the City’s Frobisher Depot Salt Dome Risk Management Plan. This policy also required community outreach concerning the reduction of phosphorous levels in Ramsey Lake, which is deemed implemented. Environmental Planning Initiatives conducted the “Love Your Lake Program” in 2016 for Ramsey Lake and inspected all shoreline properties while discussing the links between water quality and phosphorus levels. The Phosphorus-free lawn care Earth Care Minute also continues to be aired and pamphlets concerning both Blue-Green Algae and Road Salt Facts are circulated. 5.1.2 Sodium: Ontario Regulation 170, s. 13-8, under the Safe Drinking Water Act 2002 requires the owner of a drinking water system/operating authority to collect one water sample for sodium every 60 months. In 2017, WWTC increased its sampling regime to bi-annual sampling from the David Street Water Treatment Plant. Prior to this year, sodium levels appeared to be levelling off from their peak in 2013. The sample collected in the Spring of 2023 was consistent with previous years. However, the sample collected in the Fall of 2023 jumped considerably from 50 mg/L to 65 mg/L. Similar events occurred in the fall season of 2018 and 2021.

Policy Text:

The City of Greater Sudbury shall sample raw water to monitor and trend changes in sodium and phosphorus in the Ramsey Lake Issue Contributing Area (IPZ 1, 2 and 3).

The sampling will occur on a frequency adequate to monitor concentrations with the purpose of tracking changes over time in the water quality parameters (sodium and phosphorus) associated with the drinking water issues (sodium and microcystin LR).

Sodium samples will be collected in May and October of each calendar year. Phosphorus samples will be collected yearly as part of the Spring Phosphorus Sampling Program for Ramsey Lake.

The City of Greater Sudbury shall design and implement the required monitoring program within one year of the source protection plan taking effect.

Monitoring policy M5 applies.

Monitoring Text:

M5: By February 1 of each year, the City of Greater Sudbury shall report the sampling results for the previous calendar year to the Source Protection Authority.