The following letter to The Vanguard was sent early in June when concerns were expressed about the possible effect of a proposed mink farm on water quality in Lake George.
Here’s the letter again, followed by a response from the Minister of Agriculture
To: Vanguard
From: John Sollows, Executive Director
Tusket River Environmental Protection Association
Tusket, NS
B0W 3M0.
Phone: 742-2802
date: June 8/11
Your article, “Town exploring water concerns” is very alarming, if there is any risk that Lake George could be affected by any nearby economic development.
Mink farms have been implicated in the algal blooms in lakes along the Carleton River, and this has underlined the need for rural economic development to be managed on the basis of catchment area, not political boundaries.
I don’t know the location of the proposed mink farm, but if there is any chance that it would affect Lake George at any time in the future, it should not go in. Talk of the town of Yarmouth locating an alternate supply of water to accommodate such an operation strikes me as beyond reason. Why should the needs of the public have to be compromised for a private enterprise, to this extent?
If the Municipality of Clare has already granted the permit, I hope the Municipality has ascertained that it would have no adverse effect on Lake George at any time. Even if the lay of the land and the underlying bedrock assure that runoff and affected ground water from the farm flow away from Lake George, there is still a bit of concern, considering the gull population these farms can attract. Lake George does not need additional fertilizing.
If the farm does go through, we understand that the waste will be trucked away. We hope that the destination for the waste can accommodate it, environmentally speaking. The waste would need to be stored on impermeable surfaces; otherwise, the risk of cumulative pollution applies. Will monitoring and enforcement of regulations be adequate?
This is a job for the province, and at the political level. I know the Department of Agriculture is hard at work drafting regulations, but in the meantime, this project should not be allowed to proceed if it puts the water supply of the town at risk, or if it can affect other important natural water resources in the area.
I hope our fears are groundless, but this issue is still worth discussing. The economy is important, and mink farming has a place in it. That said, but the obligation of governments at all levels to protect the interests of the public should be pre-eminent.
____________________
Ref. # M24
Dear Mr. Sollows:
I am writing in response to your June 8, 2011 email expressing your concerns over mink farm development and the potential impact on Yarmouth’s water supply.
As you point out, economic development is important and fur farming has a place in it. We must also consider the impact of any activity on our water resources. The Department of Agriculture regulates fur farming activity through the issue of licenses. We are currently drafting updates to the fur farming regulations and we will outline issues that developers must address in sighting and future monitoring these farms.
The draft should be ready for review this summer. I look forward to your comments in regards to the steps you feel are necessary to enable economic development while protecting our water resources.
Thank you again for expressing your opinion on this matter.
Yours truly,
John MacDonell
Minister of Agriculture