Rainy River First Nation is concerned a wastewater leak at the Abitibi-Consolidated mill here Monday could affect this year’s sturgeon spawn in the river.
It said the sturgeon have moved off the spawning grounds at Manitou Rapids, and that the natural spawning process has ceased five days into the process and is unlikely to continue.
“We expressed our concerns about possible direct and indirect effects on the natural spawning of the lake sturgeon and walleye,” Rainy River First Nation Chief Jim Leonard said.
A release issued Wednesday by the band indicated while there was no evidence of a fish kill as of Tuesday, they remained concerned about the lake sturgeon and walleye spawn, and any possible impacts to their spawn.
The release did state a sharp drop in the water temperature was detected after the leak.
The water temperature was 10.6 C on May 7 but on May 8, it had dropped to 8.3 C–a 20 percent decrease which, the release stated, will cause dramatic changes to the physiological development of the embryos in the eggs which already have been spawned at the bed.
Band members, as well as the reeves of Chapple and Emo, met with Atibibi reps on Tuesday.
The leak was detected around 3 a.m. Monday, with the kraft mill shutting down by 6:30.
Untreated kraft mill waste water leaked into the river at a rate of 500-1,000 U.S. gallons per minute for three-and-a-half hours.
The band said total estimates of the amount of wastewater that spilled into the river ranged from 315,000 gallons, according to Abitibi-Consolidated, up to 1.8 million gallons according to Ministry of the Environment.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
