THUNDER BAY -- Organizations involved in the ongoing cleanup of Thunder Bay harbour believe that plankton—microscopic organisms that live suspended in water—should no longer be considered impaired.
Groups participating in the Remedial Action Plan are recommending that "degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations" be removed from the list of local concerns.
At the outset of the harbour cleanup program in the late 1980s, Thunder Bay was a highly industrialized harbour and designated as one of several environmental areas of concern around the Great Lakes.
Because of the amount of municipal and industrial effluent in the water, it was assumed that plankton, which form the base of the food chain, were impaired.
RAP members say the situation has improved since then as a result of upgraded effluent treatment, the closure of industries and improved stormwater management.
Several studies have documented that contaminant and nutrient loading in the harbour have declined in the interval.
