Water Issues: Contamination

Surface and ground water can be contaminated by a combination of point sources and non-point sources of pollution. Non-point source pollution is affected by local land use because it is the result of rainfall flowing over land and picking up potential contaminants from all over the watershed. Non-point source pollution poses a large threat to the integrity of aquatic ecosystems because the pollution is both chemical and biological and the sources are untraceable. Non-point source pollution can come from urban runoff (oil from cars, heavy metals, lawn pesticides, garbage, bacteria from animal and human waste, pharmaceuticals), agricultural runoff (pesticides, fertilizers, erosion, bacteria from livestock feces), and forestry runoff (causing erosion and sedimentation). On the other hand, point source pollution can be linked to one place discharging large amounts of one type of pollution. These can be sewage outfalls (where sewage is piped and treated) and industrial discharges (where factories and power plants release their wastewater).

In 2007, water-use of eight HRM lakes was restricted due to high bacteria levels: Chocolate Lake, First Lake, Grand Lake, Long Pond, Springfield Lake, Williams Lake, Russell Lake and Morris Lake.

Data on the quality of lakes in the HRM area are available at the HRM Lakes Water Quality Sampling Program website.