This is the final report from the LAMP forum on the water act:
Water-Act-Workshop-report.2015rs
(please click on link to download PDF)
Category: Resources
Lands Protection Act
Regarding the Lands Protection Act recommendations from Horace Carver:
The media pretty much reported that in Mr. Carver’s recommendations the acreage size limits weren’t really increased and red tape should be reduced. But there is a lot more in his discussion, of course. It appears he read everything about land and rural development that government and other organizations have produced for the last decade or two. He concludes that the “aggregate” land holding limit is primarily a concern of the potato industry, and has to decide if raising the limit would “fix” the industry.
One report he cites (page 20) that I hadn’t really remembered much about was the 2009 Report of the Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Agri-Food, entitled Growing the Island Way (http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/af_co mmofagri.pdf ). This commission was made up a group of farmers, including Rory Francis, Raymond Loo, Randall Affleck, and Cynthia Frizzle.
In its conclusion, the 2009 Report of the Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Growing the Island Way, put it this way:
“A ‘vicious circle’ has taken hold, characterized by declining profits, consolidation, and an intensification of operations that is causing negative environmental impacts and losing farmers the respect of the community. Without profit or pride, the next generation of farmers, or ‘new entrants’, is turning away from the industry.”
Water resources for PEI
A Conservation Strategy for Atlantic Salmon in P.E.I.
http://atlanticsalmonfederation.org/pei/2009peireport.html
With this note: There is reference in this report to the impact of irrigation and the importance of headwaters for spawning of salmon but would apply also to brook trout.
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Resources from the Watershed Alliance’s Workshop on Groundwater Extraction, November 30, 2013
The Groundwater Extraction Workshop held by the PEI Watershed Alliance on November 30, 2014 allowed various groups to put forward their research and their views on groundwater extraction on Prince Edward Island. The presentations are available through the PE Watershed Alliance website:
The Water Beneath Our Feet: Understanding the Groundwater Resource (Kerry MacQuarrie) http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PEI_watershed_alliance_presentation_Nov30.pdf
A modeling tool for assessing the impacts of groundwater extractions on stream flow in PEI (Yefang Jiang)http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/modeling-impacts-by-GW-extractions-in-PEI1.pdf
Water Extraction Policy for PEI (Department of Environment, Labour & Justice) http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PEI-Water-Extraction-Policy-G-Somers-Nov-30-2013.pdf
Irrigation on PEI: The On Farm Perspective ( Innovative Farms Group) http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Irrigation-On-PEI-The-on-farm-perspective-1.0.pdf
What Supplemental Irrigation can do for the PEI Potato Industry (Cavendish Farms and the PEI Potato Board) http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/cavendishHCwells2013PPTVIEW.pdf
Why Fish Need Water – Cool, Clean, Abundant Water (Daryl Guignion) http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Why-fish-need-water-November-30-2013.pdf
Understanding the Potential Impacts of Water Abstractions on Stream Ecosystems of PEI (Allen Curry and Wendy Monk)http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pdf_Nov30_2013_PEIAbstractionWebinar.pdf
The following letters from the Watershed Alliance and watershed groups expressing concerns over the deep well ground water extraction for irrigation were forwarded to Minister Sherry after the workshop.
Letter to Minister Sherry from the PEI Watershed Alliance:
http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/hcwells2013.pdf
(The Watershed Alliance received the same reply that others did)
Letter to Minister Sherry from the Central Queens Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation:
http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Groundwater_CQWF.pdf
Letter from Prince County Chapter Trout Unlimited:
http://peiwatershedalliance.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Groundwater_Trout_Unlimited.pdf
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These are notes from Steven MacKinnon’s evaluation of science references sent to him by the Department of Environment, typed up by Edith Ling, February 13, 2014 — it is also attached to this e-mail
WATER EXTRACTION PERMITTING POLICY – JANUARY 2013
P.4 – Aquifer is recharged at a rate of 20 – 40% of annual precipitation (1100 mm).
– Groundwater discharge to streams 60-70% of annual flow and nearly 100% in summer.
– Island-wide groundwater extraction is 1.4% of total recharge. In certain watersheds it is
40% of recharge.
P.5 – Flow is least from July to end of October
P.6 – U.K. protocol – maximum extraction of 15-35% of natural flow and 7.5-25% in
ecologically sensitive rivers.
P.9 – Zero impacts near headwaters are impossible under continuous groundwater pumping ….
the impact of pumping on stream flow is very challenging.
P.11 – Permits will generally be issued in allotments of 400 or 800 igpm. Previously only
permits for 400 igpm were issued.
Potential Impacts of Surface Water Withdrawal on Stream Ecosystems of PEI – March 31, 2006
P.4 – In recent years, increase in potatoes, municipalities, industry & tourism ….. the relevance
of these three potential effects on stream ecosystems is unknown for P. E. I.
P. 17 – There is a greater severity of potential impacts on physical habitats when water levels
decline by 10 cm. during low water conditions …. Specific habitat requirements for
brook trout in P. E. I. have not yet been determined.
Understanding the Potential Impacts of Water Abstractions on Stream Ecosystems on PEI -October 1, 2008
P. 18 – The surface water abstraction was predicted to reduce brook trout habitat up to 20% ….
But the model is provisional and requires more data to be properly validated.
P.19 – The immediate question for P.E.I. streams arising from our studies remains “is a 20% loss of habitat in a P.E.I. stream biologically significant?”
Planning and Managing for Surface Water Abstraction on P.E.I. – October 1, 2009
P.1 – Numerous studies have demonstrated that reductions in flow of streams can have
significant negative impacts on stream biota.
P.18 – ……. however, uncertainty about impacts on ecosystem health has not yet been
overcome, i.e. there is no simple model that we can presently provide for the
appropriate environmental flow requirements of rivers.
– how the whole population responds to multiple years of abstraction …. (acute and
sublethal effects, not yet tested)
– It remains to be determined if these results can be applied to smaller streams.
P. 20 – The potential cumulative effects of multiple pumping in a single stream are unknown.
Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water 