CHRIS LOWREY
CLARENDON April 22, 2020
With the sudden appearance of a green algae bloom in Sand Bay, residents have been asking questions of municipal and provincial authorities, with few answers.
Residents in Sand Bay claim that a recently installed septic system is the cause of the algae bloom and that it poses both health and economic impacts for the community.
They recently started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for potential legal proceedings, which has accumulated more than $10,000 from 83 donors.
But according to one expert, the impacts of a green algae bloom don’t indicate a direct threat to human health.
“It appears that the bloom in question is a bloom of green algae,” said Katy Alambo, a biologist with the Ottawa Riverkeeper. “While green algal blooms can be visually displeasing and may cause some odour problems when they decompose, they are not the type that can produce toxins and so do not pose any threat to human health.”
Alambo was also cautious in attributing the algae bloom to the septic tank.
“As we do not have the capacity at this time to do further analysis, we cannot say with any certainty why this bloom appeared,” Alambo said.
While the algae is not currently visible with the river’s water level rising, residents say that if the bloom continues to grow, economic impacts will follow in a community where several people rent their cottages out for parts of the year.
They also wonder about the impact on property values if this is the new reality.
A representative of the Municipality of Clarendon said they will issue further comment after Tuesday night’s council meeting. Representatives from the Ministry of the Environment did not respond in time for print.
Sandra Wolf, the homeowner who installed the septic system, says she and her husband obtained all permits required for the construction of the septic system and she has found herself in the middle of a conflict that has pitted neighbours against one another.
Wolf said she’s had a steady stream of visitors taking pictures of her property and home. She said neighbours also called the Quebec SPCA to complain that her dog was too aggressive.
One of the most frustrating things for Wolf was the fact that over the course of the construction, none of her neighbours approached her, but instead went to the ministry and the municipality.
“I would have told them ‘Come on in, my name is Sandra, would you like a coffee? I’ll show you all my papers,’” Wolf said she would have told any neighbour who came to inquire.
She said that all necessary steps were taken in order to get the permit for the septic tank’s construction.
The tank in question is called a BioNest, which uses non-biodegradable media and bacteria to decompose waste. It’s designed to fit in tight spots and doesn’t have to be pumped as often as other septic tanks.
“I’m not an engineer but we bought the best [system] that we could get,” Wolf said. “To have a four-season house, it’s the best septic system we could get.”
Wolf also described the old septic system as “ancient.”
She said the surveys and accompanying paperwork cost her a lot of money in order to go ahead with the project.
“We wanted to make it right,” Wolf said. “We wanted to make it our retirement place.”
Wolf and her husband moved into their home just over a year ago. The property used to be a cottage and she and her husband wanted a year-round home.
“We thought that if we have a beach house [our kids] will come and visit,” Wolf said.
She said the whole ordeal is starting to take a toll.
“I barely sleep because I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong,” she said.
But Wolf hopes that this will all blow over soon and she can settle in as a member of the community. As a writer, she said that her home in Sand Bay provides the ultimate setting to inspire creativity.
“But when journalists come to talk to me, I’d rather talk about my books than my septic system,” Wolf said.
