Is Wawa Lake a new tailings pond?

 

 

With the heavy rain of the past few days, Wawa-news has been getting some calls again about the orangey water that is in the puddles, and small streams headed into Wawa Lake at the east end.

 

Trucks have been carrying loads of crushed rock from the old Sir James Dunn Pit area, and as they leave that area and go down the Loonskin Lake Road to Highway 101, they churn up to roadway, creating potholes and puddles, laden with fine sediment and orangey water. These puddles overflow and drain into the ditch and into little creeks, and then head into Wawa Lake – the source of Wawa’s drinking water.

 

 

Wawa as a community takes its water supply from Wawa Lake. In efforts to protect that source, little fishies have painted on all the drains leading into the lake, helping people to be aware of what goes into the drains goes into the lake. The community also created bio-swales to help filter water from these storm drains on Wawa’s beaches.

 

It is concerning to see the coloured water entering Wawa Lake (and all the other lakes), and although it is surely diluted by the time it gets to the other end – still many readers are worried. This happens every time there is heavy rainfall, and traffic on that road, churning up the roadway creating this orangey mud and water. In addition, this is something that hasn’t been seen in the past, only in the past year. What is this rusty water? What is in it? Does it pose a problem? Hopefully, this isn’t a problem, and will not be a health risk – but to date, there are no definitive answers.