MUSKOKA - Yellow fish will be appearing at a Muskoka storm drain near you.
They are not invasive species that threaten the ecology of local waterways but rather ecological messengers. Starting around Earth Day, April 22, they will be reminding us all that storm drains are for rainwater and snowmelt only.
“The yellow fish remind us that everything that lands on Muskoka’s roads and parking lots often ends up in the nearest waterway,” said Sam Robinson, a volunteer with the Bracebridge Environment Committee.
The painted yellow fish will be applied by volunteer groups that have been organized in Muskoka’s larger urban centres, with the support of Trout Unlimited Canada.
Key partners include the Huntsville Sustainability Committee, EcoMuskoka Conservation, the Gravenhurst Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Bracebridge Environment Committee.
“All kinds of things fall out of the bottom of our cars and run off our lawns, and when they flow down the storm drain, well, it’s quite often straight to the river or lake from there,” said Bev Wicks, Gravenhurst volunteer and an aquatic ecologist with Riverstone Environmental.
Pollutants include motor oil, metal particles and salt from our cars, and pesticide, fertilizer and pet waste from our lawns.
Storm sewers should not be confused with sanitary sewers. The latter takes liquid waste from our home plumbing to the nearest wastewater treatment plant for treatment and disposal. Storm sewers are built to convey rainwater and snowmelt away from our urban areas to prevent flooding.
If it flows to a stormwater pond or an engineered structure, stormwater may be partially treated. Often it is not treated at all. Yellow fish remind us that to dump any liquid or solid waste into storm drains is often the same as dumping it straight into the lake.
“I’ve heard all kinds of stories over the years of people dumping things like paint solvents, fryer grease or even used motor oil down the storm drains,” said Scott Young, a Muskoka district councillor.
“Yellow fish will remind us that we can take personal actions to protect our local water from urban runoff and its associated pollutants,” said Michael Peppard of EcoMuskoka Conservation.
Yellow fish are a highly visible reminder of the link between the actions of humans, the next storm event and the lakes and rivers of Muskoka.
Stay tuned. In the coming weeks, more information will be published on yellow fish, stormwater and how you can help.
Neil Hutchinson is the principal scientist with Hutchinson Environmental Sciences, based in Bracebridge.