Dear Editor:
Contained in the July 20, 2018 issue of the Manitoulin West Recorder was an article entitled ‘Lake Manitou Association members say ministry must correct Lake Manitou flow,’ written by Tom Sasvari, a faithful reporter of the LMAA meetings for many years.
In this article was a statement made by Ms. Edington and I quote: “three years ago the LMAA as an organization agreed to form a committee and meet with the MNRF to look at all these issues but it hasn’t taken place.” This, I believe, is not a true statement.
In a letter dated April 18, 2016, the LMAA directors requested and obtained a meeting with Brian Riche, resources management supervisor, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. A copy of this letter was also sent to Corinne Nelson, regional director, Northeast Regions MNRF. The meeting was held in August of that year in the Sandfield Schoolhouse. After much discussion and many questions and answers, we were told that there are set guidelines in place from 1991 and they planned to follow them. There were no suggestions about how these guidelines could be changed to avoid the extreme fluctuation of the water levels in both the lake and the river. The high water levels cause the soil from the banks of the lake and river to erode and as a result silt covers the fish spawning grounds. When the water is low in the river, fish cannot survive with the scarcity of water and with the resulting high temperatures.
Hopefully this will confirm that the LMAA directors did in fact meet with the MNRF in 2016 to try to find a solution to the issue of the Sandfield dam. Perhaps it is time the 1991 guidelines were reviewed.
Mary Lochead
A devoted member of the Lake Manitou Area Association
since its inception in 1993
Sandfield
