HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-02-07, Page 1Coming at you
It was a great day for snowmobiling on Saturday and riders turned out en masse to enjoy the
perfect weather and conditions for the' Blyth Snowtravellers poker rally. There were 140
machines participating with 342 hands sold. The route took in 77 miles of groomed trail. (Vicky
Bremner photo)
County introduces programs
to help poverty-line families
Inside this week
Pg. 8
Pg. 10
Pg. 14
Pg. 28
Pg. 31
Bulletts down
Exeter — twice
3 pages of finance
advice
Wedding planner
offers bridal advice
Farmers speak out
on crop pricing
Nature Centre
hosts day of
snowshoeing
e Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels_and northern Huron County
Volume 17 No. 6
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001
75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
Team tells of Brook's pollutants
Four new programs to help the one
in 10 Huron County families living
below the poverty line were
approved by Huron County council,
Thursday.
The programs, to be administered
through the Pathways to Self-
Sufficiency program, seek to help
low income households, including
the working poor. Statistics show
2,665 Huron children under the age
of 18 live in low-income households.
Total cost of the programs is
$93,000.
• The Huron Good Food Box will
seek -to provide high quality fresh
fruits and vegetables at an affordable
price for individuals and families at
risk. For a fee from $10-$15,
families can receive a box of fruits.
and vegetables, either by travelling
to host sites in the north, central and
south of the county or by having a
volunteer deliver it. A co-ordinator
will pool all orders together and
arrange to get the supplies.
• The Kids Booster Club will help
children from low income families
have access to sports,_ arts and
recreational activities they might
ordinarily not be able to afford.
• Our Place Family Drop-In
program is a parent mutual aid
program for low income families.
The pilot, program will be based in
Seaforth and will provide ongoing
programming in subjects such as
parenting education, cooking
workshops, clothing exchanges and
skills development.
• Transition/Emergency Housing
will help those, particularly single
men and families, most likely to
need emergency and temporary
shelter.
The Huron County Housing
Authority will assign one rental unit
to be used on an-needed basis.
The four programs approved were
among 14 submitted by various
groups and individuals throughout
the county.
The winning projects were
selected on the basis of having
realistic and clearly defined
objectives yet taking a new and
innovative approach as well as
promising the possibility of having a
lasting and positive impact on the
community's capacity to help.
Brakelines
cut,
trucker
averts
tragedy
It was a tragedy narrowly averted
when a passing motorist alerted the
driver of a semi-trailer, Jan. 29 after
noticing problems with the vehicle.
The owner of the brand new 2001
Titan Thinwall semi had picked up
his rig from the lot at Paul Elliot
Trucking in Brussels earlier that day
and travelled to Goderich for a load
of salt.
While heading for the distant
delivery site, the truck driver was
stopped by a motorist.
The owner noticed smoke coming
from the axle brakes and upon
inspection of his trailer, realized
someone had tampered with the
crank, turning it up so the brakes
would tighten to the fullest point.
Twelve lines to the brake system
had also been cut.
The trailer was repaired and the
load of salt delivered. Damage is
estimated at $1,000.
The trailer, valued at $100,000,
had been parked in Brussels, just off
Industrial Road from Jan. 27 to Jan.
29. An inspection of the trailer had
been undertaken when the vehicle
was parked.
Senior Const. Don Shropshall
said the OPP have spoken to
neighbours regarding any unusual
sightings. No perpetrators have
been identified.
In- his three-year history as the
community services officer,
Shropshall said he does not recall
any other such incidents.
He also reminds people how
tragic the situation could have been.
Anyone with information
regarding this dangerous incident of
vandalism is asked to call the Huron
OPP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-
222-8477.
Levels of one pollutant in Blyth
Brook have gone down over the past
40 years, levels of another have gone
up, and levels of E. coli have
remained the same, residents
attending the Total Approach
Initiative meeting in Blyth were told
Thursday.
About 40 people meeting at
Memorial Hall to hear details of the
study of the Blyth Brook watershed
heard. Rick Steele, watershed
information co-ordinator with the
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority, say that while phosphorus
levels in water samples have
declined steadily since the 1960s,
nitrate levels did just the opposite
from 1965 until 1984 when they
levelled off.
Phosphorus is a problem for the
health of a stream because it
promotes algae growth which uses
up oxygen in the water both while
growing and decomposing. This
leaves too little oxygen for fish and'
other plants.
Now the most serious problem in
the stream is nitrates, Steele said.
High levels can be toxic to fish and
amphibian eggs and in human and
animals reduces the ability of the
blood to carry oxygen. Water
samples taken last summer in the
Maitland Block, near where the
stream enters the Maitland River
south of Auburn, showed that nitrate
levels were over the limit of safety
for fish eggs 86 per cent of the time.
Bacterial levels, which only affect
humans and animals, have remained
high throughout 40 years of testing,
Steele said. Tests in 2000 showed E.
coli consistently above the level
judged safe for recreational use_ by
humans.
In his report card on the health of
the brook, Steele said vegetation
levels along the banks of the stream
are generally good along the main
river but not on some of the
tributaries that feed it. Vegetation is
important because it filters out
pollutants in runoff from fields.
Overhanging trees shade the water
keeping it cool and, by dropping • leaves into the stream, provide food
for the insects that feed the fish.
The stream has a stony bottom
important for fish and insect habitat
and is generally swiftly flowing.
Stream rehabilitation work done by
the Maitland Valley Anglers and the
Blyth Greenway Project has
provided a better habitat for aquatic
and wildlife.
Keith Reid, soil fertility specialist
with the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs,
said the switch from heavy
cultivation practices to reduced
tillage probably contributed to the
reduction in phosphorus levels in the
water. Phosphorus enters the river
attached to particles of earth washed
into the stream during heavy run-off
periods, he explained. Reduced
tillage prevents too much erosion.
High nitrate levels probably
indicate there is too much nitrogen
being used on farm fields, Reid said.
Applying manure and fertilizer at
proper rates will allow plants to
make use of the nitrogen and not
leave surpluses to get into the stream
Continued on page 3