from:http://www.brocku.ca/epi/3v23page/martinda.htm

LOCATION

Martindale Pond is located in the North-West area of the city of St. Catharines between the Henley Bridge on the QEW and Port Dalhousie harbour. The pond is part of the old Welland Canal system which enters Lake Ontario at Port Dalhousie, as well as part of the Twelve Mile Creek system. Martindale Pond is under Federal authority, although the Martindale Pond area is maintained by the city of St. Catharines. Responsibility for the pond itself was transfered from the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority to Public Works Canada; now Public Works and Government Services Canada in 1974.

ECOLOGICAL

The Martindale Pond is a crucial part of the Twelve Mile Creek watershed. This area of the watershed is designated as a class 1 wetlands. The Martindale Pond adds diversity to an otherwise linear habitat system since it is a large open body of water which is unique to the area. The pond attracts species which would not likely have been in that area, some types of waterfowl in particular. The pond acts as a seasonal spawning ground for several species of fish. Martindale Pond also acts as a habitat for a number of species of fish, fur bearers, waterfowls and other birds.

• Plant species: Typical plant species include:
• White water-lily, Grass sp., Burreed, Pondweed, Catails, Water milfoil, Dogwood sp., Alder sp., Sumac sp., Arrowhead, Duckwood, Bulrushes, Wild grape, Sedges sp., Jewelweed, Loosestrife sp. and Willow sp.

• Animal species: Typical fish species include:
• Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Gizzard Shad, Alewife, Emerald Shiner, Logperch, White Perch, Carp, Goldfish, Catfish, Crappie, White Sucker, Minnows and Pumpkinseed.
• Other wildlife species:
• Mallards, Black Tern, Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Bluejays, Crows, Muskrat, Bull frogs, Canada Geese, American Bittern, Swallows, Great Blue Heron, Mink, Raccoon and Painted Turtle

• Geomorphology:A geotechnical investigation indicated that the upper points of Henley Island consisted of a continous silty based soils to a depth of 11.1 metres. The upper 3 metres are made up of soils that are granular (fine sands and silt) and below this level are primarily cohesive soils. On the lower section of the island, the soil base consisted of approximately 9.1 metres of mainly soft to very soft dredged organic silt. This is covering 6.1 metres of granular alluvium which in turn is overlying weathered shale. The consistency ranges from loose to compact.

• Hydrogeology:The depth of the groundwater table varies from approximately 0.25 metres (at Rennie Park) to 5.2 metres (at Ontario Gardens Park). From testing results, the groundwater gradient was calculated to equal 0.02. Therefore, the groundwater flow velocity is 0.00000279 cm/sec (0.9 m/year). This flow rate is typical considering the soils primarily consist of fill materials.

  Further testing has shown that Martindale Pond and the Twelve Mile Creek have several direct industrial discharges of treated effluents. Mill effluents receive either primary or secondary treatment before being released into the water. These are identified as the major contributors to pollution in the pond. The Centennial Park sewer overflow is a primary source of bacterial loading. Studies have shown that the pond exceeds the provincial limits in the following areas; total organic carbon, total suspended solids, total Kjeldahl nitrogens, pH, phosphorous, phenolics, mercuary, metals, PCB's, pesticides, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and poly dibenzo furans. The water quality at the north and south ends of Martindale pond appear to be the same. This suggests that any potential sources of contamination maybe due to factors upstream. This demonstrates the strong influence of the "Old" Welland Canal and Twelve Mile Creek have on the water quality of Martindale Pond.

  LAND TENURE

  • Ownership: Martindale Pond is considered Crown land and therefore Federally owned property. The city of St. Catharines has expressed interest in acquiring this land. Before this occurs a Property Transfer Assessment must be completed. This assessment determines the environmental condition of the property. The St. Lawrence Sea Way authority originally had jurisdiction of the property who in turn transfered the land in 1974 to Public Works Canada, now known as Public Works and Government Services Canada.

  • Public access permitted? Public access is permitted and there are many access points throughout residential areas and public roads. Public assess in terms of the usage of the pond is however limited. Angling also occurs but is limited by the range of species in the pond. The pond is not open for sail or power boats as it remains exclusive for rowing courses as well as some canoeing.

  • Zoning: Martindale Pond according to The St. Catharines Green Plan is classified as a high maintence open space and a remnant natural area. Martindale Pond is therefore zoned as an Environmental Protection Area (EPA).

  • Official Plan Designation: As Martindale Pond is deemed an Environmental Protection Area, under the official plan of St. Catharines the pond should be protected based on its ecological value.

  • Land Value:In terms of ecological land value two parts of the pond constitute a Class 1 Provincial Wetland. These parts are The Richardson's Creek mouth and upstream of the QEW. A large portion of these wetlands are roughly 76 to 95% in open water surrounded by peripheral vegetation. The wetlands also consist of 100% marsh.

  • Management: One major factor of land management for Martindale Pond is to determine its environmental quality. This is provided through a Property Transfer Assesment which is conducted through three phases. Phase 1: This involves reviewing the history of the property ans determining the conditions and locations fo various structures. Phase 2: The Government of Canada and Public Works called in Mc Clymont & Rak Limited to conduct a geophysical survey and sampling of land, including, soil, sediment and groundwater samples. Phase 3: This phase involves analysing the results from Phase 2. The main objectives of this study are to: 1. Investigate for the pressure of subsurface contamination. 2. Determine the type, level, source and areal extent of the contamination where identified. 3. Provide the requirements and cost estimates for the remedation where required.

    Martindale Pond must also be managed to remain the site standards for the Henley Rowing regatta. This includes sediment removal to increase the water level. The pond was dredged, widened and deepened by the St. Lawerance Sea Way Authority in 1930. The amount of material removed was approximately 53,500 meters cubed and consisted of silt, sand, decayed vegetable matter, ground pulp wood and waste materials. The pond was dredged once again in 1964, totalling 180,000 meters cubed of removal. Currently Martindale Pond must maintain a depth of 3.5 to qualify as a world class rowing course. In 1990 a study identified that 100,000 metres cubed of sediment must be removed to comply with this depth. The pond must also be managed for appropriate water levels during many rowing competitions and the University Games. This particular water level study is conducted by The St. Catharines Hydro Eletric Commission on a daily basis. Ontario Hydro's Decew Falls generating station also conducts daily diversions of water flow into the pond maintaining zero discharge for up to seven hours a day.

  • Public Involvement: Public involvement is also present in the management of Martindale Pond, in particularly concern of the Henley Rowing course qualifing as host for the 1999 World Rowing Championships. Public meeting were held November 1994 to study initiation and the preliminary results of the Property Transfer Assessment.

  CONNECTIVITY

  • Linkages: Major ecosystem linkages likely occur in forested sections of the rural headwater areas of Twelve Mile Creek and along Lake Ontario Shoreline. The creek itself is a linear ecological corridor

  • Adjacent Land Uses: There are two major adjacent land uses associated with Martindale Pond. They are identified as rural and urban. The rural land uses consist of agricultural and recreational lands. These lands are located primarly in the headwater of Twelve Mile Creek and within the catchment area of Richardson's Creek. The urban land uses include residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and recreational. There are numerous commercial areas located within 400 meters of Martindale Pond of which tend to have minimal direct impacts in the pond. The residential land use occures in both low and high density dwellings. A former adjacent land use located near or directly affecting Martindale Pond were landfill sites of which have the potential to lechate into the pond. Ten landfill sites were identified, three of which were the industrial landfill sites of Shawinigan Chemical Company, Domtar Fine Papers Limited and General Motors of Canada. The remaining seven sites are former non-industrial (mainly municipal waste). Little data has been complied regarding the environmental impact of these sites.