'We are living the reality of climate change right now': St. John River risks examined
Sewage overflows into the St. John River, contaminated well fields and increased ice-jam flooding are identified as possibilities arising from climate change in three Upper St. John River Valley communities in a report released Thursday by World Wildlife Fund-Canada.
The fund's freshwater team worked with community members in Woodstock, Hartland and Florenceville-Bristol to identify key risks and potential impacts from climate change over the next 25 years, as well as possible mitigating actions.
"I think we are living the reality of climate change right now," said Simon Mitchell, WWF-Canada's senior specialist for the St. John River.
"There's been significant impacts, more-or-less in every community up and down the St. John River watershed in the last five and six years.
"So we're there. And the quicker we can move to developing adaptation plans and implementing them, the better."
Key risks identified
Power outages were identified as a key risk for all three communities. Other risks identified for Woodstock include:
- Possible well-field contamination.
- Flooded businesses.
- Cut-off municipal well-house.
- An impact on water delivery lines.
- Increase in ice-jam flooding.
Other risks identified for Hartland include:
- Possible sewage overflows into river.
- Possible contamination of well field.
- Basement backups.
- Increase in ice-jam flooding.
- Flooded homes, delayed emergency management response.
- Flooded businesses.
Other risks identified for Florenceville-Bristol include:
- Flooded routes requiring immediate fixes.
- Flooded businesses.
- Impact on planting, harvesting, forestry operations.
- Possible sewage overflows into river.
- Delayed emergency responses.
"Obviously, we've been experiencing the impacts of climate change and it makes sense to be addressing this at the community level," Mitchell isaid.
"At the end of the day, we all need to be doing some things to adapt to climate change and much of that happens at the community level.
"There is an ability for these communities to not only understand what their vulnerabilities are but to understand what their strengths are and how they can use that to ensure a healthy and resilient community and ultimately fresh water systems, i.e. the St. John River, down the road."
Adaptation possibilities
The report identifies some ways for the communities to adapt to the changing climate, including:
- Locating new water sources for Woodstock.
- Relocating the lagoon in Hartland.
- Building flood barriers and berms.
- Ensuring that municipalities have backup power.
The report does not identify the potential cost of any adaptations.
"Until communities and other stakeholders have developed an adaptation plan, those dollar figures won't emerge," said Mitchell. "That is the next step.
"it's important to remember it just isn't about dollars. It's very much about people and natural systems and how do we use the existing natural infrastructure … to respond to a changing climate."
