Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Muck at Wasaga Beach

Detritus, more commonly known as "muck", occurs naturally along the waterfront of Wasaga Beach. This material has accumulated in this area since glaciation and consists of decaying vegetation from the bottom of Nottawasaga Bay and the Nottawasaga River. This material occasionally washes up onto the beach and is not harmful. Detritus is not a pollutant and does not pose a health risk; in fact, it is high in nutrients like nitrogen which can occasionally produce an unpleasant odour. Removal of this material involves raking the wet material onto higher ground where it is left to dry and can be removed by park staff. This material is taken to locations along the beach to aid in dune stabilization. Now you know.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Patti: Thanks for posting this -- very interesting. Do you know anything about what causes that terrible odour at certain locations along the beach? Also, my husband and I were concerned about what seems to be draining out of the storm drains -- it looks awful, and smells horrible! Shouldn't there be some kind of filtration system of this run-off, before it goes into the bay? Thanks for all that you do to promote positive energy and imagination in our hometown! Penelope