Moreover, environmental regulation was seen as an area of concern for each individual country, so that other countries would rarely, if ever, provide international pressure for environmental issues. However, the growing body of scientific literature about the environment changed the game between the 1970s and the 1980s/1990s. For example, when the James Bay Project was first conceived, it was considered a very green source of electricity because it lacked emissions and other hallmarks of pollution. The reality, however, is that the project resulted in incredible environmental damage:
It has been shown that environmental impacts of the first phase include: methyl mercury contamination of water in reservoirs and downstream rivers and mercury accumulation in fish; reversal of the natural seasonal flow pattern of rivers; conversion of La Grande estuary from a saltwater environment to a freshwater one because of regulated peak flow in winter; changes in water temperatures in affected rivers; loss of wetland productivity;
production of greenhouse gasses by the decomposition of vegetation in inundated areas; destruction of shoreline and shoreline habitat (creation of dead zones) around reservoirs due to fluctuating water levels; riverbank erosion downstream from dams; and interference with animal migration routes. This presents a far different picture from the one advanced in the past of hydroelectricity as a clean, environmentally safe energy source (Linton, 1992).
The James Bay Project had so many negative environmental results, that it seems impossible to single one out as the most damaging; however water contamination became a major issue in the dispute. While water contamination is always a big issue, it is especially critical for aboriginal people, who may rely upon natural water sources for their drinking water. In fact, while ground water purity is the main clean water issue for most people, "surface water purity is highly revered by most aboriginal people" (Bethune, 1997). This is a critical distinction because "surface water is more susceptible to contamination than ground water and in general has higher levels of contamination" (Bethune, 1997). The flip side is that surface water contamination is generally easier to remedy. Ground water purity is also a critical issue for aboriginal people:
A 1994 survey of 603 water treatment plants (serving more than five homes) found that 61 per cent are supplied by groundwater and 34 per cent by surface water (the remainder had an unknown water source). Relatively high ground water dependence exists in British Columbia, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Atlantic region. The remainder of Native people are supplied either through agreements with neighboring municipalities or by private systems (mainly wells). By comparison, only about 30 per cent of all Canadians are supplied by ground water and most of these people live in rural areas (Bethune, 1997).
Water pollution has been one of the major environmental results of the James Bay Project. There are many different ways for contaminants to enter the water supply. One of the significant ways for contaminants to enter the water supply is through "large scale flooding due to dam construction," which was obviously an issue in the James Bay Project (Bethune, 1997). However, it is also important to understand that industrial activities can also provide water contamination. The actual construction activities, not only to build the dams, but also to build access roads, introduced contaminants. Furthermore, it is possible that river diversion, which alters where water enters into the underground water supply, might have an impact on water quality.
There are four main types of water contamination. These include: organisms, dissolved metals, dissolved non-metals, and synthetic organic compounds. Organisms that can contaminant ground and/or surface water include giardia lamblia, salmonella, shigella, typhoid, Yersinin enterocolitica, and viral hepatitis (Bethune, 1997). These organisms are commonly found in feces and can be washed into water sources. Organism contamination is more prevalent in surface water. Organism contamination is also highly treatable, as boiling water or treating it with chlorine kills most bacteria. Metal contaminants include: aluminum, arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, chromium, iron, lead, lithium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum nickel, silver, uranium, and zinc. Mercury is probably the most problematic of the metal contaminants and mercury exposure is directly linked to flooding large tracts of land, as occurred in the James Bay Project (Bethune, 1997). Non-metallic water contaminants include: acids, ammonia, nitrate, phosphates, boron, chloride, cyanide, fluoride, radium, selenium, sulfates and various radioactive isotopes (Bethune, 1997). However, the James Bay Project does not appear to be linked to significant non-metallic contamination. Likewise, synthetic organic contaminants including pesticides, chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons, and poly-chlorinated bi-phenols, are not...
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