Dry summer wiped out fish and plants in Cootes Paradise Drought set the restoration efforts back several years It was a great summer for sun worshippers, but disastrous for aquatic life in Cootes Paradise. The lack of rain decimated fish colonies and plants and hampered the marsh's ongoing restoration. Tys Theysmeyer of the Royal Botanical Gardens reckons the drought indirectly killed five million fish and 10 million plants. The lack of rain meant there were no natural waters and creek flows to offset and dilute the pollution spilling into Cootes from the Dundas sewage treatment plant, he said. "We were left with the polluted water, mostly in the form of treated sewage … In the drought, it was highly concentrated in the marsh." With no dilution, the discharge fed the proliferation of algae, which then depleted the oxygen in the waters and smothered the 60 to 70 species of fish and 20 species of plants, he said. "Everything was wiped out, pretty much," added Theysmeyer, head of natural lands at the RBG. Except the abhorred carp, which 20-year restoration efforts have tried to wipe out. Carp feed and thrive on algae, says Theysmeyer. "They quite enjoy eating the decomposing algae." The drought set the restoration efforts back about two years and the fish regeneration back about three to five years, but "it all hinges on Mother Nature and how much rain we get next spring and summer." "We were starting to break out in the last two years, into a vibrant marsh," he said. "We lost a lot of fish … It (Cootes Paradise) is basically a natural fish hatchery. In a good year, it will hatch 15 million fish. "By the end of August, the only aquatic plants left in the sheltered inlets, were pretty well water lilies." However, all is not lost. Plant seeds that will start to grow again next summer and small pockets of fish survived — like the 50,000 or so herring that have taken up residence in Spencer Creek. "The good news is that there are little pockets that hold remnants of everything," Theysmeyer said. And the city plans to upgrade the sewage plant in a couple of years, he said. But Chris McLaughlin, executive-director of the Bay Area Restoration Council, said setbacks like this are to be expected. "This is a natural system we're dealing with," he said of the marsh ecosystem. "Terrific progress has been made over the years. We're on an upwards trajectory — it's just not always in a straight line."

Lilies Barry Gray,The Hamilton Spectator Tys Theysmeyer, head of natural lands at the RBG, stands at Princess Point where the remains of dead water lilies dot the water's surface.

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Lilly pads Barry Gray,The Hamilton Spectator Dead water lilies near Princess Point show the extent of summer's ravages.

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Fish Barry Gray,The Hamilton Spectator Thousands of fish near Spencer Creek. They have left stagnant Cootes Paradise to search for oxygenated water.

nextplay/pausepre3/3 Hamilton Spectator By Carmela Fragomeni