Community notice: reports of dead fish in Port Franks area

  https://www.lambtonshores.ca/en/news/community-notice-reports-of-dead-fish-in-port-franks-area.aspx

Posted Sunday, July 30, 2023

The Municipality of Lambton Shores is aware that a number of dead fish have been reported in the Port Franks area, with reports in the Ausable River and along Port Franks Beach. Municipal officials have been in contact with the Coast Guard, Spills Action Centre, and the Province's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Agency officials continue to investigate the cause. The municipality will share more information if it becomes available.

Port Franks residents, boaters and visitors are reminded that Lambton Public Health does not conduct regular water sampling or water quality testing in Port Franks. Swimming, however, is not recommended following heavy rainfalls due to the potential of increased bacteria levels.

Meeting with Lambton Shores

On April 26, 2023, the Port Franks Harbour Committee met with Lambton Shores.  Those in attendance were Bob Parke and Brian Hartwick from PFHC, CAO Steve McAuley and Ashley Farr from Lambton Shores, and Councilor Lori Scott.  The purpose of the meeting was to establish communications between the PFHC and Lambton Shores.

The communications protocols were established. The meeting reviewed the short term and long term objective identified by the committee.  Each point was discussed as to its feasibility and benefits to the Port Franks waterways.  Also discussed was the process of bringing forward community suggestions and concerns for discussion and resolution.

It was learned that there is a No Prop Washing blackout for 6 weeks starting June 1st.

First action item considered from the PFHC objectives is the posting of signs that say “Welcometo Port Franks / No Wake and Speed 10km”, with a QR Code to the Lambton Shores website listing the current harbor conditions and other relevant information.  Suggested sign locations will be Harbor entrance, Emergency dock, and Port Franks Marina Launch ramp.  The sign template will be available for other marine facilities produce and post. 

No swimming signs for the harbor entrance were discussed

Second action item will be the installation of proper Navigational markers / aids from the Harbor Entrance to just past the Port Franks Marina Launch ramp.  The committee will be supplying a layout for their proper color and locations..

It was agreed the PFHC and Lambton Shores will maintain a working relationship for the benefit and improvement of Port Franks.

The PFHC will be posting the weekly Harbor conditions chart to its website.  It can be posted to other sites, so everyone is informed.

Regards,

Port Franks Harbour Committee.

The Franks Harbour Committee presented at the March 14^th Lambton Shores Council meeting. The presentation showed the research and observations the PFHC has made with regards to the environment and waterways of Port Franks. The PFHC also offered to be a resource for the Lambton Shores staff and Council, and was recognized by the Council as a formal committee. We were encouraged by the quality of questions asked by the Councilors at the end of the presentation, and plan to review the presentation and feedback at our next committee meeting to plan our next steps. 

If you have any feedback, please  PFHarbourCommittee@gmail.com.  For regular updates, please follow our Facebook Page and the Port Franks Yacht Club Blog

The Port Franks Harbour Committee (PFHC) is a group of like-minded individuals representing the multifaceted sectors that make up our riverfront community.   It is our goal to promote the safety and navigability of the Ausable River and harbour channel, by providing guidance and cooperation to our Municipality and operators of the Northside. We have been in contact with numerous members of Lambton Shores Council, and have gained a better understanding of what is presently in place and how things work. 

The PFHC will be presenting at the next Council Meeting in March, as we were not able to get onto the speaker roster for the February meeting.  Our goal is to be a recognized committee in cooperation with Lambton Shores Council, so that we can provide guidance and suggestions pertaining to the channel dredging, marking of the channel and riverfront, and overall navigability and safety of the harbour. 

We have been monitoring the river mouth the past number of weeks; the channel appears to have gone back to its former course, following the mouth of the river with a slight turn to the North.  The channel, which was very narrow last year, no longer runs tight to the steel seawall on the South side and does not appear to turn sharply to the North in front of Chicken Island. We are cautiously optimistic that the channel will naturally be more navigable this year, and proactively maintained throughout the season.

The PFHC recently circulated a petition regarding the licensing of the Northside for use in Grand Bend. We are humbled by the outpouring of support from the community; in under 24 hours, the petition obtained over 400 signatures and 7500 views!  After speaking with the present operators of the Northside, we decided to close the petition. It is our understanding that the Northside would only travel to Grand Bend for short periods of time, as mooring space for a vessel of that size is not available. During these times, the smaller dredging boat (Motoi) would be stationed in Port Franks. These discussions are still ongoing, and we will keep the community informed of any new information.

We thank everyone in the community for their support, and will keep you updated with any relevant information. For any questions, concerns, or inquiries, please email us at PFHarbourCommittee@gmail.com.

Best regards,

The PFHC

The Port Franks Harbour Committee met on February 18/23. The PFHC Committee has developed a handout that will be distributed by electronic means to all the associations of Port Franks, plus hardcopies to the Library, and the commercial venues in the Port Franks area.  The committee is in the process of developing a Facebook page for posting updates as well as the PFYC Blog.  The PFHC is looking at the possibility of more Navigational and No Wake Buoys in the river to improve safety and to reduce the effect of boat wakes on the shoreline environment.  The PFHC will be making a presentation to the Lambton Shores Council on March 14^th.  Watch for a News Release this week.

The Port Franks Harbour Committee was presented with some new information regarding the Northside, and has decided to close the petition.

The PFHC Committee will present more information as it comes in and are humbled by the outpouring of support from the community. For further inquiries, please email PFHarbourCommittee@gmail.com 

Thank you all for your support!

The Port Franks Harbour committee met on February 04/23.  The committee reviewed the short, and long term objectives.  Each of the members has taken on the responsibility to follow-up on an objective and gather the necessary information so informed recommendations can be made.  Waterway safety and navigational aids, dredging, maintenance of the river and harbor entrance.  Additional funding sources were discussed and are being investigated.  A handout is being developed outlining the Port Franks Harbour Committee objectives. 

Next meeting will be February 18/23.

The Port Franks Harbour committee held its first meeting January 21/23.  This was an organizational meeting to develop a business plan.  The committee members area representation was defined.  A Mission statement developed and approved.  A Communications plan was developed.  Waterway safety and navigation, maintenance of the river and harbor entrance, and dredging was discussed.  Additional funding sources were discussed.

For the whole community to be updated, we will be posting a brief update after every meeting in the Blog on the front page of Port Franks Yacht Club.

Committee Members:

Chair – Bob Parke -                Port Franks Yacht Club

Co Chair – Brian Hartwick –    Richmond Park, Huron Sands,     Mud Creek

Gary Hubley –                        Marine Services

Veronica Brennan –                Tourism, Small Businesses

Marina Kraft –                        Upper River

Brittany Smith –                     Lower River

Ted Grant –                            Windsor Park

Peggy Bloomfield –                 Armstrong East & West

Lori Scott -                             Lambton Shores Councilor

Karen Caughy –                      Recording Secretary

Next - Port Franks Harbour Committee Meeting - February 4/23 @10AM

COMMUNITY MEEETING, is being held January 7th at 10am at Port Franks Community Centre.

This is to provide the opportunity for the concerns regarding Flood Prevention, River and Harbour Maintenance to be brought to a single voice.  This being organized by the Port Franks Yacht Club.

The Port Franks Yacht Club currently has NO DOCKAGE available for the 2023 season.

The Port Franks Yacht Club located in Port Franks at the Port Franks Municipal Marina.  The docks are full service with 30amp Power, Water, and private Wi-Fi service.  The cost is:  Membership $75.00, Reserve fund fee $150.00 and dock fee of $89.27 per ft.  If dockage becomes available, those members on the waiting list will be contacted first.