Top scientists are pushing back at the Ontario government’s claim that attempting to clean the contaminated river system near Grassy Narrows First Nation could worsen the mercury problem.

“This fear is needless,” said Dr. David Schindler in a letter co-signed by scientist David Suzuki and sent to Premier Kathleen Wynne Tuesday. “If the river system remains in its current state, we anticipate a continued degradation of the health and social fabric of the Grassy Narrows community.”

Schindler, a world-renowned ecology expert and professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, told the Star that Premier Kathleen Wynne has a “very good” record on environmental issues, but added: “She is getting some bad advice on this one.”

Wynne’s government came under renewed criticism in recent days after an ongoing Star investigation found fish from Clay Lake and two points along the Wabigoon River near Grassy Narrows are the most mercury-contaminated in Ontario.

During question period last week, Environment Minister Glen Murray vowed the river would be cleaned up “to the satisfaction of the chief and the health of the people of Grassy Narrows.”

The next day the Ontario government appeared to back away from the commitment, with Wynne saying she did not want to take any action that would “make the situation worse.”

It is a statement Wynne has made repeatedly this year and that frustrates Dr. John Rudd, who is at the centre of the provincial effort to deal with the Grassy Narrows mercury problem and who has studied the issue for decades.

“We think, and other scientists think, these (cleanup methods) are very benign and wouldn’t cause any damage to the ecosystem,” said Rudd.

The cleanup plan is contained in a provincially funded report released this May by Rudd and two other environmental scientists. They primarily favour a method called “resuspension” (when clean sediment is placed in the water so that it settles on the bottom of the lake to stabilize the mercury-contaminated sediment), as well as another technique that involves injecting nitrate or oxygen into the bottom of lakes.

Grassy Narrows, and the lakes and river its people rely on, are downstream from the site of the former paper mill in Dryden, Ont., that in the 1960s dumped 10 tonnes of mercury into the river. Physical symptoms of mercury poisoning include loss of muscle co-ordination and tunnel vision. Recent scientific research shows the poisoning occurs at low levels previously thought harmless, and that fetuses are vulnerable to cognitive damage.

The Star previously reported this method of resuspension was also recommended by Ontario’s environment minister in 1984. (The minister’s recommendation was prompted by a 1983 scientific report that Rudd was also part of.)

Instead, the province chose to allow the river to clean up naturally. Scientists have told the Star that the dangerously high mercury levels in the river system today suggest there is an ongoing mercury source that needs to be found and stopped.

The letter signed by Schindler and Suzuki called Rudd “one of the world’s foremost experts on the biogeochemistry of mercury” and adds that his report is “very well-reasoned and sound.” The cleanup methods recommended are similar to those suggested by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the letter says, adding: “It is unlikely that a better team of scientists could be assembled to undertake the reclamation work now, or at any time in the near future.”

The Star has repeatedly asked the government for the science that supports the concern that these methods could make the problem worse. On Tuesday, Wynne’s spokesperson, Jennifer Beaudry, cited part of Rudd’s report that says a method called “dredging” (a process that gathers up contaminated sediment and disposes it elsewhere) could cause “disruption of the ecosystem function, remobilization of contaminated sediments, and disrupt natural recovery processes.”

In response to this, Rudd told the Star he and his team would only ever recommend a small amount of site-specific dredging where mercury concentrations are extremely high, and would never recommend large-scale dredging in any of the lakes or rivers, which is what could make the problem worse, he said. This approach to do “limited dredging” is consistent with what the EPA recommends, Rudd added.

In June of this year, the province earmarked $300,000 for field testing, some of which would help identify any ongoing mercury sources.

However, Rudd told the Star funding delays are hampering crucial testing.

Though Murray has said in recent days that the government is “investing heavily” in the testing, Rudd said he and his team have received only less than 10 per cent of the money and have lost crucial time in the field.

“When we first heard Minister Murray say the funding was on its way we started work right away because the field season was passing and called in favours from other scientists we knew. That amounted to (scientists contributing) about $20,000 which the government has paid back,” Rudd said. “Since then we’ve received no further funding.

“We took a few initial samples. Most of those samples are still in the freezer and waiting analysis because we don’t have any funds,” he added. “A lot more work needs to be done.”

In an email Tuesday, Wynne’s spokesperson confirmed the province has released only $20,000.

“We’ve also met regularly with (Grassy Narrows Chief Simon) Fobister to finalize next steps, including funding details for further water, sediment and fish sampling,” Beaudry, the spokesperson, said.

“Our goal is to finalize those details as quickly as possible so we can help the community determine what approach is most appropriate. By working together, we will find a way to responsibly clean up the river without making the situation worse.”