'FIX, REPAIR, REPLACE';
Chair of Wainfleet Water and Sewer committee presents alternatives to pipeline
THE WAINFLEET WATER AND SEWER COMMITTEE CHAIR IS AGAINST A PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER PIPELINE AND WANTS TO PRESERVE WAINFLEET'S RURAL ATMOSPHERE.
DURING AN HOUR-LONG DELEGATION AT TUESDAY NIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING, KONC OUTLINED A CHRONOLOGICAL SERIES OF EVENTS SURROUNDING WAINFLEET'S WATER PROBLEMS INCLUDING TEST RESULTS AND FINANCIAL COMPILATIONS PROVIDED BY THE REGION.
"OUR SOLUTION OF FIX, REPAIR, REPLACE WILL KEEP WAINFLEET SMALL AND RURAL AS THE CITIZENS ASKED FOR IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN WITH LIMITED DEVELOPMENT," KONC SAID.
"LAKESHORE RESIDENTS DON'T AGREE WITH THE REGION'S CONCLUSION. WE DO HOWEVER AGREE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM.
"ONE THAT WE THINK IS NOT AS HUGE AS THE REGION IS CLAIMING AND THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH THE USE OF THE PROPERTY STANDARDS BYLAW AND FIX, REPLACE, REPAIR."
SHE SAID THE REGION HAS NOT FACTORED THAT PUMPS, BACKFLOW VALVES, AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES, MONTHLY WATER AND SEWER BILL, COST OF HOOK UP AND RETROFITTING A HOUSE AND WATER METERS WOULD HAVE TO BE PURCHASED IN ADDITION TO THE ESTIMATED $31,400 COST PER HOUSE FOR A PROPOSED PIPELINE.
"IT'S OUR OPINION THE REGION HAS NOT BEEN TOTALLY HONEST WITH US," SHE SAID. "SOME OF THE INFORMATION THE REGION IS GIVING US IS QUESTIONABLE AT BEST."
KONC HOPES TO HOLD THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO ELECTION CAMPAIGN PROMISES WHICH OUTLINE THEIR DISCONTENT WITH A PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER PIPELINE. SHE OUTLINED NUMEROUS SOLUTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE WAINFLEET WATER AND SEWER COMMITTEE.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICING AREA INCLUDE:
- WELL OWNERS COULD OBTAIN POTABLE WATER WITH A TREATMENT UNIT.
KONC SUGGESTED THAT THE MUNICIPALITY OR THE REGION MAKE A BYLAW MANDATING ALL WELL OWNERS PURCHASE AND INSTALL A TREATMENT UNIT AND SUBMIT TEST RESULTS OF 0-0 TWO TO FOUR TIMES PER YEAR TO ENSURE THE UNITS ARE USED AND MAINTAINED. KONC SAID IF HOMEOWNERS DON'T HAVE THEIR WATER TESTED A FINANCIAL PENALTY COULD BE ADDED TO TAXES. SHE SAID A REBATE OF ABOUT $250 COULD BE OFFERED TO THOSE WHO PROVIDE PROOF OF PURCHASE OF A UNIT AS AN INCENTIVE;
- KONC SUGGESTED THAT WASTEWATER BE ADDRESSED WITH THE REGION OR TOWNSHIP ENFORCING THE PROPERTY STANDARDS BYLAW OR PUTTING IN PLACE AN AMENDMENT OR RESOLUTION. THIS WOULD ALLOW SYSTEM INSPECTIONS AND TESTING TO FIX, REPAIR OR REPLACE AGING SYSTEMS. SHE SAID THIS STEP COULD BE INITIATED QUICKLY RATHER THAN LETTING THE ISSUE LINGER;
- SHE SAID MONTHLY PUMPING COULD BE ADDED TO MUNICIPAL TAXES AND DONE BY LOCAL CONTRACTORS FOR HOMEOWNERS WITH HOLDING TANKS AND SEPTIC TANKS. THIS WOULD ENSURE HOLDING TANKS ARE INSPECTED AND PUMPED OUT ACCORDING TO A SCHEDULE FOR THE SIZE OF THE TANK;
- RESIDENTS WHO REQUIRE ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS COULD INSTALL INCINERATING TOILETS AND/OR NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN APPROVED BY THE MINISTRY. KONC SAID POLICING THESE PROPERTIES COULD BE DONE REGULARLY.
SHE ALSO OUTLINED ANOTHER WATER-RELATED PROBLEM RESIDENTS FACE. SHE SAID WAINFLEET RESIDENTS WHO HAVE REGULAR DAY JOBS HAVE DIFFICULTIES BRINGING THEIR WATER SAMPLES TO PORT COLBORNE CITY HALL BETWEEN 8:30 A.M. AND 4:30 P.M. FOR REGULAR TESTING.
KONC ASKED COUNCIL IF WATER SAMPLES COULD BE ACCEPTED AT THE PORT COLBORNE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES HEADQUARTERS, WHICH IS OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY.
"NOW IS THE TIME FOR DISCUSSION OF THE SOLUTION THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS. IT HAS THE UNIVERSAL APPROVAL OF MOST OF THE LAKESHORE RESIDENTS, IT IS TIMELY AND FINANCIALLY DOABLE. PLEASE HEAR US OUT AND THEN THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX THE ENGINEERS HAVE PUT US IN."
Kingston Whig-Standard February 14, 2007
LAKE ONTARIO WATERKEEPER
Pipe Nightmares
A third to half of all Ontario,s clean, treated drinking water leaks into the ground before it ever gets to peoples taps. Decades of neglect have led to predictable consequences.
Old pipes, many in the ground for 50 to 100 years, are riddled with leaks. Even new pipes leak and a water loss rate of 10 to 20 per cent is viewed as inevitable.
Things are much the same with sewage systems and in some, particularly rural communities, human waste leaking from the sewage and septic systems is a significant if not the major source of groundwater contamination.
Despite clear and compelling evidence of a critical infrastructure deficit in this province, there is a perilous and growing gap between what government spends on repairs, maintenance and expansion and whats needed.
Change may be coming, but hardly at a breakneck pace. Sixteen months after a provincially appointed expert panel issued warnings on the state of Ontarios water and wastewater system, urging new investment and wholesale restructuring, the government has failed to act. In fact, it hasnt responded to the recommendations in its own "Watertight" report.
"I think its disappointing that the government hasnt responded," Dr. Harry Swain, chairman of the task force, told Osprey News.
Watertight wasnt just a nuts-and-bolts review of the status of the provinces leaky, creaky taps, pipes and water supply systems. It was a blueprint for change that picked up where Justice Dennis OConnors 2000 inquiry into the Walkerton tainted water tragedy left off, recommending structural change and concrete measures intended to ensure that another Walkerton never happens in this province.
Swains Watertight: The case for change in Ontario�s water and wastewater sector, proposes to overhaul the organization and financing of municipal water works, to merge smaller water systems into large regional corporations.
It called on government to invest billions of new dollars annually on water infrastructure and ultimately have consumers pay for it through higher water bills.
Watertight also warned that Ontario faces a "serious and growing problem: an unpaid bill of $11 billion for upkeep and repairs" and suggested the province needs to increase spending on water and sewer lines and treatment facilities by $2.3 billion annually to protect public health and water quality.
"Without more investment," the report warned, "there will be more flooding, more damage to roads, more sewage directed to rivers and lakes during storms, more boil-water advisories."
More than a year of delay in acting on the recommendations has exacerbated Ontarios water infrastructure problems. It is not a crisis, but at some point, breakdowns will occur and there will be consequences, Swain said.
We have been down this road before. The reluctance of public officials to spend money directly contributed to the tragedy at Walkerton.
Had the towns water utility spent $9,000 for a chlorine residual monitor with an automatic shutoff ïS a backup device that would ensure untreated water wasn�t pumped to homes in the community ïs the tragedy could have been avoided.
"If they had one of those in there, nobody would have got sick and nobody would have died, period," Swain said.
When Walkertons water system first pumped water laced with E. coli bacteria into local homes and businesses, the public utility had $534,000 in the bank and no debt.
Subsequently, seven died, thousands became ill, many gravely.
The Ontario and federal governments responded to Walkerton by spending hundreds of millions dollars on new infrastructure across the province and by bringing in an unprecedented level of regulation, oversight, training and education.
Despite all the new money and scrutiny, many municipal water utility officials question whether marginal gains in water safety have been worth the cost, particularly given that the provincial focus has been prescriptive, bureaucratic and addressed infrastructure need on an ad hoc ïs not a holistic ïs basis.
Post-Walkerton regulations have needlessly added to the financial and bureaucratic burden municipalities face, local officials say, and ultimately increased consumer costs for water.
Whats needed, they say, is provincial and federal commitment to fund a dedicated infrastructure program for water and sewage systems that helps all municipalities ïs and smaller ones in particular ïs deal with long-term repair, replacement and expansion costs.
"We've been saying that for quite a while," said Pat Vanini, executive director of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
Instead, the overwhelming majority of the capital funds advanced by senior levels of government are handed out almost on an emergency basis, to deal with pressing and admittedly expensive problems.
Meanwhile, maintenance and life cycle repairs in smaller communities are put off and although many cities have new plants, the pipes that carry treated water and transport waste are as old and rotten as they have ever been.
Provincial and federal grant programs pit municipality against municipality and force local councils to spend money, sometimes significant amounts, to prepare proposals that justify the need for work.
"That�s not a lot of money," Vanini said, particularly given the context that AMO calculates the province needs to spend billions more on infrastructure just to keep things from falling apart.
Swain, in his Watertight report, came to the same conclusion about water pipes.
"Many of the underground pipes were cast iron a century ago and up through the 1930s and 40s," Swain told Osprey News. "Then they started replacing them with steel.
"And it turns out, the cast-iron pipes have a lifetime of 75 or 100 years and the steel ones are more like 40 or 50 years, so its coming due more or less at the same time, an effect that nobody really had in mind in 1950," he said.
Swain estimated there�s an $11-billion gap between spending and need, but the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association estimated the backlog of immediate, needed work is closer to $18 billion.
The association has repeatedly warned the province about the risk of building new water treatment plants without dealing with pipes.
"If you have all this source water cleaned and you process it through state-of-the-art treatment plants, then put it through leaking, corroding pipes, where are you?," asked Frank Zechner, executive director of the association.
Abdul Khan is director of water and wastewater treatment with Hamilton�s Public Works Department who, before joining the city, worked extensively as a consultant on water infrastructure.
Khan said there is a lot of "philosophical debate" over the entire area of water efficiency � leaky pipes. "I remember my professor at school who said, you know what, if any engineer or anyone in the world would tell you he or she is losing less than 15 per cent of water, hes lying, " Khan told Osprey News.
Without water meters on every home, however, figuring out how much water is going missing is a guessing game.
Hamilton has made concerted efforts both on a meter-installation program and a long-term plan to deal with upgrading its maze of pipes.
There are practical limits, however, Khan said, on what can be achieved in terms of efficiency.
Even new pipes leak, maybe 10 per cent of the volume transported through them. Older systems leak a good deal more, he said.
"Twenty per cent leakage, to me personally as an engineer, I believe that is an acceptable [standard]," Khan said.
"In England, 20 per cent is considered very, very good and 25 per cent is acceptable," he said. "That is a realistic target."
BY MATTHEW VAN DONGEN , FEBRUARY 16, 2007 UPDATED
DESPITE OLD PIPES
REGION IN MIDST OF WATER LOSS STUDY
JASON OATLEY FIGURES NIAGARA ISNT AS LEAKY AS ITS NEIGHBOURS.
OATLEY, A NIAGARA REGION PUBLIC WORKS MANAGER, FIGURES NIAGARAS LOSS IS MORE LIKE 10 TO 15 PER CENT.
"I THINK WE ARE DOING WELL," OATLEY SAID. "BUT WHEN YOU DELIVER SOMETHING LIKE 75 MILLION CUBIC METRES (OF WATER), 10 PER CENT IS STILL A BIG NUMBER."
ITS ALSO JUST AN ESTIMATE AND OATLEY ADMITS THE PERCENTAGE COULD VARY SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL MUNICIPALITIES IN NIAGARA.
THAT�S WHY THE REGION IS IN THE MIDST OF A WATER LOSS STUDY, DUE OUT IN APRIL, TO QUANTIFY HOW MUCH TREATED WATER ENDS UP IN THE GROUND, INSTEAD OF IN RATEPAYER TAPS.
THATS A TRICKY TASK IN NIAGARAS TWO-TIER WATER SYSTEM, OF COURSE.
THE REGION TREATS WATER AT SIX DIFFERENT PLANTS AND DELIVERS IT TO 11 DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES IN LARGE WATER MAINS.
AT THAT POINT, SMALLER MUNICIPALITIES TAKE OVER, DELIVERING THE WATER IN SMALLER PIPES TO INDIVIDUAL HOME AND BUSINESS OWNERS.
ON AVERAGE, OATLEY SAID REGIONAL PIPES ARE YOUNGER AND LOSE LESS WATER TO LEAKS AND BREAKS.
MANY OF THE OLDEST REGIONAL PIPES � ONLY FIVE HAVE SEEN MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF DUTY IS RUN FROM THE VENERABLE DECEW TREATMENT PLANT.
"OUR ASSETS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE," HE SAID. "BUT WITH THE COMPLAINTS YOU GET ABOUT WATER RATES GOING UP, YOU WANT TO ENSURE THERES AS LITTLE WASTE AS POSSIBLE."
PIPES IN OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN UNDERGROUND WORKHORSES FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. IN ST. CATHARINES, THE OLDEST CAST IRON WATER MAINS CAN BE FOUND IN THE DOWNTOWN AND PORT DALHOUSIE, SAID DAN DILLON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES.
DILLON SAID THE CITY STILL USES ABOUT 190 KILOMETRES OF CAST IRON MAINS, ABOUT 35 PER CENT OF THE MUNICIPAL SYSTEM.
TOWN EMBARKS ON 'TEAM EFFORT'
FINANCIAL HELP FOR REPAIRS
AND FINES FOR HOMEOWNERS WHO WON'T COMPLY TO SOLVE SEWER TROUBLES
OF 155 HOME INSPECTIONS CARRIED OUT IN CRESCENT PARK OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, 23 PRIVATE-SIDE AND EIGHT TOWN-SIDE PLUMBING DEFICIENCIES WERE FOUND.
"WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR WEEPING TILE CONNECTIONS, ILLEGAL SUMP PUMP CONNECTIONS AND LATERAL DEFICIENCIES," SAID GRANT BOUTIN, THE TOWN'S PUBLIC WORKS SUPERVISOR.
"A LOT OF THESE ARE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO EXTRANEOUS FLOW."
BOUTIN AND RON TRIPP, THE TOWN'S DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES, UPDATED COUNCIL THIS WEEK ON A PROGRAM THE MUNICIPALITY UNDERTOOK IN DECEMBER TO CURB ILLEGAL SUMP PUMP CONNECTIONS AND BROKEN LATERALS (A PIPE THAT CARRIES SEWAGE BETWEEN A HOUSE AND THE TOWN'S SEWER LINE ON THE STREET).
MANY OF THE ILLEGAL SUMP PUMP CONNECTIONS ARE THE RESULT OF BUILDING PRACTICES CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE AT THE TIME HOMES FIRST STARTED SPROUTING UP IN CRESCENT PARK, IN THE 1950S AND '60S.
THE TOWN HAS SENT LETTERS TO SEVERAL RESIDENCES IN THE AREA, TELLING OCCUPANTS THEY CAN EXPECT A VISIT FROM TOWN EMPLOYEES WHO WILL INSPECT THEIR PLUMBING - INSIDE AND OUTSIDE - TO SEE IF THEIR HOMES HAVE ILLEGAL CONNECTIONS.
A SEWER-USE BYLAW, APPROVED BY COUNCIL LAST SPRING, FORCES HOMEOWNERS TO REMOVE ILLEGAL CONNECTIONS, AND INCLUDES A SCHEDULE OF FINES FOR THOSE WHO DON'T COMPLY.
THE BYLAW ALSO OFFERS UP TO $4,500 IN INCENTIVES FOR HOMEOWNERS WHO TAKE STEPS TO CORRECT THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.
BOUTIN SHOWED COUNCIL VIDEOS SHOT OVER THE PAST YEAR BY MINI-CAMERAS PLACED INSIDE 20 KILOMETRES OF MAIN SEWER LINE IN CRESCENT PARK.
"TO DATE, ABOUT 15 KILOMETRES HAS BEEN REVIEWED. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 33 DEFICIENCIES IN THE MAIN LINE, AND THOSE DEFICIENCIES WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH NON-DESTRUCTIVE, GEL-SEALING TYPE REPAIRS."
NOBODY SEEMS CERTAIN AS TO HOW MANY OF CRESCENT PARK'S 2,075 HOMES ARE PRONE TO BASEMENT FLOODING DURING HEAVY RAINS AND PERIODS OF RAPID RUNOFF FROM MELTING SNOW.
SOME HOMEOWNERS SAY THEY HAVE NO TROUBLE AT ALL. OTHERS SAY THEIR SUMP PUMPS ALMOST NEVER STOP RUNNING, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD WATER IN THEIR BASEMENTS.
AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, EITHER BECAUSE OF STORM WATER SURGING UP OUT OF SUMP PUMP PITS, OR WORSE - RAW SEWAGE GUSHING IN THROUGH BASEMENT FLOOR DRAINS, LAUNDRY TUBS AND BATHROOM FIXTURES.
WHAT'S CERTAIN IS THE PROBLEM HAS COST HOMEOWNERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND EVERY YEAR, CONTINUES TO DRIVE UP THE WATER AND SEWER BILLS OF EVERYONE IN FORT ERIE.
INTRIGUED BY THE VIDEOS, MAYOR DOUG MARTIN SAID HE WOULD LIKE THE PUBLIC TO SEE THE CLIPS SHOWN IN MONDAY'S COUNCIL-IN-COMMITTEE MEETING, "SO THAT TOWN RESIDENTS CAN CLEARLY SEE THE IMPACT OF EXTRANEOUS FLOW."
"YOU WOULDN'T PURPOSELY PUMP YOUR SEWAGE INTO YOUR NEIGHBOUR'S BASEMENT, BUT BY ALLOWING YOUR SUMP PUMP TO GO DIRECTLY INTO THE SANITARY SYSTEM THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING," SAID MARTIN.
"WITH SO MANY RESIDENTS DOING THIS UNKNOWINGLY, MAYBE IF THEY SEE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THIS EVENING, THEY MAY ACT KINDLY UPON WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO HERE."
TRIPP SAID THE TOWN IS PLANNING TO HAVE A SECOND PUBLIC MEETING SOON - ONE WAS HELD LAST YEAR AT TOWN HALL - TO LET THE PUBLIC IN ON WHAT HAS BEEN GOING IN CRESCENT PARK.
"THERE IS A DESIRE IN THE COMMUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS," HE SAID.
"WE WANT THIS TO BE EDUCATIONAL. WE DON'T WANT TO COME ACROSS AS DEMANDING OR INTRUSIVE. WE JUST WANT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM."
TRIPP ACKNOWLEDGED THE MOST DIFFICULT PEOPLE TO CONVINCE WILL LIKELY BE THOSE HOMEOWNERS WHO HAVE ILLEGAL CONNECTIONS AND NEVER EXPERIENCE FLOODING.
FOR SOME, IT WILL BE HARD FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND THEIR HOMES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAUSE OF BASEMENT BACKUPS IN OTHER PARTS OF THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD, HE SAID.
THERE'S ANOTHER FINANCIAL INCENTIVE FOR RESIDENTS TO CO-OPERATE WITH TOWN INSPECTORS.
ONCE STORM WATER GETS INTO THE SANITARY SEWERS, THERE'S NO WAY TO SEPARATE IT BEFORE IT GOES TO THE REGIONAL TREATMENT PLANT, WHERE SEWAGE FLOWS ARE METERED. THE TOWN PAYS THE REGION 60.5 CENTS FOR EVERY 1,000 LITRES TREATED.
FORT ERIE PAYS AS MUCH AS $2.2 MILLION A YEAR TO TREAT STORM WATER. THE COST IS PASSED ON TO THE TOWN'S WATER/SEWER CUSTOMERS IN THE FORM OF HIGHER RATES.
TRIPP SAID PUBLIC WORKS WILL CONTINUE TO REPAIR PROBLEMS IN SEWER LINES IN THE CRESCENT PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD, AS WELL AS THE STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN THE AREA.
"WE'RE GOING TO NEED THE CO-OPERATION OF COUNCIL TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS ... WE WILL ALSO NEED THE CO-OPERATION OF CRESCENT PARK RESIDENTS.
"THIS WILL TRULY HAVE TO BE A TEAM EFFORT."
AS A RESIDENT OF CRESCENT PARK, COUN. BOB STECKLEY IS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEMS. HE MADE INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIENCIES IN CRESCENT PARK THE MAIN PLANK IN HIS MUNICIPAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN NOVEMBER.
"PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN THEY SEE A TOWN TRUCK AND A BACKHOE IN THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD," SAID STECKLEY.
HE SAID HE STILL GETS CALLS FROM PEOPLE "WHO ARE WORRIED THAT THEY MAY GET THEIR WATER SHUT OFF," IF THEY ARE FOUND TO HAVE A DEFICIENCIES IN THEIR PIPES.
"I CONTINUE TO TELL MY CONSTITUENTS THAT THERE IS NO FEE, NO PENALTY AND THAT THE TOWN WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN THEY KNOW THAT, THEY ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO COMPLY WITH THE TOWN.
"BUT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT.
"THE MORE WE CAN GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT - THIS IS THE PROBLEM, THIS IS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIX - THE MORE RESPONSIVE PEOPLE WILL BE TO THIS INITIATIVE."
rspiteri@nfreview.com
CITIES, TOWNS STRUGGLE WITH COST OF KEEPING UP
THE DEADLY LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE E. COLI-CONTAMINATED WATER TRAGEDY IN WALKERTON CLOSE TO SEVEN YEARS AGO MIGHT HAVE RAISED PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING SAFE, CLEAN DRINKING WATER.
BUT IT'S STILL AN UNDERVALUED COMMODITY, LOCAL UTILITY MANAGERS SAY. "THERE IS A COST TO PROVIDING CLEAN, POTABLE WATER AND UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS APPRECIATE THAT," SAID ED DUJLOVIC, DIRECTOR OF MUNICIPAL WORKS FOR THE CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS.
"IT'S AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE WILL SPEND ON CABLE TV, BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY MORE FOR WATER."
RON TRIPP, FORT ERIE'S DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES, AGREES: "THE BETTER COMPARISON WOULD BE HOW MUCH THEY (CUSTOMERS) ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR BEER." NIAGARA HAS A TWO-TIER SYSTEM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MEANING JURISDICTION FOR WATER AND SEWAGE TREATMENT IS ALSO SPLIT BETWEEN UPPER- AND LOWER-TIER MUNICIPALITIES.
REGIONAL NIAGARA RUNS THE WATER AND SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS, TRUNK LINES AND AN ARRAY OF PUMPING STATIONS. TOWNS AND CITIES LIKE FORT ERIE AND NIAGARA FALLS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOCAL WATER DISTRIBUTION AND SEWAGE COLLECTION SYSTEMS IN THEIR MUNICIPALITIES, AND FOR BILLING CUSTOMERS.
REGIONAL NIAGARA, AFTER FACTORING IN ITS OWN COSTS FOR WATER TREATMENT, ESTABLISHES A UNIFORM RATE IT CHARGES MUNICIPALITIES FOR WATER. LOCAL COUNCILS, IN TURN, MUST CALCULATE THEIR OWN OPERATING AND CAPITAL COSTS AND ADD IT TO THE COST OF PURCHASING WATER FROM THE REGION TO COME UP WITH A PRICE TO CHARGE ITS CUSTOMERS.
NEW PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION ENACTED IN THE WAKE OF WALKERTON HAS MEANT MORE PROVINCIAL OVERSIGHT OF WATER UTILITIES, ADDED RESPONSIBILTIES FOR WATER-QUALITY TESTING AND REPORTING, AND FOR STANDARDIZED STAFF TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION.
THE NEW LEGISLATION ALSO MEANS MUNICIPALITIES HAVE TO PASS THE FULL COST FOR WATER TREATMENT AND DELIVERY ON TO CUSTOMERS.
SUBSIDIZING WATER RATES FROM THE TAX LEVY IS NO LONGER AN OPTION.
WHILE ONTARIO NOW HAS SOME OF THE TOUGHEST SAFE-DRINKING-WATER LAWS IN NORTH AMERICA, THE COST OF WATER IS ON THE RISE.
FORT ERIE WATER AND SEWER CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING AT A 10.9 INCREASE THIS YEAR. NIAGARA FALLS CITY COUNCIL HAS YET TO CONSIDER ITS 2007 WATER AND SEWER BUDGET.
IN RECENT YEARS, NIAGARA FALLS AND FORT ERIE HAVE SPENT MILLIONS UPGRADING WATER AND SEWER LINES, AND BUILDING NEW SYSTEMS TO KEEP PACE WITH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL GROWTH.
MILLIONS MORE WILL HAVE TO BE SPENT EVERY YEAR JUST TO KEEP THE SYSTEM FUNCTIONING.
WHILE WATER RATES WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO CLIMB FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WATER IS STILL RELATIVELY CHEAP COMPARED TO WHAT PEOPLE IN MANY OTHER PLACES ARE PAYING.
"THERE ISN'T AN ADEQUATE APPRECIATION OF THE COST OF CLEAN WATER," SAID MOHAMMED DORE, A PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT BROCK UNIVERSITY.
ONE OF DORE'S AREAS OF EXPERTISE IS WATER PRICING AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES.
DORE SAID PEOPLE IN NIAGARA USE FIVE TIMES MORE WATER THAN PEOPLE IN GERMANY, YET PAY ONLY ONE-FIFTH OF THE PRICE.
AN ABUNDANCE OF WATER IN CANADA, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE GREAT LAKES AREA, HAS LED PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THERE'S PLENTY TO SPARE. EVEN TO WASTE.
FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO MAKE BADLY NEEDED UPGRADES TO WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE, KEEP UP WITH GROWTH PRESSURES AND MAINTAIN QUALITY, CUSTOMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR WATER AND USE LESS, HE SAID.
"THERE'S A GREAT NEED FOR WATER CONSERVATION."
JROBBINS@NFREVIEW.COM
EDITORIAL FEBRUARY 16, 2007 UPDATED
A CRITICAL LOOK AT WATER IN A PROVINCE WITH PLENTY
IT IS PERHAPS THE RESOURCE ONTARIANS MOST TAKE FOR GRANTED.
AFTER ALL, WE ARE THE ONLY CANADIAN PROVINCE BORDERING ON THE WORLD'S LARGEST SINGLE SUPPLY OF FRESH WATER - THE GREAT LAKES - WITH COPIOUS RIVERS, STREAMS AND SMALLER LAKE SYSTEMS FEEDING INTO THAT WATERSHED.
IN SHORT, WATER IS SEEMINGLY PLENTIFUL IN ONTARIO.
BUT AS WITH ANY NATURAL RESOURCE, WE HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE AWARE OF ITS USE.
AND FROM THIS POINT ON, WE ARE GOING TO PAY DEARLY FOR ITS USE.
STARTING THIS WEEKEND AND CONTINUING FEB. 23, 24 AND MARCH 2, OSPREY MEDIA WILL TAKE A CRITICAL LOOK AT ONTARIO'S CRUMBLING WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEM.
EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT KNEW ABOUT ONTARIO'S DRINKING WATER SYSTEM - WHERE TO GET IT, HOW TO TREAT IT, HOW TO DELIVER IT - CHANGED IN MAY 2000.
THE SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM HAPPENED IN THE SMALL COMMUNITY OF WALKERTON WHEN E. COLI BACTERIA LEACHED INTO THE TOWN'S DRINKING WATER SYSTEM, KILLING SEVEN AND RENDERING THOUSANDS MORE ILL.
AFTER THE INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSE OF THE WALKERTON TRAGEDY, IT WAS RECOMMENDED THE PROVINCE TIGHTEN DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS WHILE BOOSTING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SUBSIDIES TO SMALLER COMMUNITIES.
THE PROVINCE, IN TYPICAL KNEE-JERK REACTION FASHION, HAS FOLLOWED THROUGH WHOLEHEARTEDLY ON THE FIRST PART OF THAT RECOMMENDATION. IT HAS BEEN A BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE, AN EXPENSIVE, REGULATION-HEAVY BUNDLE OF RED TAPE THAT HAS DONE LITTLE TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS OF TAKING RAW WATER, CLEANING IT AND GETTING IT TO OUR TAPS.
BUT WHILE MUNICIPALITIES, AND THEIR RESIDENTS, STRUGGLE WITH THE INCREASED COST THAT HAS ACCOMPANIED THIS RED TAPE, THERE HAS BEEN PRECIOUS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF ENHANCED PROVINCIAL FUNDING.
IT'S NOW ESTIMATED IT WILL COST $11 BILLION ACROSS THE PROVINCE TO BRING THE WATER SYSTEM UP TO THE PROVINCIALLY ACCEPTABLE STANDARD.
AND EVEN WITH THAT DEFICIT IN MIND, IN SOME AREAS OF ONTARIO, WATER RATES ARE APPROACHING THE LEVEL OF PROPERTY TAXES.
THAT IS A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW IN AN AREA WITH SUCH AN ABUNDANCE OF FRESH WATER.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET USED TO. WE HAVE TO START TAKING OUR WATER RESOURCES MORE SERIOUSLY AND BEING MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR USE.
THE FIVE-PART SERIES, PRIMARILY PENNED BY OUR QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF JAMES WALLACE, WITH SUPPORTING LOCAL STORIES FROM STANDARD STAFF, WILL LOOK AT HOW ONTARIO'S WATER SYSTEM HAS CHANGED AND WHERE IT IS GOING. THROUGH IT ALL, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SYSTEM WILL BE OFFERED FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES.
WE'LL GATHER THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS IN AN EDITORIAL WHEN THE SERIES CONCLUDES AND OFFER OUR VIEW ON IMPROVING ONTARIO'S DRINKING WATER SYSTEM.
WATER; IT'S CHEAP. IT'S CLEAN. AND WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.
ARE WE IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING?
WHEN WALTER'S FALLS RESIDENTS POSTED A JUMBO FOR SALE SIGN BESIDE THE COMMUNITY'S MILL IN 2005, THEY HOPED THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT WOULD TAKE THEIR PUBLICITY STUNT FOR WHAT IT WAS - A CRY FOR HELP.
WATER BILLS HAD JUMPED FROM A FEW HUNDRED TO $1,400 PER YEAR, MAKING WATER MORE EXPENSIVE THAN LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES.
EVERY HOMEOWNER AND BUSINESS GOT HIT WITH A ONE-TIME $1,300 LEVY TO COVER THE COST OF CAPITAL UPGRADES TO BRING THE WATER SYSTEM UP TO PROVINCIAL STANDARDS; EVEN THOUGH THE WATER THEY'D BEEN DRINKING FOR DECADES HAD ALWAYS BEEN SAFE. "IF SOME CORPORATION OR SOME GUY WITH A LOT OF MONEY WANTS TO COME IN AND BUY THE TOWN ... THAT'S FINE WITH US, AS LONG AS WE STILL LIVE HERE AND DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE WATER FEES," SAID SUZANNE ALLMAN, A MEMBER OF THE WATER COMMITTEE.
THE RESIDENTS OF WALTER'S FALLS, A FEW KILOMETRES EAST OF OWEN SOUND, ARE NOT ALONE IN THEIR FRUSTRATION, NOR IS THEIR STORY UNIQUE.
WALKERTON WAS THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE FOR OUR WATER RESOURCES IN ONTARIO.
THE TAINTED-WATER TRAGEDY THAT SAW SEVEN PEOPLE DIE AND THOUSANDS LAID ILL AFTER THEIR TOWN WATER BECAME CONTAMINATED WITH E. COLI BACTERIA IN MAY 2000 WAS "A WAKE-UP CALL," JUSTICE DENNIS O'CONNOR SAID IN HIS INQUIRY REPORT ON WHAT WENT WRONG IN WALKERTON. HOWEVER, THE PUBLIC MAY NOT BE PREPARED FOR THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE AND INVESTMENT PROPOSED TO DEAL WITH WALKERTON'S LEGACY AND ONTARIO'S BROADER WATER TROUBLES.
"IF YOU WOULD HAVE ASKED ... JUST AFTER THE TRAGEDY IN WALKERTON, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE AUTOMATICALLY SAID, 'YES WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THAT,' " SAID DAVID CAPLAN, ONTARIO'S MINISTER OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL.
"THAT WAS JUST THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE. IT HIGHLIGHTED THE POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS. AS WE GET FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY, WE HAVE SARS, WE HAVE WEST NILE, WE HAVE A BLACKOUT, WE HAVE OTHER URGENT AND PRESSING MATTERS AND THE MEMORY OF THAT TRAGEDY BECOMES DIMMER AND DIMMER," HE SAID.
IN PARTS OF THE WORLD, A GALLON OF WATER ALREADY COSTS MORE THAN A GALLON OF OIL. "THE WARS OF THE NEXT CENTURY WILL BE ABOUT WATER," THE WORLD BANK FAMOUSLY PROPHESIZED SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
WORLDWIDE DEMAND FOR WATER IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY AS MUCH AS 50 PER CENT BY 2025, BY WHICH TIME THE UNITED NATIONS ESTIMATES MORE THAN TWO BILLION PEOPLE IN 48 COUNTRIES WILL BE LIVING WITH SERIOUS WATER SHORTAGES.
JUST THREE PER CENT OF ALL WATER ON THE EARTH IS FRESH WATER AND MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF THAT IS FROZEN IN GLACIERS AND POLAR ICE CAPS.
CANADA HAS 21 PER CENT OF THE WORLD'S FRESH WATER SUPPLY. ONTARIO, BORDERED BY THE GREAT LAKES, THE LARGEST FRESH WATER LAKE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD, AND INTERSECTED BY THOUSANDS OF SMALLER LAKES, IS LOUSY WITH THE STUFF.
HARDLY SURPRISING, THEN, THAT WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY TAKEN CHEAP, CLEAN WATER FOR GRANTED AND PUT OFF SPENDING ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE POINT THAT REPAIR BILLS ALONE NOW TOTAL MORE THAN $11 BILLION.
WE ARE IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING.
URBAN SPRAWL, POPULATION GROWTH, CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER BOTTLING, RECREATION, EXPANDING INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE AS WELL AS AGRICULTURE, ALL ARE PUTTING NEW PRESSURES ON WATER RESOURCES.
USER PAY HAS BECOME THE NEW PROVINCIAL MANTRA AND SMALLER COMMUNITIES ARE ALREADY DEALING WITH THE COSTS OF MEETING STRINGENT NEW REGULATIONS GOVERNING HOW THEY TAKE, TREAT AND USE WATER.
IN SOME ONTARIO COMMUNITIES WHERE WATER BILLS HAVE SKYROCKETED TO MORE THAN $3,000 ANNUALLY PER HOUSEHOLD, RESIDENTS PAY MORE FOR WATER THAN THEY DO IN PROPERTY TAX.
WALTER'S FALLS IS AN EXAMPLE.
IN 2004, THE HAMLET DECIDED TO REPLACE A SMALL, AGING COMMUNAL WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THAT SERVED A DOZEN HILLTOP HOUSEHOLDS THAT COULDN'T ACCESS WELL WATER.
HOWEVER, WHEN OFFICIALS APPLIED TO ONTARIO'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY TO REPLACE THE SYSTEM, THEY WERE TOLD ALL 50 HOMES IN WALTER'S FALLS WOULD HAVE TO MEET NEW POST-WALKERTON STANDARDS.
UNWILLING TO CUT OFF THEIR NEIGHBOURS FROM DRINKING WATER, RESIDENTS GOT TOGETHER AND AGREED EVERYONE WOULD GO ON THE NEW COMMUNAL SYSTEM. IT WAS A DECISION MANY WOULD REGRET.
"THE MAJORITY OF OUR PEOPLE ARE SITTING ON OUR OWN WELLS AND YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE US PAY 1,500 BUCKS A YEAR FOR WATER," ALLMAN SAID. "HOW IS THAT RIGHT?"
"WE'VE GOT AN ELDERLY COUPLE HERE ... ON OLD-AGE PENSION. THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN AFFORD THAT."
HOWARD GREIG IS MAYOR OF THE TOWNSHIP OF CHATSWORTH, WHICH INCLUDES WALTER'S FALLS. IT QUICKLY BECAME CLEAR THAT NEITHER THE MUNICIPALITY NOR ITS RESIDENTS COULD AFFORD TO PAY THE FULL COST OF NEEDED UPGRADES, HE SAID. BUT HE COULDN'T CUT RESIDENTS OFF FROM WATER.
OFFICIALS BEGAN TO GATHER ESTIMATES FOR UPGRADING BOTH WATER SERVICES - ONE FOR THE 250 USERS IN THE FORMER VILLAGE OF CHATSWORTH AND ANOTHER FOR THE 50 IN WALTER'S FALLS - WITH A NOTION OF SPREADING EXPENSES OVER A BROADER POPULATION BASE.
TO COMPLY WITH NEW REGULATIONS, THE TOWN WOULD NEED TO INSTALL NEW FILTERS, ULTRAVIOLET DISINFECTION AND CHLORINATION EQUIPMENT, ALARMS, A NEW FILTER PUMP AND INSTRUMENTATION AND TO DECOMMISSION ONE WELL.
COSTS WERE PEGGED AT $478,950 FOR THE TOWNSHIP AND ALMOST HALF THAT MUCH AGAIN FOR WALTER'S FALLS. THE MUNICIPALITY GOT SOME $300,000 IN HELP THROUGH A FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL COST-SHARING PROGRAM. WITHOUT THE GRANTS, GREIG SAID HE WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PUT EVERYONE ON WELLS AND LEFT THOSE WHO COULDN'T DRILL FOR WATER TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES.
OTHER COMMUNITIES WEREN'T SO LUCKY IN THE GRANT LOTTERY AND HAD TO DO JUST THAT. THE PROVINCE CAN'T PUT AN ESTIMATE ON THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES OR WATER USERS WHO ABANDONED MUNICIPAL SYSTEMS FOR WELLS, BUT MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS INSIST THE NUMBER IS SIGNIFICANT.
"THE SMALL SYSTEMS ARE THE ONES THAT BECAME UNAFFORDABLE," GREIG SAID. MEANWHILE, RESIDENTS IN HIS COMMUNITY GREW INCREASINGLY FURIOUS OVER THE WATER CONTROVERSY.
"EVERYONE'S WATERS BILLS WENT UP. IT WAS NOT JUST THE OPERATING COSTS, IT WAS ALSO THE CAPITAL UPGRADES THAT HAD BEEN IMPOSED THROUGH REGULATION."
MOST GALLING TO RESIDENTS WAS THE FACT BOTH THE RAW WATER SUPPLY AND WHAT CAME OUT OF THE TAP HAD ALWAYS BEEN PRISTINE. "THE WATER WAS ALWAYS GOOD," GREIG SAID.
STEVE HRUDY WAS AN EXPERT MEMBER OF THE WALKERTON COMMISSION, A UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PROFESSOR INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WORK ON WATER SYSTEMS.
HRUDY SAID THAT WHILE ONTARIO HAS MADE PROGRESS ON MANY OF O'CONNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS, HE'S DISAPPOINTED BY THE FAILURE OF THE PROVINCE TO ACT ON TWO KEY RECOMMENDATIONS.
O'CONNOR SPECIFICALLY WARNED THE PROVINCE TO CONSIDER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SUBSIDIES TO SMALLER COMMUNITIES. THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE.
O'CONNOR ALSO ADVISED THE PROVINCE TO HELP SMALL CENTRES EXPLORE ALL "MANAGERIAL, OPERATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS" TO SAVE MONEY AND, "IF THE SYSTEM IS STILL TOO EXPENSIVE, THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD MAKE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO LOWER THE COST PER HOUSEHOLD TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL."
INSTEAD OF THAT CARROT, THE PROVINCIAL RESPONSE TO O'CONNOR HAS BEEN MOSTLY STICK - A COSTLY AND SOME ARGUE UNWIELDY WATER BUREAUCRACY.
"A REGULATORY PROGRAM WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPPORT AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING CAPACITY IS NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL," HRUDY SAID.
"THERE'S MORE EMPHASIS ON PENALTIES AND ABILITY TO ENFORCE THEM PERHAPS THAN THERE NEEDS TO BE."
HRUDY ALSO LAMENTED THE FAILURE OF THE PROVINCE TO ACT ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO IMPROVE THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT OF ONTARIO'S WATER UTILITIES.
"THE WALKERTON COMMISSION WAS QUITE CLEAR: ONTARIO WAS NOT IN WIDESPREAD CRISIS," HRUDY SAID. "THERE'S LOTS OF EXCELLENT PRACTICE IN THE WATER INDUSTRY AND THE CHALLENGE FOR THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT WAS TO TRY TO ENSURE THE GOOD PRACTICE THAT WAS IN PLACE WOULD BE UNIVERSALLY ADOPTED AS OPPOSED TO A BUNCH OF BUREAUCRATS SETTING UP A BUNCH MORE RULES THAT WOULD IMPINGE ON EVERYONE."
"THE LAWYERS DRAFTING REGULATIONS THAT SIMPLY SPECIFIED SPECIFIC CRITERIA AND PENALTIES" HAPPENED FIRST, HE SAID.
"THE COMPETENCE PART WAS ENSHRINED IN THE IDEA OF HAVING A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT COULD BE ACCREDITED AND EXTERNALLY AUDITED, AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED. THIS WAS A CENTREPIECE OF THE WHOLE STRATEGY. I'M CERTAINLY DISAPPOINTED IN THAT."
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, ONTARIANS NEED TO GET USED TO THE NOTION THAT SAFE WATER ISN'T FREE, HRUDY SAID.
"WHEN I FIRST BECAME INVOLVED ... I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HOW LOW WATER RATES WERE IN ONTARIO COMPARED TO WHAT I WAS USED TO IN ALBERTA."
"WE'RE USED TO PAYING FOR IT, WHEREAS WHEN IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE AND SEEMINGLY YOU JUST PUT IN A PIPE AND SUCK IT OUT, THAT CREATES A POTENTIAL FOR TAKING IT FOR GRANTED."
HRUDY SAID ONTARIO, LIKE MOST OTHER NORTH AMERICAN JURISDICTIONS, HAS A "STRUCTURAL PROBLEM" IN ITS WATER INDUSTRY INSOFAR AS SMALL MUNICIPAL COUNCILS RUN WATER SYSTEMS THEY ARE NOT PARTICULARLY QUALIFIED OR WELL-EQUIPPED TO OPERATE.
USERS NEED TO PAY THE FULL COST OF DRINKING WATER - A PRINCIPLE THE CURRENT PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT HAS EMBRACED. "IN THE LONG RUN, THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE SERVICE PAY FOR IT," HRUDY SAID.
WATER IN ONTARIO
IN A FIVE-PART SERIES STARTING TODAY, OSPREY NEWS NETWORK EXAMINES GROWING THREATS TO ONTARIO'S WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY AND THE IMPACT INCREASINGLY COMPLEX, BUREAUCRATIC AND COSTLY REGULATIONS ARE HAVING ON WATER BILLS ACROSS THE PROVINCE.
WE ALSO EXAMINE THE PROFOUND CHANGES COMING TO THIS PROVINCE'S MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND ITS AGING INFRASTRUCTURE OF WATER AND SEWAGE PIPES AND TREATMENT FACILITIES.
REFORMS ARE COMING THAT WILL MERGE SMALL-TOWN WATER SYSTEMS INTO NEW REGIONAL WATER CORPORATIONS; REQUIRE BUSINESSES AND FARMERS TO DEAL WITH A NEW PERMIT AND INSPECTION OFFICIALS; OUTLAW NORMAL FARMING PRACTICES ON HUGE SWATHS OF LAND AND RAISE WATER BILLS FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN THE PROVINCE.
INFO@ENVIRONMENTALDEFENCE.CA
HTTP://ENVIRONMENTALDEFENCE.CA/
CITIZENS' AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WANT PROPOSED BILL STRENGTHENED AND PASSED SWIFTLY
TORONTO , ONTARIO � THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSED CLEAN WATER ACT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT, ACCORDING TO 16 CITIZENS' AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WHO RELEASED A JOINT STATEMENT THIS MORNING AT THE START OF LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON THE ACT.
THE ACT LAYS OUT A FORMAL PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING THREATS TO THE SOURCES OF OUR DRINKING WATER, AND ESTABLISHES LOCAL COMMITTEES TO ADDRESS THOSE THREATS. IT ALSO PROVIDES MUNICIPALITIES WITH MUCH-NEEDED TOOLS TO BETTER PROTECT THEIR WATERS. POTENTIAL THREATS THE ACT WILL HELP ADDRESS INCLUDE BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION FROM HUMAN OR ANIMAL WASTE, INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION, URBAN RUNOFF AND WATER DEPLETION FROM OVERUSE.
"PROTECTING OUR SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER IS PURE COMMON SENSE," SAID DR. RICK SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE. "THIS ACT IS A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR WATER PROTECTION IN ONTARIO , AND IT SHOULD BE AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE."
"THIS ACT MAKES DRINKING WATER SOURCE PROTECTION A TOP PRIORITY IN LOCAL AND REGIONAL PLANNING DECISIONS," SAID JESSICA GINSBURG, COUNSEL AT THE CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION. "ITS INNATE FLEXIBILITY WILL ALLOW COMMUNITIES TO IDENTIFY THEIR TRUE PRIORITIES AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS WHICH ARE WORKABLE AND EFFECTIVE."
IN 2004, A COALITION OF CITIZENS' AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ENDORSED THE ONTARIO SOURCE WATER PROTECTION STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS , WHICH LAID OUT AN INITIAL SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PROVINCE'S SOURCE WATER PROTECTION LEGISLATION. ACCORDING TO THE STATEMENT RELEASED THIS MORNING, THE CLEAN WATER ACT WILL HELP THE PROVINCE LIVE UP TO 12 OF THOSE 16 RECOMMENDATIONS. THE ACT ALSO SUPPORTS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 22 OF JUSTICE O'CONNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE WALKERTON INQUIRY.
"I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS ACT WILL HELP IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF OUR DRINKING WATER AND HOPEFULLY AVOID ANOTHER TRAGEDY LIKE THE ONE AT WALKERTON," SAID BRUCE DAVIDSON, CONCERNED WALKERTON CITIZENS. "THE GOVERNMENT HAS CLEARLY HEARD OUR CONCERNS AND TAKEN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS SERIOUSLY."
STANDING COMMITTEE HEARINGS ARE BEING HELD THIS WEEK IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE PROVINCE TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED LAW. TODAY'S GROUPS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THOSE HEARINGS WITH IDEAS ON HOW THE CLEAN WATER ACT COULD BE MADE EVEN STRONGER, INCLUDING:
/ � ADOPTION OF THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE.
� MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT OF FIRST NATIONS, M�TIS, AND INUIT PEOPLES.
� EXTENSIVE AND ONGOING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND EDUCATION.
� SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM'S IMPLEMENTATION.
� EQUAL SOURCE WATER PROTECTION FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ONTARIO AND FOR PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS.
� INCORPORATION OF STRONG CONSERVATION MEASURES.
� STRONG COMMITMENTS TO GREAT LAKES PROTECTIONS AND INTEGRATION WITH GREAT LAKES AGREEMENTS.
THE STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS, ALONG WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHEDULE OF HEARINGS, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT THE WATERHOLE � A GRASSROOTS WATER PROTECTION WEB SITE OPERATED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE AND THE CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS, PLEASE CONTACT:
JODI FRYE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, (416) 323-9521 X 233
JESSICA GINSBURG, COUNSEL, CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION, (416) 960-2284 EXT. 226
BRUCE DAVIDSON, CONCERNED WALKERTON CITIZENS, (519) 881-0884
HTTP://WWW.THEWATERHOLE.CA/CHAMPIONS.HTM
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED ENVIRONMENTAL AND CITIZENS' GROUPS, BELIEVE THE PROPOSED CLEAN WATER ACT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT. THE FOLLOWING ARE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THE ACT SHOULD BE MADE EVEN STRONGER, TO ENSURE THE BEST POSSIBLE PROTECTION FOR OUR SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER
1. ADOPTION OF THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE.
DESPITE NUMEROUS RECOMMENDATIONS ADVOCATING THE INCLUSION OF THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE, THERE IS NOT A SINGLE REFERENCE TO PRECAUTION IN THE PROPOSED ACT. THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE SHOULD BE INSERTED IN THE PURPOSE STATEMENT AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE. IT SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE ACT, FOR EXAMPLE, AS AN OPERATIONALIZED COMPONENT OF THE SOURCE PROTECTION PLANS.
2. MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT OF FIRST NATIONS, M�TIS, AND INUIT PEOPLES.
WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT FIRST NATIONS, M�TIS, AND INUIT PEOPLES AND THEIR GOVERNMENTS HAVE A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY IN THE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION FRAMEWORK. IN ITS CURRENT FORM, THE ACT DOES NOT INCLUDE PROVISIONS RELATED TO DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS ON RESERVES, NOR DOES IT IN ANY WAY INCLUDE FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES IN THE SOURCE PROTECTION PROCESS. WE CONTINUE TO STRESS THAT THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD SUPPORT THE ABILITY OF FIRST NATIONS, M�TIS, AND INUIT PEOPLES TO BE FULL PARTICIPANTS IN SOURCE PROTECTION PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION, IN ADDITION TO ALLOCATING APPROPRIATE RESOURCES TO FACILITATE MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT.
3. EXTENSIVE AND ONGOING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND EDUCATION.
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EACH SOURCE PROTECTION PLAN WILL OCCUR MOSTLY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, THROUGH MEASURES CARRIED OUT BY INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS, INDUSTRIES, AND BUSINESSES. IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE BUILD PUBLIC SUPPORT THROUGH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS. PUBLIC EDUCATION MUST INCLUDE EASY ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THREATS TO SOURCE WATERS AND PARTICIPATE IN RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSES. AT A MINIMUM, MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT REQUIRES THE PUBLIC'S INVOLVEMENT ON SOURCE PROTECTION COMMITTEES, FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PARTICIPATION OUTSIDE OF THE COMMITTEES, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON PROPOSED TERMS OF REFERENCE, ASSESSMENT REPORTS, AND SOURCE PROTECTION PLANS BEFORE THESE DOCUMENTS ARE FINALIZED.
4. SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM'S IMPLEMENTATION.
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THERE BE A SUSTAINABLE AND RELIABLE APPROACH TO SECURING FUNDS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOURCE PROTECTION PLANS. THE PROVINCE SHOULD CONSIDER ALL OF THE FUNDING MECHANISMS IDENTIFIED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE'S REPORT, INCLUDING WATER TAKING CHARGES, WATER RATES, POLLUTION CHARGES, INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, GENERAL REVENUES, AND STEWARDSHIP APPROACHES. FURTHERMORE, THE FUNDING SYSTEM SHOULD ALLOW FOR THE EQUITABLE REALLOCATION OF FUNDS AND REAFFIRM THE PRINCIPLE THAT WATER IS A PUBLIC RESOURCE.
5. EQUAL SOURCE WATER PROTECTION FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ONTARIO AND FOR PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS.
THE ACT DOES NOT YET ACHIEVE SUFFICIENT PROTECTION FOR ALL OF ONTARIO 'S SOURCE WATERS, AS JUSTICE O'CONNOR RECOMMENDED IN PART II OF HIS REPORT. IN ITS CURRENT FORM, THE ACT IS WEIGHTED TOWARDS PROTECTION OF MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO . WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THE RIGHT TO SOURCE WATER PROTECTION BE EXTENDED TO PEOPLE WHO RELY ON PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS AND WATER SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ONTARIO .
6. INCORPORATION OF STRONG CONSERVATION MEASURES AND WATER QUANTITY PROTECTION.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THIS ACT WORK EFFECTIVELY TO PROTECT BOTH WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY. TO THAT END, IT SHOULD PROMOTE THE ADOPTION OF WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES AND PREVENT THE DEPLETION OF OUR WATER RESOURCES. FOR EXAMPLE, GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS COULD BE BETTER PRESERVED BY SETTING CLEAR GUIDELINES LIMITING THE SPREAD OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACES IN KEY RECHARGE AREAS. ALSO, WHEN PREPARING WATER BUDGETS FOR THE ASSESSMENT REPORTS, SOURCE PROTECTION COMMITTEES SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WATER CONSERVATION PLANS AS A MEANS OF AVOIDING WATER SHORTAGES.
7. STRONG COMMITMENTS TO THE GREAT LAKES AND INTEGRATION WITH GREAT LAKES AGREEMENTS.
GIVEN THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE GREAT LAKES AS A SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE PROVINCE USE THIS ACT AS A STARTING POINT FOR RENEWED LEADERSHIP IN GREAT LAKES PROTECTION. WE BELIEVE THAT THE ACT SHOULD INCLUDE STRONG COMMITMENTS TO PROTECTING THE GREAT LAKES . FURTHERMORE, SOURCE PROTECTION MEASURES SHOULD BE EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATED WITH EXISTING GREAT LAKES PROGRAMS, DATA COLLECTION, AND INTER-JURISDICTIONAL AGREEMENTS, INCLUDING THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT AND THE ANNEX 2001 AGREEMENTS.
SIGNED,
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE
CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION
CONCERNED WALKERTON CITIZENS
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN / ONTARIO COUNCIL
GEORGIAN BAY ASSOCIATION
WATERFRONT REGENERATION TRUST
SIERRA LEGAL DEFENCE FUND
FEDERATION OF URBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS OF ONTARIO
CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY
FEDERATION OF ONTARIO COTTAGERS' ASSOCIATIONS
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CANADA
RIVERSIDES STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE
ONTARIO HEADWATERS INSTITUTE
SIERRA CLUB OF CANADA , ONTARIO CHAPTER
CITIZENS' ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE
POLLUTION PROBE
HTTP://WWW.THEWATERHOLE.CA/PRESS/NEWSRELEASES.HTM
They are listening and know we aren't going away!
Here's hoping for some changes to the problems .
