by JAMES WALLACE / FEBRUARY 23, 2007
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE;
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE; SINCE THE WALKERTON TRAGEDY PAST AND CURRENT GOVERNMENTS HAVE IMPLEMENTED NEW LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT A SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENING AGAIN
WHEN THE RAIN BROKE, FOLLOWING A TWO-DAY DOWNPOUR IN LATE APRIL 2000, DAVID BIESENTHAL CLIMBED ONTO HIS TRACTOR AND BEGAN MOVING 70 TONNES OF MANURE FROM A CONCRETE PAD NEAR HIS PADDOCKS TO HIS FRONT FIELD WHERE HE WAS PLANTING CORN.
BIESENTHAL IS AN EQUINE VETERINARIAN WITH A SMALL BEEF CALF AND CASH-CROP FARM ON THE EDGE OF WALKERTON AND IT WAS MANURE FROM HIS FARM THAT PRIMARILY CONTAMINATED THAT TOWN'S WATER SUPPLY, AN INQUIRY INTO THE WALKERTON TRAGEDY CONCLUDED.
SEVEN OF HIS NEIGHBOURS DIED AND MORE THAN 2,000 BECAME ILL, SOME GRAVELY, WHEN A COMBINATION OF HUMAN ERROR, NEGLECT AND MECHANICAL PROBLEMS ALLOWED UNTREATED WATER TAINTED WITH E. COLI BACTERIA TO BE PUMPED THROUGH THE TOWN SYSTEM.
BIESENTHAL DID EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK, EVERYTHING HE COULD AND OUGHT TO HAVE DONE BUT FATE HAD OTHER IDEAS.
SIX YEARS LATER, BIESENTHAL REMAINS FRUSTRATED BY WHAT HE BELIEVES WAS A HASTY AND INCOMPLETE EXAMINATION OF WHAT HAPPENED AND CONCERNED THAT FARMERS AND RURAL ONTARIO ARE PAYING THE PRICE FOR POST WALKERTON REFORMS TO PROVINCIAL WATER PROTECTION LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
NEW PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION HAS PUT THE ONUS ON FARMERS AND RURAL ONTARIO TO PROTECT THE WATER SOURCES USED BY TOWNS AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. IN SOME CASES, FARMERS WILL FACE NEW AND STRINGENT RESTRICTIONS IF THEIR CROPS, FERTILIZING, PESTICIDE USE OR NORMAL LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS POSE A POTENTIAL RISK TO DRINKING WATER SOURCES.
"IF THE URBAN COMMUNITIES WANT PRISTINE WATER, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY TO MAKE IT PRISTINE AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY US FOR THE LAND WE TAKE OUT OF PRODUCTION," BIESENTHAL SAID.
WALKERTON WAS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE. "WALKERTON WAS A WAKEUP CALL FOR ALL OF US, INCLUDING OUR GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING OTHER GOVERNMENTS," THEN-PREMIER MIKE HARRIS SAID IN JUNE 2001, WHILE TESTIFYING BEFORE THE INQUIRY HIS GOVERNMENT CALLED INTO THE TRAGEDY.
THE WALKERTON INQUIRY BY JUSTICE DENNIS O'CONNOR FOUND CRACKS, FLAWS AND DEADLY WEAKNESSES IN THE PROVINCE'S DRINKING WATER SYSTEM.
O'CONNOR CONCLUDED RESPONSIBILITY FOR WALKERTON DIDN'T JUST REST WITH THE TWO BROTHERS WHO OPERATED THE TOWN'S WATER SYSTEM, STAN AND FRANK KOEBEL.
THEY ADMITTED TO DRINKING ON THE JOB, ROUTINE FALSIFICATION OF WATER SAFETY TESTS AND RECORDS.
WHEN PEOPLE BEGAN TO GET SICK, THE BROTHERS TRIED TO COVER UP THEIR ROLE, AND FAILED TO REPORT E.
COLI CONTAMINATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS FOR DAYS AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE ILLNESS FROM PRIVATE LAB RESULTS.
BOTH BROTHERS WERE CHARGED AND ONE JAILED FOR THEIR ROLES. NEITHER ONE, IT TURNED OUT, WAS QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB HE HELD.
PROVINCIAL INSPECTORS FAILED THE COMMUNITY BY TOLERATING SERIOUS PROBLEMS AT THE PLANT THAT WERE REPEATEDLY DOCUMENTED IN 1991, 1995 AND 1998.
THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY DREW FIRE FOR CUTTING BUDGETS FOR WATER TESTING AND INSPECTIONS AND SUBSEQUENTLY INTRODUCED A CLEAN WATER ACT INTENDED TO TOUGHEN WATER PLANT INSPECTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT OF WATER PROTECTION REGULATIONS.
O'CONNOR WENT FURTHER, HOWEVER, AND RECOMMENDED A "MULTI-BARRIER" APPROACH TO WATER PROTECTION - THAT THE PROVINCE SHOULD PROTECT WATER AT ITS SOURCE, FROM THE TIME IT FALLS FROM THE SKY TO THE TIME IT COMES OUT OF CONSUMERS' TAPS.
THE CURRENT LIBERAL GOVERNMENT HAS IMPLEMENTED MEASURES INTRODUCED BY THE CONSERVATIVES AND PASSED ITS OWN NEW LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS, INCLUDING A SOURCE WATER PROTECTION LAW.
BILL 43 IMPOSES BROAD LAND USE RESTRICTIONS ON PROPERTY THAT SUPPLIES SOURCE WATER FOR MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS, INCLUDING NEW RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF MANURE AND CHEMICALS.
SOME FARMERS VIEW THIS AS EXPROPRIATION WITHOUT COMPENSATION. THERE ALSO ARE NEW REQUIREMENTS TO DOCUMENT FARM PRACTICES, NEW FINES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE AND MORE PAPERWORK AND BUREAUCRACY.
THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE LEGISLATION HAVE RAISED THE HACKLES OF FARMERS ACROSS THE PROVINCE.
"WE BUMP INTO THESE CONCERNS ALL THE TIME," SAID PAUL MISTELE, AN ELGIN-AREA FARMER AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ONTARIO FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE.
MISTELE IS OPTIMISTIC DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE PROVINCE AND THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY WILL RESOLVE MANY CONCERNS IN THE FARMING COMMUNITY BUT ADMITS THE ROAD AHEAD WILL BE BUMPY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE LEGISLATION PROVIDES $7 MILLION FOR A "FARM STEWARDSHIP" FUND BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT MONEY WILL BE USED TO COMPENSATE FARMERS FOR LAND THAT'S TAKEN OUT OF PRODUCTION.
"SHOULD IT BE $70 MILLION? I HAD SOME GUY SAY IT SHOULD BE $7 BILLION BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN."
"YOU HAVE TO MAKE DOLLARS AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE MOVEMENT OF GROUNDWATER SO WE'RE NOT THROWING DOLLARS DOWN A RATHOLE," HE SAID.
MISTELE BELIEVES THERE NEEDS TO BE A PARTNERSHIP AMONG FARMERS, THE PROVINCE, MUNICIPALITIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO PROTECT WATER.
THAT PARTNERSHIP HASN'T YET BEEN DEFINED. CLEARLY THERE WILL BE INTRUSIONS INTO FARM PRACTICES AND FARM LAND AND ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGES, HE SAID, WILL BE ASSESSING THE COST OF CHANGE AND WHO SHOULD PAY FOR IT.
"WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE FACT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO QUIT PUTTING MANURE ON THESE FIELDS OR YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE SOME OF OUR PRACTICES WITH CROP PROTECTION THEN THAT TO ME SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE OFFERING A SERVICE TO SOCIETY," MISTELE SAID.
"AND IN THAT CASE I THINK THERE SHOULD BE COMPENSATION ... ON THAT FROM A YEAR TO YEAR BASIS."
WELLS ALSO POSE A RISK AND FUNDING CONCERN. SHOULD, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE BE PUBLIC FUNDING TO PROPERLY CAP THE THOUSANDS OF ABANDONED WELLS IN RURAL ONTARIO EACH OF WHICH IS A POTENTIAL RISK, AS A DIRECT CONDUIT BETWEEN SURFACE CONTAMINATION AND DRINKING WATER SOURCES?
WILL FARMERS BE REQUIRED TO SEAL OFF WELLS FOUND ON THEIR PROPERTY, AT A COST OF $3,000 TO $5,000 OR MORE EACH?
"I THINK THAT HAS TO BE LOOKED AT," MISTELE SAID.
WHO EVEN WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING OLD WELLS?
THERE IS NO COMPREHENSIVE PROVINCIAL INVENTORY OF ABANDONED WELLS AND NO LONG-TERM PLAN OR FUNDING TO DEAL WITH ABANDONED WELLS.
MISTELE SUGGESTED COMPROMISE AND GOOD WILL IS NEEDED FROM BOTH GOVERNMENT AND THE FARMING COMMUNITY.
GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME AWARE OF AGRICULTURE NOW AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON SOURCE WATER BUT DOESN'T YET HAVE A "CLEAR UNDERSTANDING" OF THE RAMIFICATIONS OF PROPOSED CHANGES, MISTELE SAID.
FOR EXAMPLE, A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPAL OF THE NEW LEGISLATION IS A "PRECAUTIONARY" APPROACH TO WATER PROTECTION. IF THERE'S A POTENTIAL THREAT, THAT'S AS GOOD AS A REAL THREAT.
THE PROBLEM OF COURSE IS HOW YOU DEFINE THREAT AND WHO'S DOING THE DEFINING?
"I THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE A RISK-BASED APPROACH VERSUS A PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH AND FIND THOSE AREAS THAT ARE MOST AT RISK," HE SAID.
EXPECTATIONS NEED TO BE TEMPERED WITH PRACTICALITY.
ANOTHER POTENTIAL AREA OF CONFLICT REVOLVES AROUND WATER MOVEMENT.
RESTRICTIONS WILL BE BASED NOT ONLY ON DIRECT THREATS - FOR EXAMPLE, THE DISTANCE FROM FARM FIELDS TO MUNICIPAL WELL HEADS - BUT ON LOCAL HYDROLOGY AND HOW FAST WATER MIGRATES FROM FIELDS TO MUNICIPAL INTAKES.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS CLEAR CUT.
IT IS A CONCERN THAT HAS COME HOME TO ROOST FOR BIESENTHAL.
"THEY DID SOME RESEARCH ON MY FARM THIS SUMMER AND WATER MOVES DOWN INTO THE WATER TABLE FASTER THAN THEY THOUGHT IT DID," HE SAID.
"WHEN THEY PUT DYE FOUR AND A HALF KILOMETRES AWAY, IT WAS IN MY WELL IN TWO DAYS," HE SAID. "THAT'S MOVING PRETTY FAST."
DURING THE WALKERTON INQUIRY, IT WAS ASSUMED WATER IN THE AREA TOOK A COUPLE OF YEARS TO MIGRATE.
"THE MOVEMENT OF WATER WAS NEVER REALLY APPRECIATED IN THE FIRST PART OF THE WALKERTON INVESTIGATION," BIESENTHAL SAID. "FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE TOWN HIRED A SAND HYDROLOGIST AND HE MADE THE ORIGINAL DISCOVERY THAT HE FELT IT WAS THE OVERLAND ROUTE OF MANURE THAT (CAUSED THE CONTAMINATION)."
TO REACH THE WELL BLAMED FOR CONTAMINATING THE TOWN WELL, WATER WOULD HAVE HAD TO TRAVEL UPHILL FROM BIESENTHAL'S PADDOCKS.
"I'M NOT CONVINCED THIS IS AN EXACT SCIENCE YET, I'M NOT SURE THEY REALLY KNOW HOW THINGS MOVE (UNDERGROUND)."
GIVEN THE APPARENTLY POROUS NATURE OF THE LAND IN THE AREA, SEVERAL FARMS COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONTAMINATION OF WALKERTON'S WATER SUPPLY.
"THEY DID LOOK AT 20 OTHER FARMS AROUND HERE RIGHT ADJACENT ON TOWN, BUT THEY FOCUSED ON TWO," BIESENTHAL SAID, HIS AND ONE OTHER.
"SO I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED I WAS THE TARGET," BIESENTHAL SAID.
TESTS NEVER CONFIRMED EXACTLY HOW THE E. COLI GOT INTO THE TOWN WATER OR WHERE IT CAME FROM.
"THE ONLY PLACE THEY EVER FOUND THE BACTERIA IN THE WATER, POST-WALKERTON WAS AT THE OTHER WELLS, COMING OUT OF AN EXHAUST PIPE," HE SAID.
BIESENTHAL IS NOT LOOKING FOR ABSOLUTION OR TO SHIFT BLAME, BUT FOR ANSWERS. TO THIS DAY, HE BELIEVES, THE WHOLE PICTURE OF WHAT HAPPENED AT WALKERTON HASN'T BEEN DRAWN.
FARMERS IN GENERAL, MEANWHILE, WILL BE ON THE FIRING LINE ONCE THE IMPACT OF THE NEW LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS HIT, BIESENTHAL BELIEVES.
"THAT'S ONE THING I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL FARMERS, FOR GOODNESS SAKE, BE PREPARED," HE SAID. "KEEP RECORDS OF EVERYTHING.
"WE'RE BEING TARGETED WITH ALL OF THESE ACTS AND LAWS WHEN I HONESTLY BELIEVE 99 PER CENT OF FARMERS ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND." "THEY'D DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO PROTECT THE WATERWAYS," HE SAID. "THAT'S WHAT FRUSTRATES ME SO MUCH."
by JAMES WALLACE / FEBRUARY 23, 2007
MUNICIPALITIES IN ONTARIO HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO CONFORM TO A NUMBER OF NEW REGULATIONS GOVERNING WATER AND SEWAGE, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN THE FINANCIAL TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT THEM
THE CITY OF KINGSTON RECENTLY SPENT $115 MILLION UPGRADING ITS RAVENSVIEW WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT.
IT WAS THE LARGEST SINGLE CAPITAL PROJECT EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE CITY AND THOUGH THE NEW FACILITY IS STATE OF THE ART, LIKE MANY OTHERS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS ONTARIO, IT WILL PUMP WATER THROUGH ANCIENT ARTERIES.
UTILITIES KINGSTON PRESIDENT AND CEO JIM KEECH ESTIMATES A THIRD OF ALL TREATED WATER FROM BOTH PLANTS LEAKS AND DISAPPEARS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT GETS TO CONSUMER TAPS.
"THAT'S NOT THE EXACT NUMBER BUT I WOULD SAY ABOUT 30 PER CENT," KEECH TOLD OSPREY NEWS. KEECH APPRECIATES THE IRONY THAT KINGSTON, LIKE MANY OTHER ONTARIO COMMUNITIES, PREACHES RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION AND EVEN RESTRICTS LAWN WATERING FROM JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER WHILE POSSIBLY A THIRD OF ITS WATER DRIBBLES THROUGH CRACKS IN THE SYSTEM.
AS PART OF A BROADER 10-YEAR CAPITAL PLAN, UTILITIES KINGSTON IS SPENDING $10,000 TO SURVEY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CITY TO SEE WHAT CAN AND NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND PIPES.
HOWEVER, WITHOUT DEDICATED FUNDS FROM SENIOR LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, OR DRAMATICALLY HIGHER USER FEES, THE CITY WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE DEALING WITH PIPE REPLACEMENT ON A MEASURED BASIS, WHICH MEANS FIXING BREAKS CAUSED BY AGE OR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND GRADUALLY REPLACING THE OLDEST PIPES.
A THIRD TO HALF OF ALL ONTARIO'S CLEAN, TREATED DRINKING WATER LEAKS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT EVER GETS TO PEOPLE'S TAPS. ESTIMATES ON THE WORK NEEDED TO UPGRADE THE PROVINCE'S NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND WATER PIPES RANGE FROM $11 BILLION TO $18 BILLION, FIGURES THAT ARE GROWING BECAUSE OF DECADES OF GOVERNMENT NEGLECT.
NOT THAT THINGS HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. KINGSTON'S APPROACH, THE MODEL THE CITY USES TO RUN ITS UTILITIES, SO IMPRESSED MEMBERS OF A PROVINCIALLY-APPOINTED PANEL STRUCK TO STUDY ONTARIO'S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS THEY SUGGESTED OTHER MUNICIPALITIES CONSIDER ADOPTING THE CITY'S UTILITY STRUCTURE.
BUT SUCH DILIGENCE COMES WITH A PRICE. WHILE THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING IT MANDATORY FOR WATER SYSTEMS TO FULLY RECOVER COSTS FROM CONSUMERS THROUGH WATER BILLS, KINGSTON HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT SINCE THE LATE 1990S.
AS A CONSEQUENCE TO MOVING TO A STRICTER USER-PAY SYSTEM, WATER BILLS IN THE CITY HAVE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.
"IN SOME AREAS, WE'VE HAD RATE INCREASES OF 70 PER CENT OVER A FIVE-YEAR-PERIOD," KEECH SAID.
KINGSTON, LIKE EVERY OTHER MUNICIPALITY IN THE PROVINCE, ALSO HAS BEEN REQUIRED TO CONFORM TO A NUMBER OF NEW LAWS, INSPECTIONS AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING WATER AND SEWAGE SINCE WALKERTON, WHICH HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE COST OF WATER. THESE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY LED TO SAFER WATER.
KINGSTON HAS SPENT ANOTHER $10 MILLION POST WALKERTON, NOT SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS "SIGNIFICANT" WATER QUALITY ISSUES BUT TO ENSURE KINGSTON'S TWO WATER TREATMENT PLANTS CONFORM TO NEW REGULATIONS.
"OUR INSPECTION REPORTS WENT FROM A COUPLE OF PAGES TO A BOOK OF 100 PAGES," KEECH SAID CITING ONE EXAMPLE.
"A LOT OF THE REGULATIONS THEY ARE BRINGING OUT ARE JUST PAPERWORK AND PAPER SHUFFLING. IT'S EXPENSIVE AND AT END OF THE DAY IT'S OF ABSOLUTELY NO BENEFIT TO THE CUSTOMER."
KINGSTON IS NOT ALONE IN THIS VIEW. SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES CONTACTED BY OSPREY NEWS EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE COST AND EFFECTIVENESS OF POST WALKERTON REGULATORY CHANGE.
WHEN THE PROVINCE TIGHTENED UP WATER PLANT INSPECTIONS IN 2003, THE ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY HIRED DOZENS OF NEW INSPECTORS TO CARRY OUT THE WORK SINCE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND THE NUMBERS OF EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS NEEDED.
SO INSTEAD, THE MINISTRY HIRED YOUNG PEOPLE AS QUALIFIED AS POSSIBLE AND TRAINED THEM.
MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE COMBINATION OF INEXPERIENCE AND POST WALKERTON ZEALOTRY, BOTH IN THE MINISTRY AND BY ITS INSPECTORS, LED TO EXPENSIVE AND AT TIMES NEEDLESS WORK.
"THE INTENT OF THE REGULATIONS WAS PUSHED SO FAR THAT IT CAUSED A LOT OF GRIEF FOR THE MUNICIPALITIES," SAID ABDUL KHAN, DIRECTOR OF WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT WITH HAMILTON'S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
GREEN INSPECTORS INSISTED ON ADHERENCE TO THE LETTER OF NEW REGULATIONS, EVEN WHEN THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT THAT MEANT.
AFTER THREE OR FOUR YEARS OF INSPECTIONS AND TURNOVER, THE INITIAL "FRENZY" HAS SLOWED DOWN AND INSPECTORS NOW ARE EXPERIENCED.
HOWEVER, WHAT HAPPENED FLEW IN THE FACE OF JUSTICE O'CONNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE WALKERTON INQUIRY - BOTH ON INSPECTOR TRAINING AND AGAINST TAKING A BUREAUCRATIC, REGULATORY APPROACH TO DEALING WITH WATER TREATMENT.
DR. STEVE HRUDY WAS AN EXPERT MEMBER ON O'CONNOR'S COMMISSION. HE TOLD OSPREY NEWS THE REGULATORY APPROACH ONTARIO IS TAKING FLIES IN THE FACE OF O'CONNOR'S CENTRAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
"THERE'S MORE EMPHASIS ON PENALTIES AND ABILITY TO ENFORCE THEM PERHAPS THAN THERE NEEDS TO BE IN ENSURING GOOD PRACTICE," HE SAID. WHILE MANY OF O'CONNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN ACTED UPON, THE SPIRIT OF THE REPORT HAS BEEN MISCONSTRUED.
INSTEAD OF CREATING A BETTER SYSTEM, THE EMPHASIS HAS BEEN ON CREATING A COSTLY NEW BUREAUCRACY.
"A CAREFUL READING OF THE INQUIRY REPORT DID SET A CONTEXT AND SOME PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF WHAT THE OVERALL DIRECTION SHOULD BE AND THE EMPHASIS WAS ON PUTTING IN PLACE SYSTEMS THAT ENSURE COMPETENCE," HRUDY SAID. "IT SEEMS TO ME THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED FIRST WERE THE LAWYERS DRAFTING REGULATIONS THAT SIMPLY SPECIFIED SPECIFIC CRITERIA AND PENALTIES."
"I'M CERTAINLY DISAPPOINTED IN THAT," HE SAID. THE PURSUIT OF BUREAUCRACY AND REGULATORY ZERO-TOLERANCE OVER QUALITY MANAGEMENT POSES A RISK THAT ONTARIO WILL POUR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO AN UNSUSTAINABLE WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEM. WORSE, SMALLER COMMUNITIES MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE KIND OF HUMAN ERROR THAT LED TO WALKERTON. "A REGULATORY PROGRAM WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPPORT AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING CAPACITY IS NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL," HRUDY SAID.
"TO SIMPLY REGULATE WITHOUT PUTTING IN PLACE THE APPROPRIATE MEANS OF SUPPORT AND FACILITATING THE WAYS THAT SMALLER COMMUNITIES CAN DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM IS NOT HELPFUL."
HARRY SWAIN, WHO HEADED UP THE WATERTIGHT ADVISORY PANEL, SAID ONTARIO IS NOT LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES - INNOVATIVE OR LESS EXPENSIVE WAYS TO PROVIDE WATER AND SEWAGE SERVICE OR EVEN TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF PIPES.
"SOMETIMES YOU CAN LINE AN EXISTING OR WORN-OUT PIPE WITH A NEW VINYL OR RUBBER LINE AND GET ANOTHER 20 OR 30 YEARS OUT OF IT," SWAIN SAID.
DAVID CAPLAN, ONTARIO'S MINISTER OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL, IS ACUTELY AWARE OF THE NEED FOR MORE MONEY TO INVEST IN WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS AND THE POLITICAL WILL TO GET THAT DONE.
WATER AND SEWAGE INFRASTRUCTURE INCREASINGLY IS "UNDER THE RADAR" BOTH IN GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC, CAPLAN SAID.
WATERTIGHT PROPOSES, AND CAPLAN APPEARS TO SUPPORT, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL CREATE LARGE, REGIONAL WATER UTILITIES ACROSS THE PROVINCE - MERGING MULTIPLE, SMALL UTILITIES TOGETHER THAT WILL SHARE COSTS AND EXPERTISE.
IT WILL REQUIRE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER WATER RATES TO PAY FOR INVESTMENT AND, IN SOME CASES, MAY INVOLVE PARTICIPATION BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN CONSTRUCTION AND FINANCING OF PROJECTS.
THE REASON THAT THE PROVINCE HASN'T YET ACTED ON WATERTIGHT IS SIMPLY BECAUSE THE SCALE OF NEED IS SO GREAT IT IS TAKING TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO, CAPLAN SAID.
"IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT JUSTICE O'CONNOR WAS CLEAR ABOUT WHEN IT CAME TO ENSURING THAT ONTARIANS HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN AND SAFE DRINKING WATER IT IS THAT WE NEED TO COMPLETELY REVIEW ALL OF THOSE ASPECTS," SAID CAPLAN.
"THE BOTTOM LINE GOAL, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO ENSURE SAFE CLEAN WATER FOR THE PEOPLE OF ONTARIO, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT."
from THE BARRIE EXAMINER , FEBRUARY 22, 2007
by JAMES WALLACE OSPREY NEWS NETWORK : TODAY, PART 3:
IN A FIVE-PART SERIES OF ARTICLES, OSPREY MEDIA 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
THE CITY OF KINGSTON RECENTLY SPENT $115 MILLION UPGRADING ITS RAVENSVIEW WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT.
IT WAS THE LARGEST SINGLE CAPITAL PROJECT EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE CITY, AND THOUGH THE NEW FACILITY IS STATE OF THE ART, LIKE MANY OTHERS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS ONTARIO, IT WILL PUMP WATER THROUGH ANCIENT ARTERIES.
UTILITIES KINGSTON PRESIDENT AND CEO JIM KEECH ESTIMATES ONE-THIRD OF ALL TREATED WATER FROM BOTH PLANTS LEAKS AND DISAPPEARS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT GETS TO CONSUMER TAPS.
“THAT’S NOT THE EXACT NUMBER BUT I WOULD SAY ABOUT 30 PER CENT,” KEECH TOLD OSPREY NEWS. KEECH APPRECIATES THE IRONY THAT KINGSTON, LIKE MANY OTHER ONTARIO COMMUNITIES, PREACHES RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION AND EVEN RESTRICTS LAWN WATERING FROM JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER WHILE ONE-THIRD OF ITS WATER DRIBBLES THROUGH CRACKS IN THE SYSTEM.
AS PART OF A BROADER 10-YEAR CAPITAL PLAN, UTILITIES KINGSTON IS SPENDING $10,000 TO SURVEY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CITY TO SEE WHAT CAN AND NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE NETWORK OF ‘UNDERGROUND’ PIPES.
HOWEVER, WITHOUT DEDICATED FUNDS FROM SENIOR LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, OR DRAMATICALLY HIGHER USER FEES, THE CITY WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE DEALING WITH PIPE REPLACEMENT ON A MEASURED BASIS, WHICH MEANS FIXING BREAKS CAUSED BY AGE OR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND GRADUALLY REPLACING THE OLDEST PIPES.
ONE-THIRD TO HALF OF ONTARIO’S CLEAN, TREATED DRINKING WATER LEAKS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT EVER GETS TO PEOPLE’S TAPS. ESTIMATES ON THE WORK NEEDED TO UPGRADE THE PROVINCE’S NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND WATER PIPES RANGE FROM $11 BILLION TO $18 BILLION, FIGURES THAT ARE GROWING BECAUSE OF DECADES OF GOVERNMENT NEGLECT.
NOT THAT THINGS HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. KINGSTON’S APPROACH, THE MODEL THE CITY USES TO RUN ITS UTILITIES, SO IMPRESSED MEMBERS OF A PROVINCIALLY APPOINTED PANEL STRUCK TO STUDY ONTARIO’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS THAT THEY SUGGESTED OTHER MUNICIPALITIES CONSIDER ADOPTING THE CITY’S UTILITY STRUCTURE.
BUT SUCH DILIGENCE COMES WITH A PRICE. WHILE THE PROVINCE IS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING IT MANDATORY FOR WATER SYSTEMS TO FULLY RECOVER COSTS FROM CONSUMERS THROUGH WATER BILLS, KINGSTON HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT SINCE THE LATE 1990S.
AS A CONSEQUENCE TO MOVING TO A STRICTER USER-PAY SYSTEM, WATER BILLS IN THE CITY HAVE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.
“IN SOME AREAS, WE’VE HAD RATE INCREASES OF 70 PER CENT OVER A FIVE-YEAR-PERIOD,” KEECH SAID.
KINGSTON, LIKE EVERY OTHER MUNICIPALITY IN THE PROVINCE, HAS ALSO BEEN REQUIRED TO CONFORM TO A NUMBER OF NEW LAWS, INSPECTIONS AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING WATER AND SEWAGE SINCE WALKERTON, WHICH HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE COST OF WATER. THESE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY LED TO SAFER WATER. KINGSTON HAS SPENT ANOTHER $10 MILLION POST WALKERTON, NOT SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS “SIGNIFICANT” WATER-QUALITY ISSUES, BUT TO ENSURE KINGSTON’S TWO WATER TREATMENT PLANTS CONFORM TO NEW REGULATIONS.
“A LOT OF THE REGULATIONS THEY ARE BRINGING OUT ARE JUST PAPERWORK AND PAPER SHUFFLING. IT’S EXPENSIVE AND AT END OF THE DAY IT’S OF ABSOLUTELY NO BENEFIT TO THE CUSTOMER,” KEECH SAID.
KINGSTON IS NOT ALONE IN THIS VIEW. SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES CONTACTED BY OSPREY NEWS EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE COST AND EFFECTIVENESS OF POST-WALKERTON REGULATORY CHANGE.
WHEN THE PROVINCE TIGHTENED UP WATER PLANT INSPECTIONS IN 2003, THE ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY HIRED DOZENS OF NEW INSPECTORS TO CARRY OUT THE WORK SINCE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND THE NUMBERS OF EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS NEEDED. SO INSTEAD, THE MINISTRY HIRED YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE AS QUALIFIED AS POSSIBLE AND TRAINED THEM.
MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE COMBINATION OF INEXPERIENCE AND POST WALKERTON ZEALOTRY, BOTH IN THE MINISTRY AND BY ITS INSPECTORS, LED TO EXPENSIVE, AND, AT TIMES, NEEDLESS WORK. “THE INTENT OF THE REGULATIONS WAS PUSHED SO FAR THAT IT CAUSED A LOT OF GRIEF FOR THE MUNICIPALITIES,” SAID ABDUL KHAN, DIRECTOR OF WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT WITH HAMILTON’S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
NEWER INSPECTORS INSISTED ON ADHERENCE TO THE LETTER OF NEW REGULATIONS, EVEN WHEN THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT THAT MEANT. AFTER THREE OR FOUR YEARS OF INSPECTIONS AND TURNOVER, THE INITIAL “FRENZY” HAS SLOWED DOWN AND INSPECTORS NOW ARE EXPERIENCED.
HOWEVER, WHAT HAPPENED FLEW IN THE FACE OF JUSTICE DENNIS O’CONNOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE WALKERTON INQUIRY.
DR. STEVE HRUDY WAS AN EXPERT MEMBER ON O’CONNOR’S COMMISSION. HE TOLD OSPREY NEWS THE REGULATORY APPROACH ONTARIO IS TAKING FLIES IN THE FACE OF O’CONNOR’S CENTRAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
“THERE’S MORE EMPHASIS ON PENALTIES AND ABILITY TO ENFORCE THEM PERHAPS THAN THERE NEEDS TO BE IN ENSURING GOOD PRACTICE,” HE SAID.
NEXT: WALKERTON – A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
OUR WATER IS LEAKING AWAY
LOCAL NEWS - IN A FIVE-PART SERIES OF ARTICLES, OSPREY MEDIA 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. TODAY, PART 2:
A THIRD TO HALF OF ALL ONTARIO’S CLEAN, TREATED DRINKING WATER LEAKS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT EVER GETS TO PEOPLE’S 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 WHAT’S 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 ONTARIO’S WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEM, URGING NEW INVESTMENT AND WHOLESALE RESTRUCTURING, THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO ACT. IN FACT IT HASN’T RESPONDED TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN ITS OWN “WATERTIGHT” REPORT.
“I THINK IT’S DISAPPOINTING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HASN’T RESPONDED,” DR. HARRY SWAIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE TASK FORCE, TOLD OSPREY NEWS.
WATERTIGHT WASN’T JUST A NUTS AND BOLTS REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF THE PROVINCE’S LEAKY, CREAKY TAPS, PIPES AND WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS. IT WAS A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE THAT PICKED UP WHERE JUSTICE DENNIS O’CONNOR’S 2000 INQUIRY INTO THE WALKERTON TAINTED WATER TRAGEDY LEFT OFF, RECOMMENDING STRUCTURAL CHANGE AND CONCRETE MEASURES INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT ANOTHER WALKERTON NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS PROVINCE.
IN 2001, SEVEN PEOPLE DIED IN THE TOWN AFTER THE MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM WAS CONTAMINATED WITH E. COLI BACTERIA.
SWAIN’S 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.
MORE THAN A YEAR OF DELAY IN ACTING ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAS EXACERBATED ONTARIO’S 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.
THE ONTARIO AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS RESPONDED TO WALKERTON BY SPENDING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF 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.
POST-WALKERTON REGULATIONS HAVE NEEDLESSLY ADDED TO THE FINANCIAL AND BUREAUCRATIC BURDEN MUNICIPALITIES FACE, LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY, AND ULTIMATELY INCREASED CONSUMER COSTS FOR WATER.
WHAT’S NEEDED, THEY SAY, IS PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO FUND A DEDICATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM FOR WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEMS THAT HELPS ALL MUNICIPALITIES – AND SMALLER ONES IN PARTICULAR – DEAL WITH LONG-TERM REPAIR, REPLACEMENT AND EXPANSION COSTS.
NEXT: THE PRICE OF LEAKY PIPES
MANY LOCAL COMMUNITIES DIVING INTO WATER PROJECTS
SO MUCH AREA GROWTH IS BEING FORECASTED THAT SOME MUNICIPALITIES ARE GETTING A HEAD START ON WATER PROJECTS THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE THOUSANDS OF NEW RESIDENTS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
BY RAYMOND BOWE
BARRIE HAS STARTED CONSTRUCTION ON A NEW WATER TREATMENT PLANT ON BIG BAY POINT ROAD AT ROYAL PARKSIDE DRIVE.
THE PLANT, WHICH WILL DRAW WATER FROM KEMPENFELT BAY, WILL SERVICE THE CITY’S SOUTH END. SOME WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON THE FACILITY, INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAW-WATER INTAKE.
THE CITY DRAWS WATER FROM 14 DEEP-DRILLED, HIGH-CAPACITY ARTESIAN WELLS, MOST SCATTERED AROUND THE SHORES OF KEMPENFELT BAY.
THE NEED FOR THE NEW PLANT WAS ILLUMINATED IN A 1995 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.
“THAT GOT THE WHEELS IN MOTION (BECAUSE) THE GROUNDWATER NEEDED TO BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH SURFACE WATER,” SAID KEITH WICE, THE CITY’S SUPERVISOR OF WATER SUPPLY AND QUALITY. “YOU CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH WITH GROUNDWATER.”
THE NEW PLANT ALSO HAS A REDUNDANCY COMPONENT BECAUSE IT WILL BACK UP THE WELLS.
“IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO DRAW FROM TWO SOURCES,” WICE SAID.
DOWN IN ALCONA, INNISFIL IS DOUBLING CAPACITY AT ITS LAKESHORE WATER TREATMENT PLANT THAT WILL ALLOW THE TOWN TO SEND TREATED WATER SOUTH TO BRADFORD, PART OF A JOINT AGREEMENT SIGNED IN 2003.
CONSTRUCTION, WHICH BEGAN IN JANUARY 2006, IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETE THIS SUMMER. SINCE 1997, WATER PRODUCTION AT THE ALCONA PLANT HAS INCREASED ALMOST SIXFOLD.
THE EXPANSION WILL COST ABOUT $10 MILLION, PLUS ANOTHER $10 MILLION FOR THINGS SUCH AS PUMPING STATIONS AND TRUNK WATERMAINS, COSTS THAT ARE BEING SHARED BETWEEN INNISFIL AND BRADFORD-WEST GWILLIMBURY. SOME OF THE MONEY WAS FRONTED BY BRADFORD-WEST GWILLIMBURY.
THE PLANT EXPANSION WAS GOING TO BE NEEDED ANYWAY IN THE COMING YEARS, SO, ESSENTIALLY, INNISFIL IS GETTING A HEADSTART.
“THE BRADFORD AGREEMENT BASICALLY MOVED THAT PROJECT UP,” SAID ROB MCAULEY, INNISFIL’S DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
THE PROJECT ALSO MEANS UNSERVICED HOMES ALONG THE INNISFIL LAKESHORE, SOUTH OF ALCONA, AN AREA WHERE WELL WATER IS DECLINING, WILL BE WITHIN REACH OF MUNICIPAL WATER.
NATIONAL FILM BOARD WILL BE TAPING WORLD WATER DAY OBSERVANCES IN WELLAND NEXT MONTH, FOR A MOVIE TO BE BROADCAST ON THE INTERNET.
IN A BRIEF UPDATE FOR COUNCILLORS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FUTURE PLANS OF THE CITY'S WATER CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY PROGRAM COMMITTEE, ITS CHAIR, PAUL GRENIER, ALSO OUTLINED APRIL'S EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONS FOR THE ROSE CITY.
ON MARCH 22, THE CITY WILL RECOGNIZE WORLD WATER DAY, AN AWARENESS EVENT LINKED TO NEED FOR CLEAN DRINKING WATER AROUND THE GLOBE.
SAID GRENIER, "THIS WILL BE THE FIRST YEAR THAT WELLAND'S OBSERVED THIS EVENT."
THE WARD 3 COUNCILLOR ADDED THAT NFB WILL RECORD THE OBSERVANCE FOR ITS CITIZEN SHIFT WEBSITE. THE ONLINE DOCUMENTARY SITE IS DEDICATED TO CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL CHANGE.
LOCAL WORLD WATER DAY EVENTS WILL INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING FOR GRADE-SCHOOL STUDENTS AND A SERIES OF MOVIES AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS.
WELLAND WILL OBSERVE EARTH DAY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – A DAY BEFORE THE ACTUAL EVENT – ON MERRITT ISLAND WITH FAMILY-THEMED ACTIVITIES INCLUDING PLANTING OF RAIN GARDENS AND TREES AND ENVIRONMENTAL TIPS FOR THE HOME, GRENIER SAID.
"IT'S BUILDING TO BE A WONDERFUL EVENT."
PARTNERS WITH THE CITY FOR THE EARTH DAY EVENT SO FAR INCLUDE NIAGARA PENINSULA CONSERVATION AUTHORITY, WELLAND RIVER KEEPERS AND LOCAL BOY SCOUTS.
JAMIE MACDONALD, A ST. ALEXANDER SCHOOL STUDENT, DECIDED TO DO HIS SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT ON WHETHER WATER IN THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE TO DRINK.
MAGGIE RIOPELLE / TRIBUNE STAFF , FEBRUARY 21, 2007
STUDENT; SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT SEES STUDENT TEST LOCAL WATER
WATER QUALITY IS NOT ONLY A HOT TOPIC IN WAINFLEET, IT IS ALSO AN ISSUE THAT HAS ALSO FILTERED INTO THE CLASSROOM.
ST. ALEXANDER SCHOOL HELD ITS ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR YESTERDAY. STUDENT JAMIE MACDONALD DECIDED WHETHER OR NOT WATER IN OUR AREA IS SAFE TO DRINK WOULD BE A QUESTION HE HOPED TO ANSWER.
"I HEARD ABOUT WALKERTON AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE WAS E. COLI IN PLACES WE USE THE MOST," HE SAID.
HE DECIDED TO COLLECT WATER SAMPLES FROM HIS SCHOOL, MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT, NIAGARA CENTRE YMCA, SWISS CHALET AND TIM HORTONS.
HE ALSO INCLUDED BOTTLED WATER AS ANOTHER SAMPLE.
"I JUST ORDERED WATER FROM THE RESTAURANT, THEN POURED IT INTO THE CONTAINERS," HE SAID. "THEN I BROUGHT THE SAMPLES TO ACCUTEST LABORATORIES. A WEEK AND A HALF LATER, HE HAD HIS RESULTS.
"TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING, I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE ONE SAMPLE WITH E. COLI, BUT I'M HAPPY NONE OF THE SAMPLES HAD ANY," MACDONALD SAID. "NONE OF THE WATER HAD E. COLI, SO THE WATER AROUND HERE IS SAFE TO DRINK."
HIS SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT, HE SAID, RAISED HIS AWARENESS OF E. COLI, BACTERIA THAT ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN THE INTESTINES OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS BUT CAN ALSO CAUSE STOMACH CRAMPS, DIARRHEA, FEVER, NAUSEA, VOMITING OR EVEN DEATH FOR PEOPLE WITH A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM.
"I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT E. COLI AND THAT IT CAN MAKE YOU SICK. I DON'T WANT TO GET SICK, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD PROJECT," HE SAID. "I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WALKERTON, TOO. I DIDN'T KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE COULD DIE FROM A LITTLE VIRUS."
DURING THE INCIDENT IN WALKERTON, IN 2000, SEVEN PEOPLE DIED AND 2,300 BECAME ILL AFTER THE COMMUNITY'S WATER SUPPLY BECAME CONTAMINATED WITH MANURE SPREAD ON A FARM NEAR THE TOWN.
MACDONALD HAS TAKEN MORE OF AN INTEREST IN WATER ISSUES, HE SAID, AND EVEN HAD COPIES OF THE TRIBUNE WITH ITS ONGOING SERIES ON WATER WITH HIS SCIENCE FAIR DISPLAY.
by GREG FURMINGER , TRIBUNE STAFF ,February 26, 2007
BY THE END OF THE TUESDAY NIGHT, WELLAND HOMEOWNERS WITHOUT WATER METERS COULD BE LEFT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER $184.80 TO COVER THEIR BILLS OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
CITY STAFF ARE RECOMMENDING POLITICIANS APPROVE A 23.8 PER CENT WATER-SEWER RATE HIKE EQUIVALENT TO A $46.20 JUMP PER QUARTER.
IF PASSED, BILLS WOULD BE MAILED OUT EVERY THREE MONTHS FOR FOR PAYMENT OF $240.11. FOR METERED CONSUMERS, THAT MONEY WOULD COVER 71 CUBIC METRES OF WATER.
THE CURRENT FLAT RATE IS $193.91 PER QUARTER.
THE CHANGE IS PROPOSED TO TAKE EFFECT APRIL 1.
BECAUSE TUESDAY NIGHT'S RATE HIKE IS SUBJECT TO A PUBLIC MEETING LEGISLATED UNDER THE MUNICIPAL ACT, ANYONE ONE WANTS TO SPEAK ON THE MATTER IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS WILL BE GIVEN OPPORTUNITY, CITY TREASURER BRUNO SILVESTRI SAID YESTERDAY.
THE MEETING STARTS AT 7 P.M.
"I'M SURE THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME COMMENTS," SILVESTRI SAID.
HOWEVER, HE SAID COMPARED TO LAST YEAR THERE'S BEEN NO NOTICEABLE INCREASE IN FEEDBACK TO THE PROPOSED RATE HIKE WHICH WHEN FIRST INTRODUCED LAST MONTH STOOD HIGHER AT 25.63 PER CENT, WHEN IT WAS SUGGESTED THE QUARTERLY FIGURE COULD JUMP BY $49.70.
CURRENT FIGURES HAVE BEEN REVISED DOWNWARDS AS A RESULT OF THE REGION APPROVING ITS WHOLESALE RATES LOWER THAN PROJECTED IN JANUARY.
THE CITY'S DOLLAR SHARE OF THE COMBINED RATE INCREASE REMAINS UNCHANGED.
THIS YEAR THE CITY PLANS TO SPEND $4.1 MILLION ON NEW INFRASTRUCTURE THIS YEAR – AN INVESTMENT OF 1.4 PER CENT OF ITS ASSET VALUE – BUT WHILE NOT INCURRING ANY NEW WATER-SEWER DEBT. IT'S THAT RECOMMENDATION TO WHICH MUCH OF THE 2007 SPIKE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED.
ALL BUT TWO OF 11 RECOMMENDED SEWER PROJECTS THIS YEAR, COSTING $2.4 MILLION, ADDRESS PROBLEMS IN THE BROADWAY AVENUE, FITCH STREET AND WINDSOR AVENUE AREAS.
THE CITY IS ALSO POISED TO SPEND $1.7 ON NEW WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING THE AREA OF WOODLAWN ROAD BETWEEN GRAM AVENUE AND TRELAWN PARKWAY.
INCLUDED IN THE 2007 WATER-SEWER BUDGET IS $170,000 IN DEBT CHARGES LINKED TO THE MANDATORY WATER METERING PROGRAM THAT GOT UNDERWAY LAST YEAR.
THERE WERE 9,700 HOMES STILL TO CONVERT TO METERS AT THE END OF 2006. WHEN WORD OF A RATE HIKE WAS FIRST REPORTED LAST MONTH, THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE JUMP IN THE NUMBER OF DAILY HOMEOWNER REQUESTS FOR METERS.
THE CITY'S SHARE OF THE $46.20 QUARTERLY INCREASE – $40.26 – ALSO REPRESENTS SALARY INCREASES AND WATER-TESTING COSTS.
THE WATER BUDGET IS CURRENTLY PUT AT $9.77 MILLION, UP FROM $8.62 MILLION IN 2006; THE SEWER BUDGET AT $12.82 MILLION, UP FROM $11.18 MILLION.
from THE WELLAND TRIBUNE , by DEREK SWARTZ , FEBRUARY 23, 2007
THERE IS ENOUGH CAPACITY IN PORT'S SYSTEMS IF TOWNSHIP WANTS TO HOOK UP
PORT ABLE TO HELP WAINFLEET'S WATER WOES;
LOCAL NEWS - WAINFLEET RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORELINE HAVE BEEN UNDER A BOIL WATER ADVISORY FOR THE PAST 10 MONTHS. GROUNDWATER SOUTH OF THE FORMER CN RAILWAY LINE CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION, ACCORDING TO THE NIAGARA REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
RIGHT NEXT DOOR SITS THE CITY OF PORT COLBORNE, WHICH HAS ACCESS TO AN ALMOST ENDLESS SUPPLY OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER AND ONE OF THE BEST FUNCTIONING STORM AND SANITARY SEWER SYSTEMS IN NIAGARA.
NIAGARA SEES A MATCH MADE IN SAFE WATER HEAVEN, BUT IT HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN THREE ATTEMPTS TO SECURE GRANTS FROM OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL THE WATER AND SEWER LINES.
SUPPLYING WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICE ISN'T A CAPABILITY ISSUE - THERE IS ENOUGH CAPACITY BECAUSE PORT COLBORNE HAS BEEN PROACTIVE IN REPLACING ITS INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE READY FOR FUTURE DEMANDS, SAYS MAYOR VANCE BADAWEY.
IT IS, HOWEVER A POLITICAL ISSUE, AND IT'S ONE BADAWEY DOES NOT WANT TO VENTURE INTO. "SHOULD THEY GO THAT ROUTE? YOU'RE ASKING THE WRONG MAYOR," HE LAUGHS, ANSWERING AN UNASKED QUESTIONED.
IN THE LATE 1990S PORT COLBORNE STARTED AN AGGRESSIVE SEWER AND WATER REPLACEMENT PLAN. IT POURED ABOUT $8 MILLION INTO SEPARATING EAVESTROUGHS AND SUMP PUMPS FROM THE SANITARY SEWER LINES ON THE CITY'S EAST SIDE AND TO BUILD A HOLDING POND TO CAPTURE EXCESS RUNOFF.
THE RESULTS ARE IMPRESSIVE - PORT COLBORNE HAD A TOTAL OF FIVE COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS IN 2006, ALL COMING EITHER AFTER HEAVY SNOW MELTS OR HEAVY RAINSTORMS. (DURING COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS RELATIVELY CLEAN STORM WATER POURS INTO SANITARY LINES AND OVERWHELMS THE CAPACITY OF THE WASTE TREATMENT PLANT, FORCING THE SEWAGE IN THE FACILITY AND THE STORM WATER TO BE DUMPED UNTREATED INTO A WATERWAY.)
IT HAD THE SAME NUMBER OF INCIDENTS IN 2005. BY COMPARISON, NIAGARA FALLS HAD 99, THE HIGHEST FIGURE IN THE PROVINCE. WELLAND WAS THIRD WITH 53 THAT YEAR AND ST. CATHARINES WAS FOURTH WITH 52 COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS.
THE CITY TOOK ON THE SEWER SEPARATION WORK TO POSITION ITSELF FOR FUTURE GROWTH.
WITH THE PROVINCE TALKING ABOUT ENACTING ITS GREENBELT ACT, WHICH HAS SINCE BECOME LAW, AND NIAGARA'S GROW SOUTH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY THAT WILL TRY TO STIMULATE ECONOMIC GROWTH SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20, PORT COLBORNE GOT ITS HOUSE IN ORDER.
"FOR THE MOST PART BASED ON THE WORK WE'VE DONE WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE MORE CAPACITY TO BRING ON MORE DEVELOPMENT. THAT DEVELOPMENT CAN INCLUDE THE TOWNSHIP OF WAINFLEET," BADAWEY SAYS. IT COULD ALSO INCLUDE NEW RESIDENTIAL AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY. NOW, ALTHOUGH THE CITY HAS AN EXCESS OF CAPACITY IT HAS A SHORTAGE OF SERVICED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LOTS.
"WE ARE EXPERIENCING NOW, I WOULDN'T CALL IT A BOOM, BUT A RENAISSANCE. PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE HERE AND WE'RE PREPARED FOR THAT," THE MAYOR SAYS.
THAT COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE DECISION MADE IN WAINFLEET.
IF THE CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE IS EVER EXTENDED WEST INTO THE NEIGHBOURING TOWNSHIP, THE PROJECT WOULD DIMINISH THE CITY'S SYSTEM'S ABILITY TO SERVICE NEW GROWTH IN PORT COLBORNE.
MORE SEWER CAPACITY MAY BE NEEDED TO FOSTER THE GROWTH IT HAD PLANNED FOR. IN THAT CASE, THE CITY WOULD EXPECT FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FROM NIAGARA REGION, BADAWEY SAYS.
THE CITY IS PREPARED TO HELP ITS NEIGHBOURS IF ASKED, OR TO CONTINUE PREPARING FOR ITS ANTICIPATED FUTURE NEEDS. EITHER WAY, THE CITY IS READY, BADAWEY SAYS.
"IF THEY NEED HELP, WE'RE HERE TO LEND A HAND."
by MAGGIE RIOPELLE / TRIBUNE STAFF , FEBRUARY 21, 2007
DECIDED TO DO HIS SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
ON WHETHER WATER IN THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE TO DRINK.
WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK:
STUDENT; SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT SEES STUDENT TEST LOCAL WATER
WATER QUALITY IS NOT ONLY A HOT TOPIC IN WAINFLEET, IT IS ALSO AN ISSUE THAT HAS ALSO FILTERED INTO THE CLASSROOM.
ST. ALEXANDER SCHOOL HELD ITS ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR YESTERDAY. STUDENT JAMIE MACDONALD DECIDED WHETHER OR NOT WATER IN OUR AREA IS SAFE TO DRINK WOULD BE A QUESTION HE HOPED TO ANSWER.
"I HEARD ABOUT WALKERTON AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE WAS E. COLI IN PLACES WE USE THE MOST," HE SAID.
HE DECIDED TO COLLECT WATER SAMPLES FROM HIS SCHOOL, MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT, NIAGARA CENTRE YMCA, SWISS CHALET AND TIM HORTONS.
HE ALSO INCLUDED BOTTLED WATER AS ANOTHER SAMPLE.
"I JUST ORDERED WATER FROM THE RESTAURANT, THEN POURED IT INTO THE CONTAINERS," HE SAID. "THEN I BROUGHT THE SAMPLES TO ACCUTEST LABORATORIES. A WEEK AND A HALF LATER, HE HAD HIS RESULTS.
"TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING, I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE ONE SAMPLE WITH E. COLI, BUT I'M HAPPY NONE OF THE SAMPLES HAD ANY," MACDONALD SAID. "NONE OF THE WATER HAD E. COLI, SO THE WATER AROUND HERE IS SAFE TO DRINK."
HIS SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT, HE SAID, RAISED HIS AWARENESS OF E. COLI, BACTERIA THAT ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN THE INTESTINES OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS BUT CAN ALSO CAUSE STOMACH CRAMPS, DIARRHEA, FEVER, NAUSEA, VOMITING OR EVEN DEATH FOR PEOPLE WITH A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM.
"I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT E. COLI AND THAT IT CAN MAKE YOU SICK. I DON'T WANT TO GET SICK, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD PROJECT," HE SAID. "I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WALKERTON, TOO. I DIDN'T KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE COULD DIE FROM A LITTLE VIRUS."
DURING THE INCIDENT IN WALKERTON, IN 2000, SEVEN PEOPLE DIED AND 2,300 BECAME ILL AFTER THE COMMUNITY'S WATER SUPPLY BECAME CONTAMINATED WITH MANURE SPREAD ON A FARM NEAR THE TOWN.
MACDONALD HAS TAKEN MORE OF AN INTEREST IN WATER ISSUES, HE SAID, AND EVEN HAD COPIES OF THE TRIBUNE WITH ITS ONGOING SERIES ON WATER WITH HIS SCIENCE FAIR DISPLAY.
by JAMES WALLACE / OSPREY NEWS NETWORK , SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2007
A THIRD TO HALF OF ALL ONTARIO'S CLEAN, TREATED DRINKING WATER LEAKS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE IT EVER GETS TO PEOPLE'S 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 WHAT'S 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 ONTARIO'S WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEM, URGING NEW INVESTMENT AND WHOLESALE RESTRUCTURING, THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO ACT. IN FACT IT HASN'T RESPONDED TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN ITS OWN "WATERTIGHT" REPORT.
"I THINK IT'S DISAPPOINTING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HASN'T RESPONDED," DR. HARRY SWAIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE TASK FORCE, TOLD OSPREY NEWS. WATERTIGHT WASN'T JUST A NUTS AND BOLTS REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF THE PROVINCE'S LEAKY, CREAKY TAPS, PIPES AND WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS.
IT WAS A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE THAT PICKED UP WHERE JUSTICE DENNIS O'CONNOR'S 2000 INQUIRY INTO THE WALKERTON TAINTED WATER TRAGEDY LEFT OFF, RECOMMENDING STRUCTURAL CHANGE AND CONCRETE MEASURES INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT ANOTHER WALKERTON NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS PROVINCE.
SWAIN'S 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 ONTARIO'S 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 TOWN'S WATER UTILITY SPENT $9,000 FOR A CHLORINE RESIDUAL MONITOR WITH AN AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF - A BACKUP DEVICE THAT WOULD ENSURE UNTREATED WATER WASN'T PUMPED TO HOMES IN THE COMMUNITY - 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 WALKERTON'S 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 - NOT A HOLISTIC 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.
WHAT'S NEEDED, THEY SAY, IS PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO FUND A DEDICATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM FOR WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEMS THAT HELPS ALL MUNICIPALITIES - AND SMALLER ONES IN PARTICULAR - 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.
THE MOST RECENT ROUND OF MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FROM SENIOR GOVERNMENT AMOUNTED TO $70 MILLION DIVVIED OUT TO SOME 300 LOCAL COUNCILS.
"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 LIFE TIME 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, HE'S 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 PERCENT 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."
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 WE 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 WHICH 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 TRIBUNE 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.
They are listening and know we aren't going away!
Here's hoping for some changes to the problems .
