Manure chart
Sewage chart
Nearly half of Ontario's sewage treatment plants still fail to meet environmental commitments
Though the environment ministry has stepped up inspections since the devastating Walkerton report, non-compliance by Ontario municipalities remains widespread. And serious sewage spills still happenby DON STONEMAN
Chief Justice Denis R. O'Connor, who headed the Walkerton Inquiry into Drinking Water, blasted the provincial ministry of the environment for its monitoring of sewage treatment plants. In his report, Commissioner O'Connor pointed out that it was impossible to determine if nearly two thirds of the plants were in compliance."One matter that concerns me," he wrote, "is that in more than 60 per cent of the cases in Ontario, the Inquiry's examination of sewage treatment was unable to determine whether sewage treatment plants were in compliance with regulations. Of the remaining 40 per cent, approximately 15 per cent were out of compliance. This information should be publicly available."
The Commissioner's observations were based on data collected in 1998. The Ontario environment ministry says it has since pulled up its socks on inspecting and reporting. However, stepped-up inspections have revealed that nearly half of sewage plants have failed to comply with their environmental commitments, says Mark Rabbior, a ministry spokesman. Fully half of them failed to meet the standards they were assigned.
The ministry aims to inspect all of the 447 sewage treatment plants under its mandate every three years, says Rabbior.
Industrial spills in the City of Chatham-Kent
(from Spills Action Centre records for 2001 and 2002)Year Month Number 2001 February 3 March 2 April 2 May 2 June 3 November 1 December 1 Entire year 14 2002 January 2 March 1 May 1 June 3 Jan. 1 to June 30 7 Number of manure spills in Chatham-Kent Year Month Number 2001 July 2 Entire year 2 2002 April 1 May 1 Jan. 1 to June 30 2 In the latest round of inspections, 50 per cent failed to meet certificate of approval requirements, provincial standards and guidelines. Most of these plants serve municipalities. Others, for example, are licensed to handle sewage at high-volume highway service centres.
"In cases where we find non-compliance (with certificates of approval), we issue provincial offense orders, which specify what needs to be done in order to bring the plants into compliance," Rabbior says. Detailed information about plants that are not in compliance is published on the ministry's website: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/compliance/compliance.htm
Rabbior says two major reasons cover nearly all instances of non-compliance. The first is a failure to meet effluent quality limits set down in either the plant's certificate of approval or industry policy and guidelines. The second is a failure to meet the sampling, monitoring and notification requirements of the ministry. Other reasons "are few and far between," he says.
Sewage spills still happen. The most notable spill to date in 2002 was at a water pollution control plant at Elmira, north of Kitchener, where an estimated one million gallons of untreated sewage poured into nearby Cananaigue Creek. The reason: workers digging a hole for a utility post severed the electrical cable that powered a pump-over station. The same digging also severed the telephone line that should have sent an automatic alarm to the local utility's office, indicating that something was wrong.
As a result, sewage spilled into the creek for approximately 18 hours undetected, eventually making its way into the Grand River. The local conservation authority announced that the spill had taken place, urging recreational users to stay off the river and drinking plant operators downstream to close their inlets until the mass of pollution had passed.The local environment ministry office in Guelph ordered both the local hydro utility and the sewage plant to develop new protocols for working near treatment plants. No charges were laid and apparently no fish were killed by this spill.
Dan Dalgleish, president of the Kent Federation of Agriculture, points to this spill when he criticizes the new nutrient management bylaw in his municipality of Chatham-Kent. He says the bylaw is the fallout from a manure spill that occurred in July, 2001, when a pig farm near Blenheim leaked manure into Rondeau Bay. Dalgleish notes that the pig farm spill was an accident, just like the spill at Elmira, but a much smaller amount of pig manure was spilled. "It was unforeseen and unintentional." But whether there is fallout or not from a spill depends on "who did it," he says.
A report from the environment ministry's Spills Action Centre does not indicate that there were any sewage spills in Chatham-Kent in 2001. However, there were 15 spills of an industrial nature reported in the newly amalgamated city of 100,000, as well as seven spills during the first six months of 2002. During the same 18 months in the county, there were four manure spills reported.
At the other end of the province, Ottawa estimates that its Pickard Centre sewage plant released as much as 284 kg of mercury into the Ottawa River in 2001. In a normal year, as little as 10 or 20 kg would be released.
Acute mercury poisoning causes severe gastrointestinal damage, cardiovascular collapse and kidney failure in humans. Chronic exposure can cause nervous system damage, most pronounced in Minaimata Disease, found in Japan as a result of pollution from a plastics plant which produced mercury effluent between 1932 and 1968.
The Ottawa figures are estimates, based on five tests of effluent during the year. On every test, mercury content was extraordinary and increased through the year. Officials say that the testing may have been faulty. However, someone may also be dumping mercury into city sewers, and the city's waste management department is drafting a bylaw to reduce the amount of mercury that can be dumped by 90 per cent.
So far in 2002, mercury levels have been greatly reduced and will likely total 36 kg, still nearly twice as much as normal. BF
© copyright 2002 AgMedia Inc..
Manure
Manure Spills Manure Spills 2001 To June 30,2002 2001 To June 30, 2002 ADELAIDE METCALFE TWP. 1 1 MILTON TOWN 1 1 BLUEWATER MUNIC. 0 1 NORFOLK TOWN 1 1 BRANT COUNTY CITY 1 0 NORTH MIDDLESEX MUNIC. 1 1 BURK'S FALLS VILL. 0 1 NORTH PERTH TOWN 1 0 BURLINGTON CITY 1 0 NORWICH TWP. 1 1 CENTRAL HURON MUNIC. 1 0 OAKVILLE TOWN 1 1 CENTRE WELLINGTON TWP. 0 1 PERTH EAST TWP. 0 1 CHATHAM-KENT CITY 2 2 PERTH SOUTH TWP. 1 0 CLARINGTON MUNIC. 1 0 RIDEAU LAKES TWP. 0 1 CLEARVIEW TWP. 1 0 SAUGEEN SHORES TOWN 0 1 DUTTON/ DUNWICH MUNIC. 1 0 SOUTH DUNDAS TWP. 1 1 EAST ZORRA-TAVISTOCK TWP. 1 0 SOUTHWEST MIDDLESEX MUNIC. 2 0 ENGLEHART TOWN 0 1 ST. CATHARINES CITY 1 0 GEORGIAN BLUFFS TWP. 1 0 ST. CLAIR TWP. 1 0 GREY HIGHLANDS MUNIC. 0 1 ST. THOMAS CITY 1 0 HURON EAST MUNIC. 1 1 TIMMINS CITY 1 0 KINCARDINE MUNIC. 2 0 WARWICK TWP. 0 1 KITCHENER CITY 1 0 WELLESLEY TWP. 1 0 LAKESHORE TOWN 0 1 WEST NIPISSING MUNIC. 1 0 LONDON CITY 1 0 WILMOT TWP. 3 0 MAPLETON TWP. 1 0 WINDSOR CITY 1 0 MIDDLESEX CENTRE TWP. 3 0 WOOLWICH TWP. 1 0
Sewage
Bypasses Spills Bypasses Spills 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 AJAX TOWN 1 0 1 1 MANITOUEADGE TWP. 0 0 1 1 ALFRED & PLANTAGENET TWP. 1 0 0 2 MAPLETON TWP. 0 0 3 0 AMHERSTBURG TOWN 0 6 0 0 MATTAWA TOWN 2 0 0 0 ARMSTRONG TWP 6 1 0 0 MATTICE-VAL COTE TWP. 1 0 0 0 ARNPRIOR TOWN 2 19 1 1 MCGARRY TWP. 7 1 0 0 ARRAN-ELDERSLIE MUNIC. 1 0 0 0 MILTON TOWN 3 0 0 0 ASSIGINACK TWP. 0 0 0 1 MINTO TOWN 1 0 0 0 ATIKOKAN TWP. 12 4 0 2 MISSISSAUGA CITY 5 3 4 0 AURORA TOWN 0 0 3 0 MISSISSIPPI MILLS TOWN 1 1 1 2 AYLMER TOWN 1 0 0 1 MOOSONEE TOWN 1 1 1 0 BARRIE CITY 0 0 7 3 MUSKOKA LAKES TWP. 0 0 2 0 BAYHAM MUNIC. 0 0 0 1 N.EAST MANITOULIN/
THE ISLANDS TOWN2 1 0 1 BELLEVILLE CITY 8 5 7 3 NEW LISKEARD TOWN 4 0 0 0 BLACK RIVER, MATHERSON TWP. 11 5 2 0 NEW TECUMSETH TOWN 1 0 0 0 BLUEWATER MUNIC. 0 2 0 0 NIAGARA FALLS CITY 54 26 3 1 BRACEBRIDGE TOWN 0 0 2 2 NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE TOWN 0 1 0 0 BRAMPTON CITY 0 0 1 1 NIPISSING DISTRICT 0 0 1 0 BRANT COUNTY CITY 0 0 0 1 NORFOLK TOWN 1 0 3 2 BRANTFORD CITY 0 0 0 1 NORTH BAY CITY 1 1 2 2 BROCKTON MUNIC. 3 0 0 0 NORTH HIMSWORTH TWP. 0 0 1 0 BROCKVILLE CITY 0 2 0 0 NORTH HURON TWP. 1 3 0 0 BURLINGTON CITY 11 6 2 2 NORTH MIDDLESEX MUNIC. 2 2 4 0 CALEDON TOWN 2 0 1 0 NORTH PERTH TOWN 1 0 3 0 CAMBRIDGE CITY 1 0 6 1 NORWICH TWP. 1 0 0 0 CARLETON PLACE TOWN 1 1 0 1 OAKVILLE TOWN 2 4 2 2 CENTRAL ELGIN MUNIC. 3 0 1 0 ORANGEVILLE TOWN 8 8 4 0 CENTRAL HURON MUNIC. 1 2 0 0 ORO-MEDONTE TWP. 0 0 0 1 CENTRE WELLINGTON TWP. 1 0 1 0 OSHAWA CITY 3 0 1 0 CHAMPLAIN TWP. 2 3 0 1 OTTAWA CITY 0 0 5 1 COBOURG TOWN 0 0 1 0 OWEN SOUND CITY 2 4 0 0 COCHRANE TOWN 3 2 1 0 PARRY SOUND TOWN 2 1 2 0 COLLINGWOOD TOWN 1 0 0 0 PENETANGUISHENE TOWN 3 1 0 3 CORNWALL CITY 0 0 1 0 PETAWAWA TOWN 1 0 4 0 DEEP RIVER TOWN 0 1 0 1 PETERBOROUGH CITY 5 2 1 0 DESERONTO 2 1 2 0 PORT COLBORNE CITY 0 5 2 1 DRYDEN CITY 5 5 2 0 PORT HOPE TOWN 0 0 0 1 DURHAM REGIONAL MUNIC 0 0 1 0 PRESCOTT SEP. TOWN 1 0 5 0 DYSART, BRUTON, CLYDE TWP. 0 0 1 0 PRINCE EDWARD CITY 0 5 0 4 EAST LUTHER
GRAND VALLEY TWP.1 2 0 0 QUINTE WEST CITY 2 7 1 1 EAST ZORRA-TAVISTOCK TWP. 0 0 1 0 RAINY RIVER TOWN 3 3 0 0 ELLIOT LAKE CITY 4 2 5 1 RED ROCK TWP. 1 0 0 0 EMO TWP. 0 1 0 0 RENFREW TOWN 2 2 2 0 ENGLEHART TOWN 1 3 2 0 RICHMOND HILL TOWN 0 0 2 0 ESPANOLA TOWN 0 2 0 0 SAULT STE. MARIE CITY 26 8 2 1 FENELON FALLS VILL. 0 0 0 1 SCUGOG TWP. 0 0 0 1 FORT ERIE TOWN 7 8 1 3 SEVERN TWP. 1 2 0 0 FORT FRANCES TOWN 0 1 0 0 SHEDDEN TWP. 1 1 0 1 GANANOQUE SEP. TOWN 1 2 1 0 SHELBURNE TOWN 0 1 0 0 GEORGINA TOWN 0 0 1 0 SIMCOE TOWN 0 2 0 0 GERALDTON TOWN 0 6 0 0 SMITH FALLS SEP. TOWN 15 13 0 0 GODERICH TOWN 7 0 0 0 SMOOTH ROCK FALLS TOWN 6 5 1 2 GREATER NAPANEE TOWN 0 0 2 2 SOUTH BRUCE MUNIC. 1 0 0 0 GREATER SUDBURY TOWN 36 10 18 5 SOUTH HURON MUNIC. 4 3 0 0 GREENSTONE MUNIC. 37 18 5 2 SOUTH STORMONT TWP. 0 0 1 0 GRIMSBY TOWN 7 6 1 0 SOUTHWEST
MIDDLESEX MUNIC.0 0 2 0 GUELPH CITY 9 1 8 1 ST. CATHERINES CITY 37 24 3 4 HAILEYBURY TOWN 2 2 0 0 ST. MARYS SEPARATED TOWN 3 0 0 0 HALDIMAND COUNTY 3 3 2 0 ST. THOMAS CITY 0 1 1 0 HALTON HILLS TOWN 4 4 1 1 STRATFORD CITY 6 7 0 0 HAMILTON CITY 16 24 7 3 SUDBURY CITY 0 1 0 1 HAWKESBURY TOWN 8 7 1 0 TAY TWP. 0 0 1 2 HEARST TOWN 3 2 1 0 THE NATION TWP. 0 0 1 0 HOPE MUNIC. 2 6 2 1 THE SOUTH BRUCE
PENINSULA TOWN1 1 0 0 HORNEPAYNE TWP. 3 1 1 0 THESSALON TOWN 1 0 0 0 HUNTSVILLE TOWN 0 0 5 1 THOROLD 3 1 0 0 HURON EAST MUNIC. 8 8 0 0 TIMMINS CITY 11 4 1 0 HURON-KINLOSS TWP. 1 0 0 0 TORONTO CITY 17 8 17 6 IGNACE TWP. 0 4 0 0 TRENT HILLS MUNIC. 2 2 2 0 INGERSOLL TOWN 0 0 1 0 TWEED MUNIC. 0 2 2 0 INNISFIL TOWN 0 0 1 0 UXBRIDGE TWP. 0 0 1 0 IROQUOIS FALLS TOWN 16 8 2 0 VAUGHAN CITY 0 0 1 0 KAPISKASING TOWN 12 5 8 1 WARWICK TWP. 2 0 0 0 KAWARTHA LAKES CITY 1 2 3 3 WASAGA BEACH TOWN 0 0 2 0 KENORA CITY 2 2 7 4 WATERLOO CITY 1 0 0 0 KILLARNEY MUNIC. 1 0 0 0 WELLAND CITY 4 12 0 0 KINCARDINE MUNIC. 1 0 2 0 WELLESLEY TWP. 2 0 0 0 KINGSTON CITY 11 4 1 2 WELLINGTON COUNTY 0 0 1 0 KINGSVILLE TOWN 0 2 0 0 WELLINGTON NORTH TWP. 2 1 3 1 KIRKLAND LAKE TOWN 10 1 0 0 WEST GREY TWP. 3 1 2 0 KITCHENER CITY 1 0 3 1 WEST LINCOLN TWP. 0 2 0 0 LAMBTON SHORES MUNIC. 2 0 0 0 WEST NIPISSING MUNIC. 8 5 2 3 LONDON CITY 10 6 9 1 WHITBY TOWN 0 1 1 0 LOYALIST TWP. 1 0 2 1 WILLISVILLE/WHITEFISH FLS 0 0 0 1 MANITOULIN DISTRICT 0 1 0 0 WOOLWICH TWP. 11 1 2 2 NOTE: 2001 bypasses and spills are reported for 12 months, 2002 bypasses and spills are reported to June30 © copyright 2002 AgMedia Inc..
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