Craig Mains | Technical Assistant - National Environmental Services ...

N E W
S & N O T E S
It is no secret that sewage is regularly dumped into the Great Lakes and Ontario’s
waterways, says an Ecojustice report, “Flushing out the Truth, Sewage Dumping in
Ontario.” But the dirty secret is how often it happens and exactly how much is dumped.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment estimates that the total volume of sewage
dumped from sewage treatment plant bypasses was approximately 4.75 billion gallons in
2006 and 2.11 billion gallons in 2007 with at least seven municipalities releasing more
than a quarter of a billion gallons during that period.
However, information about combined sewer overflows is scarce. And information isn’t
even collected from 215 sewage treatment facilities operated by the Ontario Clean Water
Agency. “Thus, the findings of this report demonstrate that the province does not know
how much sewage is escaping proper treatment and being dumped into Ontario waterways.
Our investigation has uncovered poor and inconsistent data collection on the part
of the province and alarming amounts of sewage being routinely dumped by Ontario municipalities,”
says the Ecojustice report.
The report contains information about the Great Lakes Basin, which includes Lake
Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, all of which are
connected by rivers, streams, channels, and smaller lakes.
To obtain a copy of this report, visit ecojustice.ca/publications/flushing-out-the-truthsewage-dumping-in-ontario.
The size of the Dead Zone off the Louisiana/Texas coast rivaled the largest
ever, says an August 27, 2009, nola.com article. A Dead Zone is an area where
seasonal oxygen levels drop to levels too low to support most life in bottom and
near-bottom waters. Phytoplankton growth stimulated by excess nutrients such as
nitrogen and phosphorus causes the problem, says the article.
The Office of the Inspector General has issued a report requesting that the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopt enforceable limits on the release
of nutrient pollutants such as fertilizer and sewage into rivers and streams
and halt the creation of these dangerously low-oxygen areas.
“We believe selecting nationally significant waters and acting to set standards
for nutrients in them is a minimal first step is EPA is to meet requirements of the
Clean Water Act,” says the office.
“Critical national waters such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River
require standards that once set will affect multiple upstream states. These states
have not yet set nutrient standards for themselves; consequently it is EPA’s responsibility
to act,” says OIG, adding that EPA should act by 2010.
For more information about this story, visit www.epa.gov/oig/reports/
2009/20090826-09-P-0223.pdf.
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