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November 19, 2005: Enviro groups say CRD data confirms pollution

B.C.

Enviro groups say CRD data confirms pollution

 

By Jennifer McLarty

Victoria News

Nov 18 2005

Sewage outfalls exceed contaminated site levels: Sierra Legal Defence Fund

The seabed surrounding Greater Victoria's two sewage outfalls qualify as contaminated sites based on the province's own monitoring criteria, say three B.C. environmental groups.

The Sierra Legal Defence Fund, T. Buck Suzuki Foundation and Georgia Strait Alliance want B.C.'s waste management director to acknowledge the infractions and order the Capital Regional District to begin secondary sewage treatment.

"If you are violating the contaminated sites standards you are breaking the law," said Sierra Legal lawyer Margot Venton.

"We're asking the provincial government to stop the source contamination, make a plan to address the problem and implement it. The Capital Regional District's own data supports the request."

Using CRD samples taken from outfalls at Macaulay and Clover points between 2000 and 2003, Sierra Legal biologists discovered 19 out of 29 provincially monitored substances were present and that they exceeded legislated limits.

The list of potentially harmful chemicals includes mercury, lead, copper and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are concentrated in areas about the size of Beacon Hill Park.

"If this was a private company that would be the end of it- we'd be in remediation right now," Venton said, adding in such a case it would have triggered limit monitors. "The laws are there. The government just has to act on them."

Ministry of Environment staff confirmed Tuesday that an investigation into the validity of the claims is underway. But Minister Barry Penner reiterated the government is already working with the regional district on the issue of water quality.

"In 2003 a liquid waste management plan was put in place for the CRD," Penner told reporters Tuesday. "According to that liquid waste management plan, there are two triggers that are set. That is, that water quality standards were established for the outfall areas."

If the results exceed the plan's ceiling for raw sewage levels, the CRD will be forced to upgrade its system within three years.

Langford Coun. Denise Blackwell - chair of the regional district's liquid waste management committee - declined to "engage in a debate" about the environmental coalition's findings.

She says its submission is being vetted by CRD staff and will be forwarded to an independent panel hired to conduct a $600,000 review of the region's sewage treatment practices.

The report by SETAC - the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - is scheduled to be released in March.

"We're taking a look at the information. I don't want to get in an argument about it in the press. I've found in the past that these groups have manipulated our data," said Blackwell.

But the three environmental organizations say the CRD's own numbers tell the story, and that its "unusual" monitoring criteria is too relaxed, falling below both provincial and federal guidelines.

"They're saying we don't need it (a secondary treatment plant). We're saying they're wrong," said Venton. "Given we're in the middle of an election, we wanted to get the information out there."

The CRD pumps 120 million litres of screened sewage into the ocean daily, Source control programs stop dry cleaners, photo developers and others from adding harmful chemicals to the mix.

jmclarty@vinewsgroup.com

 

http://www.vicnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=36&cat=23&id=536088&more=

Topic(s): Member News , More Enviro News, Pollution and Waste News, Poor Performers, Villain of the week

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