March 21st 2011
Dear Premier Clark,
The Victoria (CRD) Sewage Treatment Issue
As a previous Medical Health Officer for the Capital Regional District who has closely followed the sewage treatment issue for the past eighteen years, I wish to bring to your attention serious concerns about the proposal for land-based secondary sewage treatment in Victoria.
Simply put, your government has provisionally agreed to provide some $260 million towards the cost of building a treatment system for which no significant benefit has been identified. There has been no serious study of the benefits and risks of such treatment, nor any overall comparison with the system we are now using. It is widely and incorrectly claimed that our current system is doing significant damage to our marine environment and presents a risk to human health. The real scientific evidence contradicts this claim. It is not generally recognized that, in most important respects, we have the equivalent of a secondary treatment plant located in the waters off our southern shore. The Victoria marine environment is unique. Although our current system is not perfect (no system ever is), these waters are not just a “dumping ground”. The phrase “dumping raw sewage” creates a powerful image, but it badly misrepresents reality. Due to the unique ocean environment, local marine waters actually perform a highly effective and efficient natural treatment of the screened liquid waste that flows out into the Strait through the two deep sea outfalls.
Many have written publicly on this subject, and referred to the opinions of numerous other professionals, in an attempt to bring about reconsideration of the proposed treatment plant, but to no avail. Attached is a published letter from present and former public health officials, including myself, with their considered opinion.
As a professional who has spent his career trying to promote and protect public health I am extremely concerned at the potential misdirection of public funds to provide a solution to a largely non-existent problem, inevitably denying resources to measures that really would provide effective protection of the overall environment and public health.
It is realized that many difficult health, environmental and financial decisions lie ahead of you in your role as our new Premier. Against that backdrop, the Victoria sewage issue is also of high significance because of its high cost and lack of benefit. Thus, I ask that you request an independent encompassing review of the Victoria secondary treatment proposal, including a full and proper analysis of its environmental, social, and economic benefits, risks, and costs, in comparison with the present system.
I, along with ten Marine Scientists, and supported by the opinion of six present and former public health officials, suggest that the Royal Society of Canada is well placed to conduct such an independent review.
Yours truly,
Dr Shaun Peck,
Public Health Consultant,
CRD Medical Health Officer 1989-1995
Deputy Provincial Health Officer 1995-2004
Copies to:
Honorable Terry Lake, Minister of Environment.
Honorable Kevin Falcon, Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier.
Honorable Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.