Dr Shaun Peck's comments to the CRD's Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee September 14th 2011.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you again.
I will speak to Agenda #5 – the Regional Source Control Program. http://www.crd.bc.ca/reports/corearealiquidwastem_/2011_/09september14_/2011sept14item05ept1/2011sept14item05ept1.pdf
The CRD staff must be congratulated on the success of this program over the last 17 years. The CRD has been recognized as a national leader in their practices and the results achieved.
The potential diversion from the sewers of 8021 kg of unused medications collected for proper disposal in 2010 is remarkable! The great improvement in waste treatment by photographic imaging, dental, laboratory, dry cleaning, fermentation and recreation, vehicle wash sector and food service (cooking fat traps) is evidence of the continuing success of the program.
In the last 15 years 685 kg of lead has been removed. 642 Tonnes of oil and grease have been diverted from the sewers. We no longer see seagulls feeding on the fat floating to the surface over the site of the two deep sea outfalls.
My first reaction in reading the report is that there is no mention of coordination with the developing rain water source control program. If you care about protecting public health and the marine environment it must be recognized that taking action to prevent contamination of the rain (and storm) water discharges to the shoreline marine environment should be a major priority for the future. This is where there is potential for human exposure to all the contaminants in the drains – like pet waste, sewer cross connections, industrial sources of chemicals – as they are discharged directly to the shoreline from the many outfalls around the coast.
This report contains a great deal of “process” – such as collaborations, protocols, partnerships, codes of practice, inspections etc which are all good. However for me there could be more emphasis on the real outcomes. I was pleased to see reference to the marine monitoring program results around the outfalls. I would like to see more details of this. The improvement in the sampling results from the ocean within 100 meters of the outfalls and beyond is what the program is aiming to achieve. Of course I would also like to see a link to the outcomes that are expected to be achieved by the developing source control program for the shoreline rain and storm water drains. Surely these two programs should be integrated? I suggest that in future reports and in the five year plan this can be added. All the contaminants – from storm water drains and from the sewage outfalls should be continually measured and reported on together.
As a final comment to-day I do not think I need to remind committee members that the present plans for land based sewage treatment plants are not yet a done deal.
It seems to be the impression of some people in Victoria that building land based sewage treatment for the core municipalities is a done deal. However the reality is, as you are aware, there will be more delays in the planning. There is still time to review whether there will be any overall environmental benefit as a result of building these plants.
Is it really the right thing to do from an ecological and a sustainability perspective?
The good news is that there is still time to take a second look and have a review by a Canadian independent science organisation such as the The Royal Society of Canada. The SETAC report of 2006 was unsatisfactory in that some of their conclusions where not based on scientific evidence in the report.
What needs to be independently examined again is whether there will be any environmental or public health benefit and what will be the impact on the overall environment from building land based sewage treatment plants.
I hope in the upcoming Municipal election campaigns in November that each of you, who will be running for election again, will make it clear where you stand on this issue.
Thank you,
Dr Shaun Peck, Public Health Consultant.
Member of Responsible Sewage Treatment Victoria www.rstv.ca
Board member of the Association for Responsible and Environmentally Sustainable Sewage Treatment. www.aresst.ca