Simon Lake Community Stewardship Group

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Letter Writing Campaign -- We Need Your Help!

Please take part in our Letter Writing Campaign to the Minister of Environment (MOE), The Honourable John Gerretsen, to ask him to do something about the sewage dumping from Sudbury's sewage treatment plants.  The Ecojustice Report, "Flushing Out the Truth: Sewage Dumping in Ontario", revealed that Sudbury was the 4th highest City in Ontario, by volume, to release untreated and undertreated sewage into the natural environment in 2006 and 2007 -- at a total of 2.6 billion liters.

We are asking the public to write a letter to the MOE requesting tigher regulations, stricter penalties and stronger enforcement. 

For your convenience we have included a form letter (see below) that you can personalize and send out.   See below for instructions:

Click here to download Form Letter for Public to send to MOE

Click here to download letter sent to The Honourable John Gerretsen, MOE by The Stewardship

Sewage Dumping -- Letter Writing Campaign
 to
The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of Environment
77 Wellesley St. W., 11th Floor, Ferguson Block
Toronto, ON   M7A 2T5
Tel:  (416) 314-6790   Fax:  (416) 314-7337              Email:  minister.moe@ontario.ca      

In response to the 2009 EcoJustice Report, “Flushing Out the Truth: Sewage Dumping in Ontario”, the Simon Lake Community Stewardship Group are asking you to join our Letter Writing Campaign to let the Minister of Environment know that dumping untreated and under-treated sewage into our watersheds is not acceptable.

You can either send The Honourable John Gerretsen your own letter by regular mail at the above address, or follow the instructions below to send him an email on-line:

1.  Click on this link http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/forms/email-form.php?replyRequested=y;

2.     Complete the required fields:  Your Name; Email Address; Street Address; City; Province; Country; Postal Code & Telephone Number; and

3.      Cut and paste the following letter into the Comment Section:


Dear Minister Gerretsen:

I am writing to express my concern with the recent Ecojustice report “Flushing Out the Truth: Sewage Dumping in Ontario.”  This report reveals that, during the years 2006 and 2007, Sudbury’s sewage treatment plants dumped 2.6 billion litres of untreated and under-treated sewage into our waterways, and was the 4th highest City, by volume, in Ontario, dumping untreated and undertreated sewage into the natural environment. This was slightly under the amount dumped by the City of Toronto for the same two years.

I understand that sewage bypasses are sometimes necessary to prevent sewage backups; however, untreated and under-treated sewage bypasses contain many pollutants, including heavy metals, oils, greases, E. coli and phosphorus. Many of Sudbury’s lakes already bear the effects of past environmental practices, including mining activity and many decades of poorly treated sewage discharges. These sewage bypasses can only make matters worse.

The Ministry of Environment controls what can be discharged from sewage treatment plants. For the sake of our waterways, please do something about the sewage dumping from Sudbury’s sewage treatment plants.   I am requesting:

1.    a Ministerial Order to require Sudbury and all other Municipalities to contain these bypass discharges in holding ponds, or some such measure that will prevent untreated and under-treated sewage from being dumped into our watersheds, and until such time as the sewage can be treated;

2.   tighter regulations to require municipalities to upgrade their sewage treatment plants to more environmentally responsible technology;

3.   stricter penalties to deter municipalities from dumping sewage into our natural environment; and

4.    the recommendations of the 2009 EcoJustice Report be implemented.

These recommended measures would allow our lakes and rivers an opportunity to begin to recover to a healthier state.

Sincerely, (Your Name)


 

 

SEWAGE DUMPING -- PUBLIC FORUM SUMMARY REPORT
19 NOVEMBER 2009
WITH

CITY OF SUDBURY WATER/WASTEWATER SERVICES

Purpose

The purpose of this Public Forum was to address the billions of liters of untreated and under-treated sewage being dumped into our local lakes and rivers.  In June of 2009, an Ecojustice Report was released, “Flushing Out the Truth: Sewage Dumping in Ontario”, by Sierra Legal Defence Fund.  This Report alerted our Stewardship to the alarming fact that Sudbury was the 4th highest offender in Ontario, for the volume of untreated and undertreated sewage being released into our natural environment during 2006 and 2007 – at 2.6 billion liters.

Consequently our Stewardship called this Public Forum to offer an opportunity:

  • For the City of Sudbury Water/Wastewater Services to explain these disturbing numbers;

  • To helpraise an awareness with the Public of these issues and challenges; and

  • To come up with possible solutions, and a direction of focus for funding and effort..... 

  • (Click below to download rest of this report) 

Click here to download Sewage Dumping Report Resulting from 19 Nov 2009 Public Forum

PublicForumFlyer.jpg

July 2009 --
 
This is an eye-opening report, researched and written by EcoJustice Senior Scientist Dr. Elaine MacDonald and Staff Scientist Liat Prodolsky with assistance from Communications Direction Jode Roberts and Acting Communications Director Kori Brus.  Please click on the above title and it will take you to the EcoJustice site for a pdf download of this document.
 
This comprehensive report determined the volume of untreated or undertreated sewage discharged from all sewage treatment facilities in Ontario.   Notice that Sudbury had the 3rd highest reported volume of discharge in all of Ontario -- almost as high as Toronto.  Please note that Sudbury sewage treatment facilities discharge directly into Mud, Kelly and Simon Lakes.
  1. Hamilton -- over 5 billion litres
  2. Toronto -- 2.7 billion
  3. Sudbury/Greater Sudbury -- 2.6 billion
  4. London -- 1.8 billion
  5. Leamington -- 1 billion


1 July 2009 -- Sudbury Star
 
Click on title above to view article.



28 July 2009
Letter from Lesley Flowers to Mayor John Rodgriguez

Click here to download Flower letter.

WASTEWATER ISSUES
by Nick Benkovich, Director, Water & Wastewater Services & Alastair Cook, Compliance Supervisor 
Slideshow presentation can be downloaded -- see below: 

Click here to download City Slideshow Presentation

Feature Logo Submission for November.
LogoSub2-Web1.jpg
by Student at Lively District Secondary School

Learn How You Can Make A Difference!!!

 Simon Lake Community Stewardship Group,
Box 511, Naughton, Ontario, P0M 2M0, Canada

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