- PROVINCE NEEDS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT SEWAGE TREATMENT COSTS (Wheaton, attached)
- THANKS TO TIM FOR ORGANIZING WEDNESDAY VICTORIA MAYOR PRESENTATION!
- FORMER MAYOR (POLLEN) CITIES PREFERENCE (BROWN) IN VICTORIA CAMPAIGN
- CRD BOARD APPROVES LANDFILL COVER TO IMPROVE LEACHATE (THUS SEWAGE) QUALITY
- MUNICIPAL ELECTION: POLITICAL AGENDA OF BARB DESJARDINS (1 sewage mention)
- ESQUIMALT CANDIDATES SEWAGE COMMENTS
- MUNICIPAL ELECTION: COMMENTS FROM VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (1 sewage mention)
- EVEN THE CLEANEST WASTEWATER CONTRIBUTES TO MORE 'SUPER BACTERIA', STUDY FINDS
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PROVINCE NEEDS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT SEWAGE TREATMENT COSTS (Wheaton, attached)
See attached image of Bob's Letter in Saanich News, 16 November.
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ARESST: We recall that ex-Victoria Mayor Peter Pollen was signatory #76 on our Open Letter, "What do ordinary Victorians think of this issue?", published in Times Colonist, 1 November, 2007: http://aresst.ca/info/
FORMER MAYOR (POLLEN) CITIES PREFERENCE (BROWN) IN VICTORIA CAMPAIGN
Frank Stanford
CFAX 1070
November 15 2011
Long time Victoria Mayor Peter Pollen has endorsed Paul Brown for the office.
Pollen says civic finances are "out of control" and "debt is mounting"
under the current administration...and "the current council's answer to
these challenges is to hide behind newly hired pr men".
http://www.cfax1070.com/index.
FORMER MAYOR (POLLEN) CITIES PREFERENCE (BROWN) IN VICTORIA CAMPAIGN
Frank Stanford
CFAX 1070
November 15 2011
Long time Victoria Mayor Peter Pollen has endorsed Paul Brown for the office.
Pollen says civic finances are "out of control" and "debt is mounting"
under the current administration...and "the current council's answer to
these challenges is to hide behind newly hired pr men".
http://www.cfax1070.com/index.
------------------------------
THANKS TO TIM FOR ORGANIZING WEDNESDAY VICTORIA MAYOR PRESENTATION!
Tim Davis did a great job of bringing together the City of Victoria mayoral contenders Paul Brown and Steve Filipovic, in a relaxing atmosphere at the Cook village Serious Coffee shop - got some good video of the event from Jesse who is now putting together the bits to upload. And thanks to ARESSTers Don Mansour and Bill Wolferstan for being there too! Just a coincidence that first video segment uploaded features Newcomb's Sewage Plant Rant!
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CRD BOARD APPROVES LANDFILL COVER TO IMPROVE LEACHATE (THUS SEWAGE) QUALITY
Minutes of CRD Board 9 November, approving the huge plastic cover that will divert rainwater from entering the landfill and thereby improve quality of leachate piped into CRD sewage system. Costs $300K, but is one more way that the current system is improving.
MOVED by Director Derman, SECONDED by Director Blackwell,
1) That Contract 11-1716, Hartland Landfill Aggregate Stockpile and West Face
Cover Surface Water Diversion, be awarded to Quantum Murray LP in the
amount of $303,293.76, including HST; and
2) That funding come from Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 3518 in the amount of
$303,293.76.
CARRIED
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MUNICIPAL ELECTION: POLITICAL AGENDA OF BARB DESJARDINS (1 sewage mention)
Erin McCracken
Victoria News
November 16, 2011 5:38 PM
Though Esquimalt residents won’t see the names of mayoral candidates on their election ballots tomorrow (Nov. 19), that doesn’t mean their mayor is taking her acclamation for granted.
Barb Desjardins’ to-do list for her second mayoral term includes advocating for a new sewage treatment plan, developing municipal square and spurring economic growth.
Resolving the police issue is also a priority, she said.
READ MORE AT: http://www.vicnews.com/
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ESQUIMALT CANDIDATES SEWAGE COMMENTS
Mayor Desjardins (acclaimed mayor):
CRD is another avenue where shared services, consolidation can occur, however the governance in my view does not provide small communities abilities to influence decisions when they have concerns and the greatest example of the is the current plan for sewage treatment.
I will continue to advocate for a better sewage treatment solution for the region. CRD has been very quiet during this election and I anticipate this will change in the New Year. The current plan of McLoughlin Point and Hartland landfill sites is the wrong plan. The current plan for sewage treatment for the core is the wrong plan.
It was a hasty decision made at CRD board when faced by the threat of losing the Provincial and federal funding. This was done in June of 2010. We still do not have the funding.
The province has mandated treatment and the federal government has mandated treatment. They must change this to allow us to continue with the current system. This does not appear likely from all discussions I have had with government beaurocrats and politicians.
The best plan is low/no risk, low/no cost to the taxpayer and a fully integrated system of management for both liquid and solid wastes. Waste to energy is the way forward. Scientists are concerned about the addition of liquid waste treatment on land and its impact, they should be concerned about the solid waste impacts as well and the benefit of changing waste to a reusable resource. That is the position I work toward at CRD and will continue to advocate for.
Councillor candidates:
Lynda Hundleby:
- I believe that the science does not support land-based sewage treatment nor the costs and green house gases associated with its construction.
- That being said, the political agenda continues to request or mandate sewage treatment for the region and no exemption has been asked of the Federal Government.
- Given that a federal exemption is not on the horizon, we have to maintain our lobbying of CRD.
- A socioeconomic review (triple bottom line) for the options have not been done and Council with my support should continue to demand this, as well as the highest mitigation possible and amenity bonuses, if facilities must be built near residential properties.
Meagan Brame:
The current CRD Model used for amalgamation of some of our services offers Esquimalt little choice or say in the decisions brought forward – look at Sewage Treatment for a recent example. What will you do to help ensure the right Sewage Treatment plan is in place for Greater Victoria?
I firmly believe the CRD is going down the wrong path with its current plan; proving to be an expensive project that is being pushed through by the CRD without enough thought and due process.
We have been mandated to follow through with secondary sewage treatment and if this is to be the plan, than we need to make sure that it is done with the best technology available and one that is sustainable.
Integrated resource management is the only way to move forward with this or taxpayers will struggle with the debt it will impose. We need a system that is both forward in thinking and financially sound. It is better to wait and do it right than rush and follow the wrong plan.
Integrated Resource Management is not new technology and it is technology that could keep this project from becoming a total boondoggle. Wouldn’t it be nice to make money instead of paying more in taxes?
We need to continue to be vocal and work with the other communities that have the same thoughts and feelings on this as ourselves. We are not a lone but we need to keep talking about it and bringing the research forward. We cannot give up but keep pushing forward.
Major projects come with major price tags. Big projects, such as sewage, need to be supported by all levels of government.
Sandra Dixon:
I sat down one day and looked up sewer systems in Hawaii, New Zealand , Australia just to see what they did. I am reading the formation people have sent me about other sewer systems. I would need to talk and listen to more people, find out the cost etc. I like the idea that condos put in their own sewer systems.
David Hodgins:
Sewage Treatment seems to continue to be a high priority for the Provincial government and CRD. A number of respected oceanographers and medical experts state the current plan may do more harm than good. Federal and Provincial governments both require proper communications and community involvement in large projects. CRD continues on with the project without incorporating this expert input and without meeting with Esquimalt and other communities. What will you do to help ensure the right Sewage Treatment plan is in place for Greater Victoria?
The plan that is currently being endorsed by the CRD, the province and the federal government for sewage treatment in the region is the wrong plan for our community. Do we really want to flush $1 Billion down the proverbial sewer? The Association for Responsible Environmentally Sustainable Sewage Treatment tells us that good money will be wasted on inappropriate solutions to non-existent problems. The evidence-based research is telling us that land-based sewage treatment will have a worse effect on the environment.
There has not been an environmental study that says sewage treatment will improve the environment. I am very concerned that the current proposed plan will actually make things worse. We must convince the CRD, the province and the federal government to put on the brakes. They need to revisit this critically important issue before we make a huge mistake. We need a comprehensive environmental study completed before any action is taken.
To convince the CRD and the senior levels of government to reconsider their misguided approach requires a comprehensive strategic plan and communication strategy. We need to bring the experts and the public to the table through a series of public forums designed to educate the decision makers about the right and responsible approach to sewage treatment and environmental protection.
It’s not good enough to simply say that the wrong plan is being proposed. We must, through more inclusive and comprehensive evidence-based research, education and communication, provide an acceptable option and alternative.
We cannot give up.
Bob McKie:
The right sewage treatment plant in greater Victoria will happen when the CRD listens to the people of Esquimalt and Victoria . When we say there is no land big enough in our municipality to construct a sizeable plant to handle all greater Victoria ‘s sewage for now and in the future . We do not need toxic sludge being trucked through our streets while children are playing on them.
Tim Morrison:
Leading scientific experts have been very critical of the CRD’s sewage plan.
Esquimalt’s economic future directly depends on ensuring we stop the CRD’s short-sighted plan to locate sewage treatment on prime waterfront land at McLoughlin Point. The CRD plan is more about taxpayer waste than sewage waste.
This sewage plant project is a billion-dollar boondoggle that does little to help our environment, but does much to hurt the image of our attractive seaside community.
We need to stop the CRD from destroying our community and to stop their irresponsible waste of the entire region’s tax dollars.
I commit to helping to expand better awareness and opposition across the entire CRD region.
David Schinbein:
First let me say this; from my observation the question that needs to be answered is which science we follow that will provide the required result at a price that can be managed without undue tax burdens.
I don’t think that question has been answered to everyone’s satisfaction. It could be that we need to work on the storm water system first. The true question still remains and that is the cost.
No matter which is the agreed upon outcome, funding becomes the issue. I believe that we need a slow steady approach to the issue and finance over a longer period of time.
Josh Steffler:
NO REPLY. However, Steffler has made sewage treatment comments in other media:
Sewage treatment plant...again can we afford it? Do the people want it? Is the science fact or political agenda? Do we need to move to secondary treatment?
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MUNICIPAL ELECTION: COMMENTS FROM VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (1 sewage mention)
Victoria News
November 16, 2011
Only sewage mention is by Philippe Lucas:
At the CRD, I was the only director to vote to keep our upcoming sewage treatment project 100 per cent public.
READ MORE AT: http://www.vicnews.com/
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EVEN THE CLEANEST WASTEWATER CONTRIBUTES TO MORE 'SUPER BACTERIA', STUDY FINDS
ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2011)
— A new University of Minnesota study reveals that treated municipal wastewater -- even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology -- can result in significant quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbacteria," in surface waters.
The study also suggests that standard wastewater treatment technologies probably release far greater quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes used by bacteria, but this likely goes unnoticed because background levels of bacteria are normally much higher than in the water studied in this research.
The new study is led by civil engineering associate professor Timothy LaPara in the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering. The study is published in the most recent issue of Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society. The research was part of a unique class project in a graduate-level civil engineering class at the University of Minnesota focused on environmental microbiology.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2011)
— A new University of Minnesota study reveals that treated municipal wastewater -- even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology -- can result in significant quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbacteria," in surface waters.
The study also suggests that standard wastewater treatment technologies probably release far greater quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes used by bacteria, but this likely goes unnoticed because background levels of bacteria are normally much higher than in the water studied in this research.
The new study is led by civil engineering associate professor Timothy LaPara in the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering. The study is published in the most recent issue of Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society. The research was part of a unique class project in a graduate-level civil engineering class at the University of Minnesota focused on environmental microbiology.
Antibiotics are used to treat numerous bacterial infections, but the ever-increasing presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has raised substantial concern about the future effectiveness of antibiotics. In response, there has been increasing focus on environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance over the past several years. Antibiotic use in agriculture has been heavily scrutinized, while the role of treated municipal wastewater has received little attention as a reservoir of resistance.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop in the gastrointestinal tracts of people taking antibiotics. These bacteria are then shed during defecation, which is collected by the existing sewer infrastructure and passed through a municipal wastewater treatment facility.
In this study, the Ph.D. students and professor examined the impact of municipal wastewater in Duluth, Minn., on pristine surface waters by gathering water samples from the St. Louis River, Duluth-Superior Harbor, and Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. The treatment facility in Duluth is considered one of the best. After solids and biological matter are removed, the Duluth wastewater treatment is one of only a few in the country that filter water a third time through a mixed media filter to remove additional particles of bacteria and nutrients. Standard wastewater treatment treats water twice to remove solids and biological matter.
"This was a unique and ideal location for this study because of the exemplary wastewater treatment mixed with surprisingly pristine surface waters with very low background levels of bacteria that wouldn't mask our results," LaPara said. "Previous studies in which treated municipal wastewater was implicated as a source of antibiotic resistance were more convoluted because multiple sources of antibiotic resistance genes existed, such as agricultural activity and industrial wastewater discharges."
While the levels of overall bacteria were still relatively low in the surface water samples, researchers in the University of Minnesota study found that the quantities of antibiotic-resistant genes and human-specific bacteria were typically 20-fold higher at the site where treated wastewater was released into the Duluth-Superior Harbor compared to nearby surface water samples.
"Current wastewater treatment removes a very large fraction of the antibiotic resistance genes," LaPara said. "But this study shows that wastewater treatment operations need to be carefully considered and more fully studied as an important factor in the global ecology of antibiotic resistance."
In addition to LaPara, researchers involved in the study include civil engineering Ph.D. students Tucker Burch, Patrick McNamara, David Tan; and bioproducts and biosystems engineering Ph.D. student Mi Yan, with help from soil, water and climate Ph.D. student Jessica Eichmiller.
The University of Minnesota research study was funded by the National Science Foundation's broader impacts effort, which combines research and education. The Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund paid for time on the R/V Blue Heron ship to collect water samples.
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END.
