October 14, 2012


REPORTS ON ARESST ACTIONS:

VIDEO CLIP: MAYORS FLUSH OUT SEWAGE COST-SHARING DEBATE (ARESSTERS INTERVIEWED)
VIDEO: CRD CORE LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, 10 OCTOBER 2012, PART 1 (ARESSTERS PRESENTATIONS)
LETTER: SEWAGE PROJECT LATEST CAMPBELL LEGACY FIASCO (WHEATON)

CRD-RELATED SEWAGE NEWS:

LETTER: FLUSHING OUR SEWAGE IS FAR FROM AN IDEAL SITUATION (AHLGREN)
LETTER: EXPERT PANEL SHOULD OVERSEE SEWAGE PROJECT (FERRI)
CRD LOOKING FOR RESIDENTS' PARTICIPATION FOR WATER - SO WHY NOT FOR SEWAGE??

GENERAL SEWAGE-RELATED NEWS:
TALK: "MARINE DEBRIS AND POLLUTION ON VANCOUVER ISLAND BEACHES, 23 OCT (AWMA hosts Surfrider Foundation speaker)
CHANGES WASH OVER THE SALISH SEA (NO MENTION OF SEWAGE OR STORM WATER)

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REPORTS ON ARESST ACTIONS:

VIDEO CLIP: MAYORS FLUSH OUT SEWAGE COST-SHARING DEBATE

At 00:39 seconds, reporter says "...land-based sewage treatment facility", suggesting she might be aware that our present system is a marine-based sewage treatment facility? However, one issue of costs is that it won't be just home-owners stuck with the bill, but also anybody who rents a toilet too (especially of concern for low-income seniors and students)

Most importantly, at 1:00 minutes, sound-bites start, with Vic Derman, Shaun Peck, John Bergbusch.


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VIDEO: CRD CORE LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, 10 OCTOBER 2012, PART 1 (PECK & ATWELL)

- ARESSTer DR SHAUN PECK SPEAKS AT 08:55 MINUTES
- ARESSTer RICHARD ATWELL SPEAKS AT 17:35 MINUTES

Note also our two yellow-tshirted STOPABADPLANers sitting in audience, including ARESST Board member Karen James.

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PECK PRESENTS

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ATWELL PRESENTS

Following the presentations, also an interesting discussion of the sewage plant costs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oylMGsvewyg#t%3D1028s

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LETTER: SEWAGE PROJECT LATEST CAMPBELL LEGACY FIASCO (WHEATON)

Victoria News, Saanich News, Oak Bay News, Goldstream Gazette
October 12, 2012 9:00 AM
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER TO VICTORIA NEWSSAANICH NEWSGOLDSTREAM GAZETTE

Should anyone be surprised that the B.C. Appeal Court has thrown out the ludicrous third-party advertising law that Gordon Campbell crafted?

It joins the turfing-out of his drinking-driving curbside justice fiasco, his shredding of the teachers’ contracts and several others.

And they join his brilliant policies like the carbon tax and the phony $100 rebate that came with it, his compulsory balanced-budget legislation, the payment of $5 million in legal fees for the defendants who pleaded guilty in the B.C. Rail scandal, his fixed election dates, $600-million roof for B.C. Place, his closing of Tourism B.C., open cabinet meetings and dozens of equally bizarre decisions that he and his cabinet colleagues decided were so appropriate.

Perhaps people will now understand how much thought went into the Campbell/Penner orders that we should spend $1 billion treating sewage effluent that is already – almost perfectly –  being treated in the ocean off our southern shores.

Too bad he also eliminated the requirement for a referendum, or for any environmental/economic/social impact study, because neither would pass.

When will some of our elected officials summon up the courage to start telling the truth and stop this project?

Or, is the stampede of the politically correct lemmings irreversible?

Bob Wheaton
Saanich


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CRD-RELATED SEWAGE NEWS:

LETTER: FLUSHING OUR SEWAGE IS FAR FROM AN IDEAL SITUATION (AHLGREN)
 
Victoria News, Saanich News, Oak Bay News, Goldstream Gazette
October 11, 2012, 11:24am
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER TO VICTORIA NEWSSAANICH NEWSGOLDSTREAM GAZETTE

I heard former environment minister David Anderson say recently that dumping Victoria’s sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca was “as effective as artificial land-based sewage treatment.”

How can any intelligent human believe such a statement? According to Capital Regional District numbers, outfalls at Clover Point and Macaulay Point handle the effluent from 330,000 people daily, many of whom use personal-care products, laundry products, medicines and more, all contributing to a chemical stew being discharged into the local environment.

Stores throughout the region sell over-the-counter medicines, household cleansers, mouthwashes, hair dyes, bleaches and similar products every day.

Additionally, many area residents use prescription drugs, virtually all of which pass through their bodies and are excreted into the waste stream.

Anyone can read the warning labels on any of these products, and understand they pose a threat to the environment if not handled carefully. Even toothpaste is toxic, with labels warning users not to ingest the product. But almost all of the areas’ 330,000 residents flush this down the drains, every day.

Anderson and the Association for Responsible, Ethical and Sustainable Sewage Treatment say “source control” is their answer to the concerns about these chemical contaminants.

Does he really think Victoria’s residents will stop washing their clothes, cleaning their houses, or stop taking their medicines?

Many scientific studies have been done that show these chemicals are damaging the worlds’ environment.

Anderson says the conditions of the Strait of Juan de Fuca are somehow “different,” yet virtually all communities along the Strait currently have sewage treatment, except Victoria.

Even little communities like Sooke, Sidney, Salt Spring Island, Friday Harbour, Port Townsend and Sequim have sewage treatment.

If these communities all have funded and built sewage treatment, why can’t affluent Victoria, the Provincial Capital? Anderson tells the public an “exemption” is possible. With virtually every other nearby community already treating its sewage, what will Victoria state as its “special” circumstances, warranting its ability to continue to pollute the areas’ environment all others are spending so much to clean up?

Modern sewage treatment facilities remove 98 per cent of the chemicals of concern. Screening raw sewage before dumping it into the environment removes none of them.

It is sad to see Anderson and others deceive the public in their efforts to achieve their political goals.

Tyler Ahlgren
Victoria


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LETTER: EXPERT PANEL SHOULD OVERSEE SEWAGE PROJECT (FERRI)
 
Filippo Ferri
Times Colonist
October 14, 2012

Re: "Region takes on province over sewage," Oct. 11.

I support the provincial and federal governments in their insistence on having an independent panel of experts on sewage treatment to oversee construction and finance of the project before money is transferred.

Over the last few years I have watched the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee spend more than $22 million on studies and advice of sewage experts, only to ignore important information and make decisions that have given us a sewage-treatment plan that will not take us into the future and is fraught with technical challenges.

A previous expert panel strongly recommended against the McLoughlin Point site, indicating that it was far too small to accommodate the secondary treatment plant, let alone the digestion facility. Now we have to build a facility in a small area that poses construction challenges (cost overruns to be shouldered by taxpayers). This non-expert plan also calls for the piping of concentrated sludge 17 kilometres along a force main up to the Hartland landfill.

It is not surprising that the provincial and federal governments, after seeing these and other questionable decisions, decided to insist on having experts take control of the process.

Filippo Ferri
Esquimalt


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CRD LOOKING FOR RESIDENTS' PARTICIPATION FOR WATER - SO WHY NOT FOR SEWAGE??

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TALK: "MARINE DEBRIS AND POLLUTION ON VANCOUVER ISLAND BEACHES, 23 OCT (AWMA hosts Surfrider Foundation speaker)

You are invited to the upcoming A&WMA Vancouver Island Chapter's Technical Luncheon Presentation:
 
Marine Debris and Pollution on Vancouver Island Beaches
 
When: Tuesday, October 23, 2012.  Doors open 11:40 AM; Lunch at 12:00 sharp; Technical Presentation: 12:30; Adjourn: 1:00
Where: Bard and Banker Scottish Pub - Sam McGee Room, 1022 Government Street (at Fort St.), Victoria, BC
Who: Lucas Harris, Chairperson, Surfrider Foundation, Vancouver Island Chapter
 
Presentation:
Marine debris and pollution on local beaches isn’t new. Many of us are used to visiting the beach and encountering some form of marine debris or litter. But what if pollution on our beaches could be avoided, now and in the future? Using a strong shoreline survey method at local beach cleanups, Surfrider Vancouver Island is gathering valuable data on the nature of marine debris on Vancouver Island. Lucas will discuss pollution and marine debris, the chapters beach cleanup campaign and how Surfrider is using this data to try and find ways to reduce pollution that finds its way to our beaches.
 
Lucas Harris is the chairperson of the Vancouver Island chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Outside of Surfrider, Lucas works for the Provincial Government and is also an avid surfer.
 
Please RSVP by email to Eric at AWMAinformation@gmail.com by 3 P.M on the Monday before the luncheon specifying which one of the following meals you prefer:
1. Montreal smoked meat sandwich with melted Jarlsberg cheese and sauerkraut on grilled baguette, topped with gherkins with house green salad.
2. Vegetarian: Thin-crust pizza with creamed onion & roasted garlic puree, sautéed wild mushrooms, goat cheese, chives & truffle oil. 
Coffee & Tea included.  Lunch will be served promptly at noon.
Your email confirms your registration for the luncheon.  Please pay at the door.  Cash or cheque only please.
$15 – paid up A&WMA members (International)
$25 – non-members
$10 – students.
 
Luncheon Cancellation Policy
Cancellations will be accepted by email at no charge up until 3:00 P.M on the Monday prior to the luncheon.   Regrettably, cancellations made after this time are subject to a $25 service charge, as the Chapter is billed regardless of late cancellations.  This will be invoiced.
 
Complete information at http://www.pnwis.org/vancouverisland/
 
Eric Taylor, Air Quality Meteorologist
BC Ministry of Environment, Victoria, BC

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CHANGES WASH OVER THE SALISH SEA (NO MENTION OF SEWAGE OR STORM WATER)
 
Judith Lavoie
Times Colonist
October 14, 2012

Gulls screech down to a hard landing beside the boat, empty coves beckon, seals flop lazily over the rocks and ancient Douglas firs, growing on a maze of small Gulf Islands, are reflected in the water.

But look in the other direction and a massive tanker is ploughing a determined route towards the U.S, crab fishermen are pulling up their traps, a B.C. ferry is chugging along on its regular run towards the mainland and someone has erected a monstrous concrete-block wall beside a beach.

It's all part of a day in the life of the Salish Sea, where awe-inspiring scenery makes it easy to forget that seven million people - three million Canadians and four million Americans - live around the edges and many make their living from the ocean or rely on it for recreation.

The fragile ecosystem where the nutrient-rich water from the Fraser River mixes with the ocean is facing climate change, development, industrial projects and the possibility of many more tankers if Kinder Morgan twins its pipeline into Burnaby and a proposed coal terminal in Cherry Point, Washington, gets the go-ahead.

Even love can hurt. Each year, there are more boats, jetskis and campers who believe a small fire won't be a problem.

As cash-strapped governments become less involved, it's up to individuals to put aside polarized views and ensure everyday actions help protect the unique ecosystem, says Angus Matthews, executive director of the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

"If we want this Marine Conservation Area to be all it can be, the community needs to be involved," he said.

"The focus has to be on best practices. We can make it better than government can."

Even on the contentious question of tankers, there has to be give and take, Matthews said.

"We have to accept a certain degree of economic development - Canadians have to decide what they are ready to accept - but I really hope that, if we accept it, we can do it safely," he said. "We have to talk about mitigation."

Part of the Salish Sea is in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve - which was expanded this week - and a larger area is being studied by the federal government as the proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area.

One major difference is that a marine conservation area acknowledges that all activities will continue while protection is a primary concern in parks.

"Under the Parks Act, everything is prohibited except that which is permitted, and in a National Marine Conservation Area, everything is permitted except that which is prohibited. That's a very significant point," Matthews said.

Mining, oil and gas exploration and "exploitation" are the only activities specifically prohibited in a national marine conservation area.

Branding of the area with the Salish Sea name has been a vital step forward, said writer Bruce Obee, whose passion for the area takes him out in his five-metre rowboat for days at a time.

"People can relate it to the entire ecosystem. They can now understand the issues," said Obee, who has written numerous books on the ecology, birds and animals of the area.

Todd Golumbia, another acknowledged Salish Sea expert, pulls up near Sidney Spit in his Parks Canada Zodiac, and his news supports Matthews' concern that government oversight is shrinking: The Parks ecologist, who has spent 10 years in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, accumulating a wealth of knowledge, has only one more month on the job as Parks Canada cuts positions.

"I'm just wrapping things up," said Golumbia, who plans to stay in the area as a consultant.

The Gulf Islands National Park reserve is losing seven positions and another 10 will have shorter seasons. The Parks Canada budget was cut by $29.2 million earlier this year and 638 jobs are being cut across the country. The work will continue, but there will be changes, Golumbia said.

"I think there's a huge opportunity in trying to establish relationships with various communities," he said.

"There's a lot of brainpower in the small communities on the Gulf Islands."

Much of the challenge is changing thinking, so the impact on the environment is minimized without banning activities, Golumbia said.

That can range from not letting dogs run along fragile dune ecosystems, where they disturb shorebirds, to not pouring toxic substances down the sink or sharing docks instead of pile-driving yet more posts into the ocean because everyone wants their own.

There are signs of hope, Golumbia said. "There is a changing culture that you can go to a place and just experience it. You don't have to go and catch a fish or shoot a deer or pick up a shell," he said.

Changes in the Salish Sea are apparent within the last decade, and underline the domino effect as populations shift - especially when there is human interference.

Humpback whales are returning after decades of being hunted to the brink of extinction and bald eagle populations have rebounded with the banning of the pesticide DDT.

"And we have a high density of harbour seals now. Their numbers were down to less than 10,000 on the whole coast because they were shot as predators to fish and that threw the whole system into turmoil," Golumbia said.

Now many fishermen believe there are not enough fish to support the seals, but nature, again, has a solution.

"The transients [marine-mammal-eating killer whales] are showing up and feeding on lazy harbour seals," Golumbia said.

That means some whale-watchers are now being treated to scenes of bloody carnage.

"It's not all pretty pictures, but it's great that people see the resilience of nature," Golumbia said.

WHAT IS THE SALISH SEA?

? The Salish Sea is the name given to the area that encompasses the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound. The name, recognizing the area as a single marine ecosystem, was officially adopted in February 2010 after approval was given by B.C., Canada, Washington state and the U.S. federal government.

-The watershed takes in 110,000 square kilometres.

-The sea surface covers 16,924 square kilometres.

-The Salish Sea is dotted with 419 islands.

-The coastline stretches over 7,470 kilometres.

-Maximum depth, in Jervis Inlet, is 732 metres.

-The highest mountain, at 4,393 metres, is Mount Rainier, Washington.

-The international border between Canada and the U.S, runs through the middle of the Salish Sea.

-Fresh water from the Fraser and other smaller rivers pours nutrients into the ocean, making it one of the richest temperate ocean environments in the world.

-The Salish Sea is home to 20 species of mammals, 128 types of birds, 219 fish species and more than 3,000 invertebrates.

-The human population around the edge of the Salish Sea is approximately seven million.

-The name honours the Coast Salish people - consisting of 55 First Nations in Canada and 23 tribes in the U.S - who have lived in the area for more than 5,000 years.

-A patchwork of land and adjacent marine area within the Salish Sea is protected by the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve that covers 62 square kilometres - 36 square kilometres on land and 26 square kilometres of water.

-The federal government is continuing to consult on the proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, stretching from Gabriola Passage and Saanich Inlet to south of Sidney. If approved, the NMCA will cover about 1,400 square kilometres.



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