Tuesday, January 26, 2010
City [Windsor] cleans up act as Detroit spews sewage
It was of interest that I read Dave Battagello's article in the Windsor Star (January 20, 2010) about the woes of Detroit's 80 billion gallons of excess sewage and other hazardous materials being dumped into the rivers and lakes bordering both cities. It would appear that as Windsorites we can now take that high road with regards to finger pointing as to the primary culprit (Detroit) for the sewage issues downriver and in Lake Erie. It was not that long ago that Windsor was the third largest polluter of sewage (in the province). The two current Windsor projects will eliminate 90% of the sewage overflow when completed, yet I do not think it is necessary to look across to our neighbours and ask "when will you fix your portion of our mutual problem". Windsor allocated the monies for the upgrades when the city coffers were abundant. Today, Detroit is in virtual bankruptcy; little chance for the city (or state) to allocate 2 billion dollars for the necessary upgrades. Windsor's foresight (luck?) in allocating funds when they (and the provence) did is not something to crow about. It is unlikely that the same funds would have been allocated today; our coffers are not abundant. The issue needs resolution, but it is not the City of Detroit's highest priority. In fact, I would be astonished to see the upgrades on any Detroit capital budget anytime over the next 10 to 15 years. Environment versus jobs - no contest in today's economy.
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Here is an article from the Detroit Free Press posted on January 19, 2010
ReplyDeleteAging sewage systems breed record bacteria in our waters:
Human waste taints rivers, lakes, streams
Metro Detroit's outdated sewage systems regularly violate the law by dumping raw and partially treated human waste into rivers, streams and lakes that provide recreation and drinking water to more than 3 million people, a Free Press analysis of state records found. In the last two years, sewer systems in more than three dozen communities dumped a combined 80 billion gallons of raw and partially treated human waste into waterways. The waste is causing record levels of bacteria in the water, forcing bans on fishing, swimming and kayaking in popular spots such as Lake St. Clair and the Clinton and Rouge rivers. "We still treat the Great Lakes and their tributaries as open sewers," said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council. "It's a judgment we make as a society and government. What is the cost we are willing to pay to address this problem?" Adding to the problem: Cash-strapped communities don't have the resources or the will to spend up to hundreds of millions of dollars to update their systems. Sewage systems break law often during a downpour last April, storm water and sewage overwhelmed treatment plants and retention basins in 17 metro Detroit communities. Workers switched off intake valves, unleashing more than 3.2 billion gallons of raw and partially treated human and industrial waste into popular recreation spots that also provide drinking water to more than 3 million people.
It was hardly a major rain -- an average of 1.2 inches fell. But it was a sign of the times.
Outdated and overwhelmed, sewage systems across metro Detroit regularly violate the Clean Water Act by dumping raw and partially treated human waste and other pollutants into waterways, a Free Press analysis shows. During rainy weather, many sewer systems in metro Detroit lack the capacity to treat all of the water. The excess is funneled into overflow pipes that dump human waste and disease-causing bacteria into waterways. As little as a 1/4-inch of rain can trigger a discharge of millions of gallons of raw sewage.