Water is Life
- Thread starter Cliffy
- Start date
Australian state to pump oxygen into rivers as fish die due to heatwave
Associated Press
Published:
January 14, 2019
Updated:
January 14, 2019 11:46 PM EST
This screen grab taken from video taken on January 10, 2019 released by the office of New South Wales MP Jeremy Buckingham shows him holding a Murray cod, which was killed during a massive fish kill in Menindee on the Darling River, as local residents Dick Arnold (left) and Rob McBride from Tolarno Station look on. (Getty Images)
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian state government on Tuesday announced plans to mechanically pump oxygen into lakes and rivers after hundreds of thousands of fish have died in heatwave conditions.
Up to a million dead fish were found floating last week in the Darling River in western New South Wales state and the state government announced that 1,800 more rotting fish had since been found in Lake Hume in the state’s south.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said 16 battery-powered aerators had been bought and would be placed in various drought-affected waterways after they are delivered by Wednesday.
“They are a Band-Aid solution; we admit that,” Blair told reporters.
“Nothing will stop this fish kill unless we get proper river flows and water levels in our dams back up to normal. We are doing everything we can to try and limit the damage,” he added.
Experts blame heatwave conditions across much of Australia, drought and algal blooms for starving waterways of oxygen.
Blair rejected some criticisms that governments were allowing irrigators to take too much water from the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s main river system, which winds across four states and is where a third of the nation’s food is produced.
Water experts were meeting in Canberra on Tuesday to decide how the nation should respond to the water quality crisis.
Australian National University water expert Daniel Connell said many more fish would likely die with heatwave conditions forecast to continue until the weekend.
“It’s a very predictable crisis,” Connell said.
Connell said taking water from the system to irrigate had likely contributed to the poor water quality in rivers as well as the drought which is impacting most of New South Wales.
“By massively reducing the amount of water in the system, you produce much hotter water, you produce conditions that are much more conducive to algal blooms,” he said.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/au...xygen-into-rivers-as-fish-die-due-to-heatwave
Associated Press
Published:
January 14, 2019
Updated:
January 14, 2019 11:46 PM EST
This screen grab taken from video taken on January 10, 2019 released by the office of New South Wales MP Jeremy Buckingham shows him holding a Murray cod, which was killed during a massive fish kill in Menindee on the Darling River, as local residents Dick Arnold (left) and Rob McBride from Tolarno Station look on. (Getty Images)
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian state government on Tuesday announced plans to mechanically pump oxygen into lakes and rivers after hundreds of thousands of fish have died in heatwave conditions.
Up to a million dead fish were found floating last week in the Darling River in western New South Wales state and the state government announced that 1,800 more rotting fish had since been found in Lake Hume in the state’s south.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said 16 battery-powered aerators had been bought and would be placed in various drought-affected waterways after they are delivered by Wednesday.
“They are a Band-Aid solution; we admit that,” Blair told reporters.
“Nothing will stop this fish kill unless we get proper river flows and water levels in our dams back up to normal. We are doing everything we can to try and limit the damage,” he added.
Experts blame heatwave conditions across much of Australia, drought and algal blooms for starving waterways of oxygen.
Blair rejected some criticisms that governments were allowing irrigators to take too much water from the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s main river system, which winds across four states and is where a third of the nation’s food is produced.
Water experts were meeting in Canberra on Tuesday to decide how the nation should respond to the water quality crisis.
Australian National University water expert Daniel Connell said many more fish would likely die with heatwave conditions forecast to continue until the weekend.
“It’s a very predictable crisis,” Connell said.
Connell said taking water from the system to irrigate had likely contributed to the poor water quality in rivers as well as the drought which is impacting most of New South Wales.
“By massively reducing the amount of water in the system, you produce much hotter water, you produce conditions that are much more conducive to algal blooms,” he said.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/au...xygen-into-rivers-as-fish-die-due-to-heatwave
Near-record 'dead zone' forecast off U.S. Gulf coast, threatening fish
Reuters
Published:
June 11, 2019
Updated:
June 11, 2019 4:37 PM EDT
A near record-sized “dead zone” of oxygen-starved water could form in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, threatening its huge stocks of marine life, researchers said.
The area could spread over 8,700 square miles (22,500 square km), scientists at Louisiana State University said on Monday – about the size of the state of Massachusetts, and five times the average.
Experts blamed unusually high rainfall across the U.S. Midwest this spring that washed farm fertilizers along streams and rivers through the Mississippi River Basin out into the Gulf.
The nutrients in the fertilizers feed algae that die, decompose and deplete the water of oxygen, the scientists said.
“When the oxygen is below two parts per million, any shrimp, crabs, and fish that can swim away, will swim away,” Louisiana State University ocean ecologist Nancy Rabalais told the National Geographic magazine.
“The animals in the sediment [that can’t swim away] can be close to annihilated.”
According to the scientists, the problem might get even worse if any more significant tropical storms wash out more farm-fed nutrients.
Sewage run off, caused by the spring floods, also add to the problem, National Geographic reported.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a slightly smaller 7,829 square-mile spread. The record was 8,776 square miles set in 2017.
“A major factor contributing to the large dead zone this year is the abnormally high amount of spring rainfall in many parts of the Mississippi River watershed,” the agency said in its annual “dead zone” forecast.
A solution would be to keep fertilizer and sewage run-off from getting into the rivers, NOAA said.
A Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force has been monitoring the problem and has set goals to reduce run-off.
Dead fish, big stink for DC tourists
Thousands of dead fish in Missisquoi Bay
Dead fish litter Regina waterways
http://torontosun.com/news/world/near-record-dead-zone-forecast-off-u-s-gulf-coast-threatening-fish
Reuters
Published:
June 11, 2019
Updated:
June 11, 2019 4:37 PM EDT
A near record-sized “dead zone” of oxygen-starved water could form in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, threatening its huge stocks of marine life, researchers said.
The area could spread over 8,700 square miles (22,500 square km), scientists at Louisiana State University said on Monday – about the size of the state of Massachusetts, and five times the average.
Experts blamed unusually high rainfall across the U.S. Midwest this spring that washed farm fertilizers along streams and rivers through the Mississippi River Basin out into the Gulf.
The nutrients in the fertilizers feed algae that die, decompose and deplete the water of oxygen, the scientists said.
“When the oxygen is below two parts per million, any shrimp, crabs, and fish that can swim away, will swim away,” Louisiana State University ocean ecologist Nancy Rabalais told the National Geographic magazine.
“The animals in the sediment [that can’t swim away] can be close to annihilated.”
According to the scientists, the problem might get even worse if any more significant tropical storms wash out more farm-fed nutrients.
Sewage run off, caused by the spring floods, also add to the problem, National Geographic reported.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a slightly smaller 7,829 square-mile spread. The record was 8,776 square miles set in 2017.
“A major factor contributing to the large dead zone this year is the abnormally high amount of spring rainfall in many parts of the Mississippi River watershed,” the agency said in its annual “dead zone” forecast.
A solution would be to keep fertilizer and sewage run-off from getting into the rivers, NOAA said.
A Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force has been monitoring the problem and has set goals to reduce run-off.
Dead fish, big stink for DC tourists
Thousands of dead fish in Missisquoi Bay
Dead fish litter Regina waterways
'WE'RE SORRY': Husky fined $3.8M for leak into North Saskatchewan River
Canadian Press
Published:
June 12, 2019
Updated:
June 12, 2019 7:10 PM EDT
LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — Husky Energy was fined $3.8 million Wednesday for a pipeline oil leak that fouled a major river, harmed fish and wildlife and tainted the drinking water supply for thousands of people in Saskatchewan.
“We recognize that the spill had a significant impact on communities along the North Saskatchewan River and we’re deeply sorry for that,” Duane Rae, the company’s vice-president of pipelines, said outside court in Lloydminster, Sask.
“We’ve been working hard since that day to try to set things right.”
The spill into the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016 forced the cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes for almost two months.
Calgary-based Husky pleaded guilty to three environmental charges: two under federal migratory birds and fisheries legislation and one under a provincial law for releasing a harmful substance.
The federal Crown withdrew seven other charges.
About 225,000 litres of diluted heavy oil spilled from Husky’s pipeline near Maidstone in west-central Saskatchewan. The company said about 40 per cent made it into the river and more than 90 per cent of the oil was recovered.
Provincial court Judge Lorna Dyck accepted a joint recommendation from lawyers on an amount for the fine.
“This case has been a difficult and a challenging one for a number of reasons,” she said in her decision.
She noted that two alarms had gone off but were not recorded or reported to senior staff.
“Once the leak was discovered, Husky acted quickly and properly,” said the judge. “I believe Husky has learned from this mistake.”
“There’s no doubt it has had a detrimental affect on Husky’s reputation and on the industry as a whole,” said Rae. “We have expended a lot of money on the cleanup — over $140 million.”
A victim impact statement filed by three Indigenous communities in the area said the cleanup wasn’t good enough. Chief Wayne Semaganis spoke on behalf of his Little Pine First Nation and also for the Sweetgrass and Red Pheasant bands.
He said birds, wildlife and fish still suffer the effects of the contamination and the First Nations have lost traditional use of their land.
“We no longer fish in the river. We no longer trap on or near reserve lands. We no longer farm on or near reserve lands,” he said. “We no longer drink water drawn from reserve lands.”
Semaganis said the Indigenous communities remain anxious, fearful and psychologically stressed.
The cities of North Battleford and Prince Albert also filed victim impact statements that were read out by the Crown.
“The impact was dire, ongoing and will cause long-lasting changes to procedures and processes,” said the statement from North Battleford’s city manager James Puffalt.
Prince Albert’s statement said the spill caused significant disruption and stress for residents and had considerable costs.
Spray parks were closed at the peak of the summer holidays. Laundromats were shut down. Car washes couldn’t operate and businesses had to close.
“The city was forced to implement its emergency operations centre,” said the statement.
The city also had to lay temporary lines to two nearby rivers for drinking water.
Saskatchewan prosecutor Matthew Miazga told court there has never been an environmental event as significant in the province.
“Literally tens of thousands of people downstream were impacted.”
Environment Canada investigator Jeff Puetz said staff put their full effort into getting information.
“We did search warrants and gathered tens of thousands of copies of documents from Husky in order to get enough evidence,” he said.
The company said the pipeline buckled and leaked because of ground movement.
The line was allowed to reopen in October 2016 after being repaired and inspected.
Husky CEO Rob Peabody noted in a release that the oil and gas producer has been doing business in the Lloydminster region for more than 70 years.
“We understand that some people think we could have done better. After having such a long and successful history in this region, the event three years ago was a disappointment for all of us.”
He added that the company has made improvements that include an updated leak response protocol, regular geotechnical reviews of pipelines and fibre optic sensing technology.
Group gathers to pray, sing songs in hopes of helping North Saskatchewan River heal
‘I cried for Mother Earth’: Emil Bell quits hunger strike, activists plan new move after…
http://torontosun.com/news/national/husky-pleads-guilty-over-oil-leak-into-north-saskatchewan-river
Canadian Press
Published:
June 12, 2019
Updated:
June 12, 2019 7:10 PM EDT
LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — Husky Energy was fined $3.8 million Wednesday for a pipeline oil leak that fouled a major river, harmed fish and wildlife and tainted the drinking water supply for thousands of people in Saskatchewan.
“We recognize that the spill had a significant impact on communities along the North Saskatchewan River and we’re deeply sorry for that,” Duane Rae, the company’s vice-president of pipelines, said outside court in Lloydminster, Sask.
“We’ve been working hard since that day to try to set things right.”
The spill into the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016 forced the cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes for almost two months.
Calgary-based Husky pleaded guilty to three environmental charges: two under federal migratory birds and fisheries legislation and one under a provincial law for releasing a harmful substance.
The federal Crown withdrew seven other charges.
About 225,000 litres of diluted heavy oil spilled from Husky’s pipeline near Maidstone in west-central Saskatchewan. The company said about 40 per cent made it into the river and more than 90 per cent of the oil was recovered.
Provincial court Judge Lorna Dyck accepted a joint recommendation from lawyers on an amount for the fine.
“This case has been a difficult and a challenging one for a number of reasons,” she said in her decision.
She noted that two alarms had gone off but were not recorded or reported to senior staff.
“Once the leak was discovered, Husky acted quickly and properly,” said the judge. “I believe Husky has learned from this mistake.”
“There’s no doubt it has had a detrimental affect on Husky’s reputation and on the industry as a whole,” said Rae. “We have expended a lot of money on the cleanup — over $140 million.”
A victim impact statement filed by three Indigenous communities in the area said the cleanup wasn’t good enough. Chief Wayne Semaganis spoke on behalf of his Little Pine First Nation and also for the Sweetgrass and Red Pheasant bands.
He said birds, wildlife and fish still suffer the effects of the contamination and the First Nations have lost traditional use of their land.
“We no longer fish in the river. We no longer trap on or near reserve lands. We no longer farm on or near reserve lands,” he said. “We no longer drink water drawn from reserve lands.”
Semaganis said the Indigenous communities remain anxious, fearful and psychologically stressed.
The cities of North Battleford and Prince Albert also filed victim impact statements that were read out by the Crown.
“The impact was dire, ongoing and will cause long-lasting changes to procedures and processes,” said the statement from North Battleford’s city manager James Puffalt.
Prince Albert’s statement said the spill caused significant disruption and stress for residents and had considerable costs.
Spray parks were closed at the peak of the summer holidays. Laundromats were shut down. Car washes couldn’t operate and businesses had to close.
“The city was forced to implement its emergency operations centre,” said the statement.
The city also had to lay temporary lines to two nearby rivers for drinking water.
Saskatchewan prosecutor Matthew Miazga told court there has never been an environmental event as significant in the province.
“Literally tens of thousands of people downstream were impacted.”
Environment Canada investigator Jeff Puetz said staff put their full effort into getting information.
“We did search warrants and gathered tens of thousands of copies of documents from Husky in order to get enough evidence,” he said.
The company said the pipeline buckled and leaked because of ground movement.
The line was allowed to reopen in October 2016 after being repaired and inspected.
Husky CEO Rob Peabody noted in a release that the oil and gas producer has been doing business in the Lloydminster region for more than 70 years.
“We understand that some people think we could have done better. After having such a long and successful history in this region, the event three years ago was a disappointment for all of us.”
He added that the company has made improvements that include an updated leak response protocol, regular geotechnical reviews of pipelines and fibre optic sensing technology.
Group gathers to pray, sing songs in hopes of helping North Saskatchewan River heal
‘I cried for Mother Earth’: Emil Bell quits hunger strike, activists plan new move after…
Are you going to be joining in on the prayer and song to heal the river?
Let my heart sing an old river song
As we journey back where I belong
Where the wind comes to say to the river each day
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
From the wheat fields of my heart
Go find your way to the cool Hudson bay
And Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Oh river go whisper my prayer
Tell Mother and Dad I still care
Leave this tear that I cried on the shore where they lied
And Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
From the wheat fields of my heart
Go find your way to the cool Hudson bay
And Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
From the wheat fields of my heart
Go find your way to the cool Hudson bay
And Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Roll on, Roll on Saskatchewan
Boy that took me way back to my school days, pete. It was a favorite with our choir - so evocative and moving. Thank you for the memories. :thumbleft::thumbleft:
Some southern Ontario waterways now as salty as ocean: WWF Canada
Canadian Press
Published:
June 20, 2019
Updated:
June 20, 2019 11:07 AM EDT
A mountain of road salt at the city's Exeter Road operations centre in London, Ont. on December 8, 2016. (Craig Glover/Postmedia Network)
Road salt levels in southern Ontario waterways have hit record highs, making some as salty as the ocean, environmental advocates said Wednesday as they called for measures to mitigate the impact on species and ecosystems.
World Wildlife Fund Canada said its new maps tracking chloride from road salt show levels in many rural and urban southern Ontario waterways are increasing dangerously.
Salt’s chloride component is toxic to freshwater species and ecosystems, compromising habitats for fish, frogs, mussels and other creatures, and endangering their survival during the spring and summer spawning season, the organization said.
“Basically it’s lethal levels of salt we’re seeing,” said Elizabeth Hendriks, WWF Canada’s vice-president of freshwater.
She said healthy levels for aquatic life should be less than 120 milligrams per litre, but the maps show some areas in southern Ontario currently have levels greater than 1000 milligrams per litre.
Hendriks said a few years ago, people found a blue crab in Cooksville Creek in Mississauga, Ont., and couldn’t explain how it got there.
“Blue crab is an ocean crab but it was thriving a freshwater stream. So how do we begin to reverse that trend?” she said.
The maps released Wednesday are based on provincial data collected during the summer months and allow researchers to compare chloride levels going back roughly a decade, according to WWF Canada. The most recent numbers date back to 2016.
More than seven million tonnes of road salt are used in Canada each winter by public road agencies, while use by small towns and private sector companies is not currently tracked in Ontario, the organization said.
The federal government has released standards on the use of road salt but those are not the same as regulations, Hendriks said. The Ontario government, meanwhile, has listed salt contamination as a major issue in its environmental plan, she said.
It’s important to work with the private and commercial organizations as well to get them to reduce their salt use, she said.
Residents, too, are overestimating how much salt is needed, Hendriks said, adding it only takes the equivalent of a small pill bottle to melt ice from a city sidewalk slab.
“People just don’t often connect that what we do on the land, especially in winter when we’re not thinking about our lakes and streams as much … (with how it) impacts our lakes and streams,” she said.
“That salt doesn’t disappear come spring, it just flows into our lakes and rivers.”
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...io-waterways-now-as-salty-as-ocean-wwf-canada
Canadian Press
Published:
June 20, 2019
Updated:
June 20, 2019 11:07 AM EDT
A mountain of road salt at the city's Exeter Road operations centre in London, Ont. on December 8, 2016. (Craig Glover/Postmedia Network)
Road salt levels in southern Ontario waterways have hit record highs, making some as salty as the ocean, environmental advocates said Wednesday as they called for measures to mitigate the impact on species and ecosystems.
World Wildlife Fund Canada said its new maps tracking chloride from road salt show levels in many rural and urban southern Ontario waterways are increasing dangerously.
Salt’s chloride component is toxic to freshwater species and ecosystems, compromising habitats for fish, frogs, mussels and other creatures, and endangering their survival during the spring and summer spawning season, the organization said.
“Basically it’s lethal levels of salt we’re seeing,” said Elizabeth Hendriks, WWF Canada’s vice-president of freshwater.
She said healthy levels for aquatic life should be less than 120 milligrams per litre, but the maps show some areas in southern Ontario currently have levels greater than 1000 milligrams per litre.
Hendriks said a few years ago, people found a blue crab in Cooksville Creek in Mississauga, Ont., and couldn’t explain how it got there.
“Blue crab is an ocean crab but it was thriving a freshwater stream. So how do we begin to reverse that trend?” she said.
The maps released Wednesday are based on provincial data collected during the summer months and allow researchers to compare chloride levels going back roughly a decade, according to WWF Canada. The most recent numbers date back to 2016.
More than seven million tonnes of road salt are used in Canada each winter by public road agencies, while use by small towns and private sector companies is not currently tracked in Ontario, the organization said.
The federal government has released standards on the use of road salt but those are not the same as regulations, Hendriks said. The Ontario government, meanwhile, has listed salt contamination as a major issue in its environmental plan, she said.
It’s important to work with the private and commercial organizations as well to get them to reduce their salt use, she said.
Residents, too, are overestimating how much salt is needed, Hendriks said, adding it only takes the equivalent of a small pill bottle to melt ice from a city sidewalk slab.
“People just don’t often connect that what we do on the land, especially in winter when we’re not thinking about our lakes and streams as much … (with how it) impacts our lakes and streams,” she said.
“That salt doesn’t disappear come spring, it just flows into our lakes and rivers.”
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...io-waterways-now-as-salty-as-ocean-wwf-canada
Soviet sub that sank off Norway in 1989 still emitting radiation
Reuters
Published:
July 10, 2019
Updated:
July 10, 2019 10:35 AM EDT
The Russian nuclear submarine "Akula" (Shark) prepares to dock at the military port of Murmansk, northern Russia, 23 July 2000.
OSLO — A Soviet nuclear submarine which sank off Norway in 1989 is still emitting radiation, researchers said on Wednesday following an expedition that used a remotely controlled vehicle for the first time.
The wreck of the Komsomolets lies on the bottom of the Norwegian Sea at a depth of about 1,700 meters (5,577 feet).
Authorities have conducted yearly expeditions to monitor radiation levels since the 1990s but this year’s inspection was the first one to use a remotely operated vehicle called Aegir 6000 to film the wreckage and take samples which will be further analyzed.
The scientific mission’s samples show levels of radioactivity at the site up to 800,000 higher than normal, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority said in a statement.
“This is of course a higher level than we would usually measure out at sea but the levels we have found now are not alarming,” said expedition leader Hilde Elise Heldal of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.
Radioactivity levels “thin out” quickly at these depths and there are few fish in the area, she said.
The Komsomolets sank on April 7, 1989, after a fire broke out on board, killing 42 crew.
On July 1, 14 Russian sailors were killed aboard a nuclear submarine operating in the Arctic.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/soviet-sub-that-sank-off-norway-in-1989-still-emitting-radiation
Reuters
Published:
July 10, 2019
Updated:
July 10, 2019 10:35 AM EDT
The Russian nuclear submarine "Akula" (Shark) prepares to dock at the military port of Murmansk, northern Russia, 23 July 2000.
OSLO — A Soviet nuclear submarine which sank off Norway in 1989 is still emitting radiation, researchers said on Wednesday following an expedition that used a remotely controlled vehicle for the first time.
The wreck of the Komsomolets lies on the bottom of the Norwegian Sea at a depth of about 1,700 meters (5,577 feet).
Authorities have conducted yearly expeditions to monitor radiation levels since the 1990s but this year’s inspection was the first one to use a remotely operated vehicle called Aegir 6000 to film the wreckage and take samples which will be further analyzed.
The scientific mission’s samples show levels of radioactivity at the site up to 800,000 higher than normal, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority said in a statement.
“This is of course a higher level than we would usually measure out at sea but the levels we have found now are not alarming,” said expedition leader Hilde Elise Heldal of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.
Radioactivity levels “thin out” quickly at these depths and there are few fish in the area, she said.
The Komsomolets sank on April 7, 1989, after a fire broke out on board, killing 42 crew.
On July 1, 14 Russian sailors were killed aboard a nuclear submarine operating in the Arctic.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/soviet-sub-that-sank-off-norway-in-1989-still-emitting-radiation
Environment minister, wind companies charged over wind projects
Canadian Press
Published:
July 26, 2019
Updated:
July 26, 2019 2:06 PM EDT
Environment Minister Jeff Yurek. (Louis Pin/Postmedia)
Ontario’s environment minister, government staff and three wind companies have been charged with offences under the province’s environmental protection act.
The charges stem from a private prosecution launched by Chatham-Kent resident Christine Burke, who alleges work on several wind projects contaminated her home’s well water, making it unsafe to drink or bathe in.
She alleges that the minister, government officials, and the companies violated the law by for failing to take “reasonable care” to prevent the contamination as several wind farms were installed.
Burke’s lawyer Eric Gilliespie says the prosecution was approved last week by a justice of the peace in a Chatham-Kent court, who found “reasonable and probable grounds” the offences may have been committed.
The allegations have not been tested and the first court date in the case will be Aug. 14. in Blenheim, Ont.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Jeff Yurek says it would be inappropriate to comment because the case is before the courts.
http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/environment-minister-wind-companies-charged-over-wind-projects
Canadian Press
Published:
July 26, 2019
Updated:
July 26, 2019 2:06 PM EDT
Environment Minister Jeff Yurek. (Louis Pin/Postmedia)
Ontario’s environment minister, government staff and three wind companies have been charged with offences under the province’s environmental protection act.
The charges stem from a private prosecution launched by Chatham-Kent resident Christine Burke, who alleges work on several wind projects contaminated her home’s well water, making it unsafe to drink or bathe in.
She alleges that the minister, government officials, and the companies violated the law by for failing to take “reasonable care” to prevent the contamination as several wind farms were installed.
Burke’s lawyer Eric Gilliespie says the prosecution was approved last week by a justice of the peace in a Chatham-Kent court, who found “reasonable and probable grounds” the offences may have been committed.
The allegations have not been tested and the first court date in the case will be Aug. 14. in Blenheim, Ont.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Jeff Yurek says it would be inappropriate to comment because the case is before the courts.
http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/environment-minister-wind-companies-charged-over-wind-projects
Last edited:
Ontario minister, wind companies charged under Environmental Protection Act
Canadian Press
Published:
July 26, 2019
Updated:
July 26, 2019 9:20 PM EDT
Wind turbines produce electricity.Ministry of Energy handout / ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENERGY
Ontario’s environment minister, government staff and three wind companies have been charged with offences under the province’s Environmental Protection Act.
The charges stem from a private prosecution launched last week by Chatham-Kent, resident Christine Burke, who alleges work on several wind projects that began in 2017 contaminated her home’s well water.
Burke alleges that the minister, government officials, and the companies violated the law for failing to take “reasonable care” to prevent the contamination as the wind farms were installed.
“When the pile driving and construction of the wind turbines started on our shallow aquifer our drinking water slowly turned black and is now unsafe to consume, cook with or even bathe in,” she says in court documents. “This issue continues today and we are not the only family affected by this devastation.”
Engie Canada, Pattern Energy Group and Samsung Renewable Energy are all also charged in relation to their work building the East Lake St. Clair Wind Farm and North Kent 1 Wind Farm.
Engie Canada and Samsung Renewable Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for Pattern Energy said that company was not aware of the summons. “We are in the process of gathering additional information related to this matter,” Matt Dallas said in a statement.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Jeff Yurek says it would be inappropriate to comment because the case is before the courts.
Burke’s lawyer, Eric Gillespie, says roughly 80 families have been impacted by the contamination, which he alleges occurred when deposits of black shale in the soil were disturbed during construction of the project.
“When you put up very large wind turbines that are 100 metres high, they require very large foundations,” he said. “Once they started developing these projects it became clear they were interfering with the drinking water supplies for many of the residents.”
Any person in the province can bring a private prosecution by appearing before a justice of the peace and swearing information under oath about an alleged violation of the law.
The justice of the peace must then determine if there are “reasonable and probable grounds” that offences may have been committed, which was the case in this instance, Gillespie said.
“The charge definitely appears to be in the public interest and that would have been the test the court would have applied in deciding to allow it to go ahead,” he added.
If any of the parties are found guilty or plead guilty the penalties can include fines up to $100,000 or a period of jail time.
The allegations have not been tested and the first court date in the case will be Aug. 14. in Blenheim, Ont.
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...es-charged-under-environmental-protection-act
Canadian Press
Published:
July 26, 2019
Updated:
July 26, 2019 9:20 PM EDT
Wind turbines produce electricity.Ministry of Energy handout / ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENERGY
Ontario’s environment minister, government staff and three wind companies have been charged with offences under the province’s Environmental Protection Act.
The charges stem from a private prosecution launched last week by Chatham-Kent, resident Christine Burke, who alleges work on several wind projects that began in 2017 contaminated her home’s well water.
Burke alleges that the minister, government officials, and the companies violated the law for failing to take “reasonable care” to prevent the contamination as the wind farms were installed.
“When the pile driving and construction of the wind turbines started on our shallow aquifer our drinking water slowly turned black and is now unsafe to consume, cook with or even bathe in,” she says in court documents. “This issue continues today and we are not the only family affected by this devastation.”
Engie Canada, Pattern Energy Group and Samsung Renewable Energy are all also charged in relation to their work building the East Lake St. Clair Wind Farm and North Kent 1 Wind Farm.
Engie Canada and Samsung Renewable Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for Pattern Energy said that company was not aware of the summons. “We are in the process of gathering additional information related to this matter,” Matt Dallas said in a statement.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Jeff Yurek says it would be inappropriate to comment because the case is before the courts.
Burke’s lawyer, Eric Gillespie, says roughly 80 families have been impacted by the contamination, which he alleges occurred when deposits of black shale in the soil were disturbed during construction of the project.
“When you put up very large wind turbines that are 100 metres high, they require very large foundations,” he said. “Once they started developing these projects it became clear they were interfering with the drinking water supplies for many of the residents.”
Any person in the province can bring a private prosecution by appearing before a justice of the peace and swearing information under oath about an alleged violation of the law.
The justice of the peace must then determine if there are “reasonable and probable grounds” that offences may have been committed, which was the case in this instance, Gillespie said.
“The charge definitely appears to be in the public interest and that would have been the test the court would have applied in deciding to allow it to go ahead,” he added.
If any of the parties are found guilty or plead guilty the penalties can include fines up to $100,000 or a period of jail time.
The allegations have not been tested and the first court date in the case will be Aug. 14. in Blenheim, Ont.
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...es-charged-under-environmental-protection-act
'PUNCH IN THE GUT': Scientists find micro plastic in 'pristine' Arctic ice
Reuters
Published:
August 14, 2019
Updated:
August 14, 2019 3:35 PM EDT
Dr. Brice Loose drills an ice core in the Canadian Arctic during of an 18-day icebreaker expedition that took place in July and August 2019, in a still image taken from a handout video obtained by REUTERS on August 14, 2019. (Northwest Passage Project/Camera: Duncan Clark via REUTERS)
LONDON — Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a U.S.-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution now poses to marine life in even the remotest waters on the planet.
The researchers used a helicopter to land on ice floes and retrieve the samples during an 18-day icebreaker expedition through the Northwest Passage, the hazardous route linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
“We had spent weeks looking out at what looks so much like pristine white sea ice floating out on the ocean,” said Jacob Strock, a graduate student researcher at the University of Rhode Island, who conducted an initial onboard analysis of the cores.
“When we look at it up close and we see that it’s all very, very visibly contaminated when you look at it with the right tools — it felt a little bit like a punch in the gut,” Strock told Reuters by telephone.
Strock and his colleagues found the material trapped in ice taken from Lancaster Sound, an isolated stretch of water in the Canadian Arctic, which they had assumed might be relatively sheltered from drifting plastic pollution
The team drew 18 ice cores of up to two meters in length from four locations, and saw visible plastic beads and filaments of various shapes and sizes. The scientists said the findings reinforce the observation that micro plastic pollution appears to concentrate in ice relative to seawater.
“The plastic just jumped out in both its abundance and its scale,” said Brice Loose, an oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island and chief scientist of the expedition, known as the Northwest Passage Project.
The scientists’ dismay is reminiscent of the consternation felt by explorers who found plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean’s Marianas Trench, the deepest place on Earth, during submarine dives earlier this year.
The Northwest Passage Project is primarily focused on investigating the impact of manmade climate change on the Arctic, whose role as the planet’s cooling system is being compromised by the rapid vanishing of summer sea ice.
But the plastic fragments — known as micro plastic — also served to highlight how the waste problem has reached epidemic proportions. The United Nations estimates that 100 million tonnes of plastic have been dumped in the oceans to date.
The researchers said the ice they sampled appeared to be at least a year old and had probably drifted into Lancaster Sound from more central regions of the Arctic.
The team plans to subject the plastic they retrieved to further analysis to support a broader research effort to understand the damage plastic is doing to fish, seabirds and large ocean mammals such as whales.
Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation in the United States, the expedition in the Swedish icebreaker The Oden ran from July 18 to Aug. 4 and covered some 2,000 nautical miles.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...sts-find-micro-plastic-in-pristine-arctic-ice
Reuters
Published:
August 14, 2019
Updated:
August 14, 2019 3:35 PM EDT
Dr. Brice Loose drills an ice core in the Canadian Arctic during of an 18-day icebreaker expedition that took place in July and August 2019, in a still image taken from a handout video obtained by REUTERS on August 14, 2019. (Northwest Passage Project/Camera: Duncan Clark via REUTERS)
LONDON — Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a U.S.-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution now poses to marine life in even the remotest waters on the planet.
The researchers used a helicopter to land on ice floes and retrieve the samples during an 18-day icebreaker expedition through the Northwest Passage, the hazardous route linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
“We had spent weeks looking out at what looks so much like pristine white sea ice floating out on the ocean,” said Jacob Strock, a graduate student researcher at the University of Rhode Island, who conducted an initial onboard analysis of the cores.
“When we look at it up close and we see that it’s all very, very visibly contaminated when you look at it with the right tools — it felt a little bit like a punch in the gut,” Strock told Reuters by telephone.
Strock and his colleagues found the material trapped in ice taken from Lancaster Sound, an isolated stretch of water in the Canadian Arctic, which they had assumed might be relatively sheltered from drifting plastic pollution
The team drew 18 ice cores of up to two meters in length from four locations, and saw visible plastic beads and filaments of various shapes and sizes. The scientists said the findings reinforce the observation that micro plastic pollution appears to concentrate in ice relative to seawater.
“The plastic just jumped out in both its abundance and its scale,” said Brice Loose, an oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island and chief scientist of the expedition, known as the Northwest Passage Project.
The scientists’ dismay is reminiscent of the consternation felt by explorers who found plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean’s Marianas Trench, the deepest place on Earth, during submarine dives earlier this year.
The Northwest Passage Project is primarily focused on investigating the impact of manmade climate change on the Arctic, whose role as the planet’s cooling system is being compromised by the rapid vanishing of summer sea ice.
But the plastic fragments — known as micro plastic — also served to highlight how the waste problem has reached epidemic proportions. The United Nations estimates that 100 million tonnes of plastic have been dumped in the oceans to date.
The researchers said the ice they sampled appeared to be at least a year old and had probably drifted into Lancaster Sound from more central regions of the Arctic.
The team plans to subject the plastic they retrieved to further analysis to support a broader research effort to understand the damage plastic is doing to fish, seabirds and large ocean mammals such as whales.
Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation in the United States, the expedition in the Swedish icebreaker The Oden ran from July 18 to Aug. 4 and covered some 2,000 nautical miles.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...sts-find-micro-plastic-in-pristine-arctic-ice
Not in Saskatchewan, that's for damned sure unless they have an artificial Christmas tree set up on their altar.
Sounds exactly like Vancouver and Victoria in their wholesale pollution in dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the ocean each and every day.
Consider this an encore performance
Sewage water suggests drugs used by Canadians varies by city
Canadian Press
Published:
August 26, 2019
Updated:
August 27, 2019 12:01 AM EDT
Statistics Canada building and signs are pictured in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — A pilot project that analyzed wastewater in five major urban centres suggests Canadians’ may use drugs differently depending on which city they call home.
For example, the analysis by Statistics Canada showed cannabis levels are much higher in Montreal and Halifax than in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
But the findings reported Monday showed methamphetamine levels were significantly higher in the latter two cities. Methamphetamine levels were particularly low in Halifax — six times lower than in Toronto, the next-lowest city.
Cocaine use, on the other hand, appeared more evenly distributed across the cities, averaging 340 grams per million people per week.
“While Montreal and Halifax reported the highest levels of cannabis metabolite, they had among the lowest levels of methamphetamine, suggesting that even large cities within the same country may have distinct drug-use profiles,” the report read.
To get results, the agency collected wastewater samples from treatment plants in each of the five major cities between March 2018 and February 2019 and tested them for traces of cannabis and a dozen other drugs. Samples were taken every 30 minutes each day for a week, with the data used to estimate monthly levels.
Statistics Canada said the combined test areas serve 8.4 million people, or about a fifth of the Canadian population.
For cannabis, researchers looked for a compound called THC-COOH, which is produced by the body when cannabis is metabolized. The samples, which analyzed what is flushed down Canadian toilets, showed levels of this compound were 2.5 to 3.8 times higher in Montreal and Halifax than Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton.
It also found consumption varied depending on the season, spiking in May, June, and December 2018.
“These spikes may result from short-term changes in the number of people consuming cannabis or in the amount consumed, or from factors related to the wastewater sampling,” Statistics Canada said.
The agency said the goal of the pilot project is to determine whether wastewater testing can be used to “efficiently and anonymously measure total societal use of specific drugs” and to guess the size of the drug market.
It could also be used to determine whether Canadians respond honestly when surveyed about drug use.
The study noted that a difference in trace drug levels between cities couldn’t be attributed solely to differences in the level of drug consumption. Other factors, including drug potency and the condition of the sewers, could also affect the levels.
“For example, if cannabis edibles were more common in one city than another then the city excretion rates would differ since edibles have a different excretion rate than smoked cannabis; or if the sewer systems had different residence times and microbial environments, then they could have different degradation,” the report stated.
However, the report said the impact of these differences was likely to be small and that differences in drug consumption were by far the likeliest factor.
While the results look promising, the agency said more research is needed to improve the precision of the technique and to determine whether it could be used to test for other things, such as infectious disease and environmental contaminants.
http://torontosun.com/news/national/sewage-water-suggests-drugs-used-by-canadians-varies-by-city
Canadian Press
Published:
August 26, 2019
Updated:
August 27, 2019 12:01 AM EDT
Statistics Canada building and signs are pictured in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — A pilot project that analyzed wastewater in five major urban centres suggests Canadians’ may use drugs differently depending on which city they call home.
For example, the analysis by Statistics Canada showed cannabis levels are much higher in Montreal and Halifax than in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
But the findings reported Monday showed methamphetamine levels were significantly higher in the latter two cities. Methamphetamine levels were particularly low in Halifax — six times lower than in Toronto, the next-lowest city.
Cocaine use, on the other hand, appeared more evenly distributed across the cities, averaging 340 grams per million people per week.
“While Montreal and Halifax reported the highest levels of cannabis metabolite, they had among the lowest levels of methamphetamine, suggesting that even large cities within the same country may have distinct drug-use profiles,” the report read.
To get results, the agency collected wastewater samples from treatment plants in each of the five major cities between March 2018 and February 2019 and tested them for traces of cannabis and a dozen other drugs. Samples were taken every 30 minutes each day for a week, with the data used to estimate monthly levels.
Statistics Canada said the combined test areas serve 8.4 million people, or about a fifth of the Canadian population.
For cannabis, researchers looked for a compound called THC-COOH, which is produced by the body when cannabis is metabolized. The samples, which analyzed what is flushed down Canadian toilets, showed levels of this compound were 2.5 to 3.8 times higher in Montreal and Halifax than Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton.
It also found consumption varied depending on the season, spiking in May, June, and December 2018.
“These spikes may result from short-term changes in the number of people consuming cannabis or in the amount consumed, or from factors related to the wastewater sampling,” Statistics Canada said.
The agency said the goal of the pilot project is to determine whether wastewater testing can be used to “efficiently and anonymously measure total societal use of specific drugs” and to guess the size of the drug market.
It could also be used to determine whether Canadians respond honestly when surveyed about drug use.
The study noted that a difference in trace drug levels between cities couldn’t be attributed solely to differences in the level of drug consumption. Other factors, including drug potency and the condition of the sewers, could also affect the levels.
“For example, if cannabis edibles were more common in one city than another then the city excretion rates would differ since edibles have a different excretion rate than smoked cannabis; or if the sewer systems had different residence times and microbial environments, then they could have different degradation,” the report stated.
However, the report said the impact of these differences was likely to be small and that differences in drug consumption were by far the likeliest factor.
While the results look promising, the agency said more research is needed to improve the precision of the technique and to determine whether it could be used to test for other things, such as infectious disease and environmental contaminants.
http://torontosun.com/news/national/sewage-water-suggests-drugs-used-by-canadians-varies-by-city