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LETTER: Sewage needs tertiary treatment

Dear Editor: On behalf of the North Vancouver Save Our Shores Society, I am writing to voice our concerns regarding the new North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant and the fact that it is only being built to treat sewage to a secondary treatment level
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Dear Editor:

On behalf of the North Vancouver Save Our Shores Society, I am writing to voice our concerns regarding the new North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant and the fact that it is only being built to treat sewage to a secondary treatment level, rather than tertiary treatment.

This is legal, but below the standard of treatment of most other cities. If Metro Vancouver treated our sewage to a similar level as Toronto, it would reduce the pollutants dumped into the Salish Sea by approximately 30 million kilograms per year.

Metro can use low levels of treatment because the Salish Sea has been classified by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as at a lower risk from pollutants than the Great Lakes. 

Is the Salish Sea less valuable than the Great Lakes? Many in British Columbia would not agree with this classification.

The sewage effluent is full of toxins, detrimental to marine life and humans. Cumulative effects and bio-accumulation up the food chain is a grave concern. The lower standard of treatment means that twice per day from a large pipe near Lions Gate Bridge, pollutants are flushed into the Salish Sea.

Out of sight, therefore, out of mind to most people.

The decision to go with a lower level of treatment was based on saving the taxpayers money. This is both short sighted and false economy. Proven technology is available that would protect our waters.

SOS believes that if the public was fully informed of the environmental and health implications of the decision to build the plant to the lowest possible standard, the taxpayer would want it built to the same standards as other cities.

Again, is the Salish Sea less important than the Great Lakes or other waters in Canada?

SOS would also like to bring attention to the lack of pump-out stations to accommodate all the pleasure craft that are in our waters. Sewage from whatever source adds stress to our waters. No wonder we had to close five different beaches this summer. Even Victoria is building their new plant to tertiary standard; we should be doing the same.

Maureen Bragg
President, North Vancouver Save Our Shores Society
North Vancouver

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