Ontario Observes World Water Day

8 Pages·1994·0.23 MB·English

by  Ontario Ministry of the Environment: Communications Branch

Ministry of Environment and Energy
Ontario observes World Water Day
March22, 1994was designatedWorld WaterDayby • Draftcleanwaterregulations for the metal min-
theUnited Nation'sGeneral Assemblyduringthe ing, industrialminerals,and metal castingsec-
1992 EarthSummit inRio deJaneiro,Brazil. World torswerereleased forpublic review inlate 1993.
Water Dayisdedicated to theprotectionand preser-
vationofourwaters.
WATERAND SEWAGE TREATMENT
Ontariobordersonfourofthe fiveGreatLakes,
whichcontainthefifthlargestsourceoffreshwater Tooisurethatwaterandsewagetreatmentplants
onearth. Onaverage,Carwdians use340litresof are performingatanadequate level oftreatinent, the
wateraday,oneofthehighestconsumptionrates in mirustryprovides fundingto municipalities.Forty
theworld, secondonlytoAmericans,who use426 percentofthis moneyisused forconservationand
litres aday.Europeans useabout 165 litres aday. alternativeapproaches,with thebalance for mainte-
WorldWater Dayreinforces the directionbeing nanceandexparisionofexistingsystems.
takenby thegovernmentofOntario bystressingthe • BetweenApril 1990and March 1993, theOntario
importanceofwisewatermanagementand the governmenthas invested $538.5 million in
preservationofthisimportantresource. TheOntario grants to municipalities intheGreatLakes Basin
MinistryofEnvironmentandEnergyis takingsub- forimprovingwaterand sev^ge treatmentsys-
.
stantialmeasures to protectourwaters.They tems.
include: • InFebruary 1993,PremierRaeannounced the
establishmentoftheOntarioCleanWata-
Agency(OCWA) tohelp municipalities plan,
MUNICIPAL-INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY FOR
finance,build, upgrade and operate waterand
ABATEMENT (MISA) sewagetreatmentfacilities across the province.
TheMunicipal-Industrial StrategyforAbatement • InFebruary 1993,PremierRaeannounced a
(MISA) programwasestablished in 1986tocontrol $258-milIioninvestmentbyjobsOntario for
pollutioninOntario'slakes and rivers.Thegocil of upgradingand constructingnewsewage treat-
this regulatoryprogramis toeliminatethedischarge ment and water treatment plants.
ofpersistent toxic contaminants into the province's • InFebruary, 1994jobsOntario announced an
waterwaysbynineindustrial sectors. additional investmentof$350 nullion inmore
• Cleanwaterregulations were issued in 1993 for than 190waterand sewage projects over the
two sectors: petroleumand pulp and paper. next twoyearscreating 13XXX)newjobs.
®
Ontario
REMEDIAL ACTION PLAN (RAP) PROGRAM • ThePollutionPreventionPledgeProgram(P*) is
InOntario, 17Remedial ActionPlan (RAP)areas designed toencourage industry toadoptinto its
havebeen identifiedby the InternationalJoint day-to-dayoperations theprinciplesofpollution
Corrmnissionas 'areas ofconcern' requiringgovern- prevention.Through theP*, industry ischal-
mentand communityactionto resolveexistingpol- lenged to cutitspersistent, toxic andbio-accu-
lutionproblems. mulativepollutants inhalfby 1995 andby90per
• Ontarionow invests more than$25 million centbytheyear2000.
annuallyin improvements to municipalsewage
treatmentplantsin designated RAPareas. BEACHES
• Workunderwayincludes:
- dieGreeningofCollingwood, aproject Bacterialcontaniinationinbeachwaters is themain
involvingtheentirecommunity. Itsobjective reason forbeachclosures. Themain sources ofrecur-
is to reducewaterand energyconsumption, ringcontamirwtionareurbanstormwaterrunoff,
aswellashouseholdhazardous waste; combined seweroverflows,agriculturalwastes,
- inJune 1993,theThunder BayRAP teamand sewage treatmentplantbypasses,industrialdis-
public advisorycommitteeconducted acom- chargesandarumalandbirdwaste.
munitycleanupofmorethan 125 kilometres • TheProvincial BeachesProgramoffers munici-
ofshorelinethatattracted 2,500volunteers; palities and rural residents financial and techrri-
- undertheSevernSound RAP, $6.7million in calassistancetodeanup existingpollutionprob-
provincial supportwill lead to a $7 percent lems diatarecontributing to tiie postingofour
reductionofphosphorusloadings fromalocal beaches.Theprogramhas twocomjwr^eits: the
sewage treatmentplantthisyear. urbanBeachImprovementProgram(BEP)aiKl
- majorprojects to rehabilitatehabitatand Qean Up Rural Beaches (CURB).
restore swimmableconditionsinHamilton • TheCURB programprovidesup to $6million
Harbour, assistedby morethan$6millionin annuallyto rural residents fortfungslikecattle
provincialfimding. fencing,improvedhandlingofmilkhousewash-
water,bettermanurestorageandimproved sep-
ticsystems. SinceSeptember 1991,2,200projects
POLLUTION PREVENTION
havebeenapproved and $12.8 millionpaidout
• TheurbanBeachesImprovema\tProgrampro-
Pollutionprevention,theeliminationoff>ollutantsat
thesource, is tiieministry's firstchoiceas a method videsmunicipalitieswitiifundsforcombined
ofprotectingtheenvirorunent Pollutionprevention seweroverflowcontrol,urbanstormwaterpollu-
canbeachievedthroughactivitieswhichpromoteor tioncontrol,sewagetreatmentplanteffluent
requirechanges inthebasicbehavioralpatternsof enhancement, and constructionofbeachremedi-
theindustrial,commercialand institutional sectors. alworks.Murucdpalitieshavereceivedover$100
• Ontario,incooperationwith the federalgovern- millionfromtheurbanBeachesImprovement
mentand participatingindustriesandcommuni- Programsinceits inceptionin 1986.
ties,has signed pollutionpreventionagreements
for thevoluntaryreductionintheuse,genera- MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE
tionand releaseoftoxics.To date,agreements
havebeenmadewifl\theautomotive industry, Ontarioundertakesacomprehensivesurveillance
themetalfinishers, theautomotivepartsindus- and investigationsprogramoftheGreatLakes
try, and theRegiormlMunicipalityofHamilton- whichassiststiiefederalgovernmentinmeetingits
Wentworth. As well, theministryhas signedan requirements under theCanada-U.S.GreatLakes
agreementwiththeCanadicinChemical WaterQualityAgreement.
Producers' Association.
—
DRINKING WATER Be part ofthe solution prevent pollution:
• takehousdioldhazardous wastes (paint, motor
High qualitydrinkingwaterisessential for the oils, lead addbatteries, poolchemicals,
healthand well-beingofthepeopleofOntario.The
antifreeze) to Household Hazardous Waste
MinistryofEnvironmentand Energyhasundertak-
. defwts.inyourcommunity, orhave thempicked
enseveralcomprehensiveprograms that include up onhazardouswastecollection days. Do not
surveillcince,treatmentoptimizationand groundwa- fHJur themdovfndrainsorstormsewe«.
terstudiesto ensurethatthispreciouscommodity • reducepesticideuse
remains safeand protected. Forexample,the
• discormecteaves trougjispouts thatareconnect-
DrinkingWaterSurveillanceProgram (DWSP)
ed to stormsewers
analyseswaterfromabout 100watertreatment
• and petowners: stoop-and-scoop
plants to determine its safetyatalltimes.
•^ . WorldWaterDayeventsarebeingcoordinated
BiNATIONALPROGRAfflS byWaterCan,arujn-govemmentalorgar\ization
whichfundsdeanwaterprojects indeveloping
OnWorldWaterDay,itis especiallyimportantto countries.WaterCanalso fostersawarenessamong
notethatwaterdoesnotrecognizeinternational Canadiai\softhepreciousnatureofourownwater
boundaries.Ontario isan.activeparticipantina resQurcesandoftt\er\eed tpmanage themwisely.
numberofbinatiorialactivitiesincludingtheLake
OntarioToxicsManagementPlan,theLakeSuperior
BinationalProgramand theNiagaraRiverToxics FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
ManagementPlan.
MJni^ryofEnvlronihentand Energy
PublicInformationCentre
HEREARE SOMETHINGSYOU CAN DO TO HELP 135.StClairAvenueWest
Toronto,OntarioM4V1P5
To conservewater:
Telephone: [phone]
• installwater-effidentshowerheads, faqcets,toi- 1-800565-4923
lets
. WaterCan contact
• fixleakingfaucets
• savewaterinarainbarrelfor^ateringyourgar- LeaniuJohnston,[phone]
den
^n PBS29416
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