EXCELLENT EDITORIAL TODAY BY THE WATERLOO REGION RECORD

The title of today's Editorial by the Record is "Like it or not, it's high time to talk about ..sewage". A week or so ago the Record had a couple of articles listing by the numbers the volumes and frequency of raw and semi-treated sewage discharged into Canadian waterways, year after year. It was horrific.

About 2/3 of the amount released last year was deliberately released by authorities when their sewage treatment plants were overwhelmed during heavy rain storms. Clearly both here in Elmira and across the country the use of cross-connections between storm and sanitary sewers has had a serious negative effect upon our natural environment.Fish kills, drinking water advisorys, beach closures and fish and shellfish harvesting restrictions occur after incidents of this nature.

Here in Elmira the term I & I was used to describe Inflow and Infiltration issues occurring during heavy rain events. Eavestroughs , residential basement sump pumps and even tile around the basements of houses had improperly been hooked into the sanitary sewers in some houses in the Birdland subdivision. No wonder the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant was discharging only semi-trested sewage into the Canagagigue Creek after rain storms.

It seems a simple enough concept. Excess Rainfall and groundwater belong in storm sewers. Toilets, laundry facilities etc. belong in sanitary sewers. Yes two completely separate systems are expensive. In the long run they are both cheaper and better for the health of the environment and everything in it, including ourselves. Politicians it's time to focus tax money on the less glamorous expenditures rather than on arts, LRT, expensive courthouses and police offices.