Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
Need a Source? Help people find the best beaches to beat the heat in Southern Ontario this week
Heat and humidity advisories have been issued for most of Ontario this week and many people want to know where they can go swimming to help cool off. The Waterkeeper Swim Guide has the answer: the free Swim Guide app.
Toronto water quality update: sample results are in
We have good news for Toronto Triathlon participants. Sample results there easily met Ontario water quality standards. E. coli was 15-20 and Total Coliform was between 60 and 90.
Things were not so good in the west end. Sunnyside Beach - the beach closest to the Humber River sewage treatment plant that lost power during the flood - had E. coli levels that were off the charts. Our testing method maxes out at 2,000 (20 times Ontario water quality standards for E. coli and 2 times higher for Total Coliform), so all we know is that we found "more than" 2,000 E. coli and Total Coliform there.
Toronto water quality warning
By now, you already know that a record-high amount of rain landed on the City of Toronto on Monday, July 8, 2013. In just two hours, we received a month's worth of rainfall. We had more rain in 7 hours than the infamous Hurricane Hazel brought back in 1954. That storm killed 81 people and forced Ontarians to rethink the way we build up urban areas near the water.
What you might not know is that many of the photos from the storm, the ones of people jumping in rain-filled park lagoons or wading through submerged streets, were not just photos of lots of rain. They were also photos of lots of sewage.
Waterkeeper comments on latest rollback to CEAA - "Designated Project" Regulations
Waterkeeper writes to the Government of Canada warning them that proposed changes to federal environmental assessment rules pose a threat to the environment and to Canadians. The changes are part of a broader dismantling of environmental law and science. They eliminate reviews for major industrial developments and fail to offer the public any kind of safety net to prevent serious environmental problems.
Waterkeeper and Ottawa Riverkeeper comment on new Fisheries Act Habitat Regulations
The proposed Fisheries Act habitat regulations will be devastating for aquatic life in Canada’s rivers, lakes, and oceans. These changes create a ‘paint-by-numbers’ framework to help industry destroy fish and fish habitat behind closed doors.