Swimming in Stormwater

Growing up in Nova Scotia, I spent many of my summer days swimming in Canada’s Ocean Playground. At the time, the biggest worries were the occasional jellyfish and the undertow. Thoughts of ear infections or worse (as a result of bacterial contamination) never occurred. And why would they? The water was free of pollution.

Since moving to the Greater Toronto Area in the late 1980s, I’ve always resided close to the lake. It helps keep my bearings and the expanse of blue water serves as reminder of home.

But since my first dip in Lake Ontario, I haven’t purposefully taken the plunge. I just haven’t been able to overcome the floating debris and subsequent ear infection.

There’s a lakefront promenade park near my home in Mississauga. With warm shallow and calm water surrounded by sandy beach, it looks like a very inviting watering hole—but I’ve never once seen anyone swimming and very few people sunbathe on the beach. Why no swimmers? The water is polluted.

All may not be lost. In early August, Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced new national regulations for managing wastewater. Amongst other requirements in the proposed regulations, some 4,000 wastewater treatment facilities in Canada will be required to meet national performance standards.

For the most part, the national wastewater regulations will have minimal positive impact on the water quality at Lakefront Promenade Park and many other watering holes. That’s because stormwater runoff and other factors are the primary causes of poor water quality—and subsequent closures—at many of Canada’s urban beaches. Stormwater runoff treatment often amounts to little more than temporary detention, with little attention paid to the treatment of pathogens.

While it’s convenient to blame big industry for polluted waterways, we should also add ourselves to the list of culprits. A recent study conducted in California and presented at National Meeting of the American Chemical Society revealed that the amount of water pollution contributed by homes may have been underestimated by up to 50 per cent. Pesticides, animal feces, motor oil, detergents, and other contaminants get washed into the storm sewer and end up in receiving waters.

And we can always blame waterfowl. With an estimated 400,000 geese in southern Ontario with no natural predators, excrement from these birds often results in polluted shorelines after rain events. Mississauga began a program in 1995 to manage the population of geese along its waterfront parks. The program, which included relocating birds and modifying the habitat, has had some improvements, but not enough to clean up the waters along the Lakefront Promenade.

National standards for wastewater treatment plants are encouraging, but we should also be looking at better stormwater management. When that happens, maybe I’ll go for swim in Lake Ontario to celebrate.