Eric Murphy, Centretown News An outflow pipe spills water into the Ottawa River after a storm.With E. coli levels closing beaches near the Ottawa River more than 15 times since late June, it’s apparent that the city’s central waterway isn’t as clean as it should be.
The high E. coli levels, caused by a combination of bird poop and sewer overflows are both disgusting and dangerous. The water becomes cloudy with an earthy scent and if you swim in it with a cut foot or swallow too much water during high contamination levels, you can contract an infection.
But river pollution harms far more than our swimming. According to Graham Saul, the executive director for Ecology Ottawa, there’s a long list of ways that dumping harms the river and those who use it.
Saul says that organic pollution reduces oxygen and light in the water, making it harder for fish and plants to live. Increased nutrients create “algo-blooms,” the enormous green patches on the water’s surface that aside from being gross to swim through, can kill natural water species. Heavy metals released can make it dangerous to eat fish caught in the water.
“These things go on and on,” says Saul.
So aside from closing beaches, river pollution is harming the Ottawa River’s biodiversity.
Another unintended consequence of sewage overflow is how it changes people’s perception of the water. Just like someone might judge a city based on garbage-filled parks, they’re just as likely to be put off by sewage in the water.
It was widely reported last month that after a heavy rain roughly 324 million litres of untreated water mixed with raw sewage spilled into the Ottawa River. Two days later, the Petrie Island River Beach was closed with 1000 E. coli per 100ml of water, five times the amount it can contain and still operate legally. Westboro Beach had more than 800 per 100ml and Mooney’s Bay had more than 500 during the same day.
This should strike even non-swimmers as unpleasant, and an Ecology Ottawa petition has gathered 12,000 signatures from water lovers and landlubbers alike, pushing for the federal and provincial governments to fund the city’s river action plan.
“People are worried about the fact that we’ve just been using the river as a dumping ground,” says Saul. “It affects their ability to enjoy the natural world.”
Issues with the river’s water are so apparent that leading up to June’s provincial election, every party claimed to support its cleaning. On July 14, Mayor Jim Watson announced that a $195-million budget has been approved to create a tunnel to store the extra sewage that would have previously spilled into the river.
This tunnel, combined with a $65 million investment to improve river cleanliness in other ways, could completely change how residents see the Ottawa River, but other issues like bird droppings and smaller scale pollution still pose a threat.
While the majority of the river contaminants come from sewer outflow, Ottawa residents can assist in the healing process. Organizations such as Ecology Ottawa and the Ottawa Rowing Club run regular clean-up events. Residents can also avoid bad habits like spilling unwanted liquids down catch basins or feeding birds near beaches to make a difference.
You can let us know whether water pollution affects your swimming habits by answering the poll on our front page. For the city’s full list of small ways to revitalize the river, click here.