Sewer Runoff
March 19, 2008
THIS TIME OF YEAR IS NORMALLY THE WORST FOR WATER POLLUTION IN KINGSTON. SPRING SHOWERS COMBINED WITH MELTING SNOW CAN EASILY OVERWHELM THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT. THE RESULT, IS THAT MILLIONS OF LITRES OF UNTREATED WASTE WATER ENDS UP IN LOCAL WATERWAYS. THE TERM IS CALLED "OVERFLOW." BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS FLOWING FROM UTILITIES KINGSTON. THE UTILITY HAS INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CAPTURE AND TREAT STORM WATER RUN-OFF.... CONSTRUCTION BIGGER PIPES AND UNDERGROUND HOLDING TANKS. AS A RESULT, THE OVERFLOW LEVELS FROM 2007 HAVE DROPPED DRAMATICALLY FROM PREVIOUS YEAR. JIM KEETCH "BEFORE THE BIG INVESTMENT, MAJOR RAINS SNOW MELTS, IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THERE WOULD BE OVERFLOWS. NOW AFTER THE INVESTMENT WE CAN MANAGE IT MUCH BETTER AND THE OVERFLOWS ARE DRASTICALLY REDUCED A PERCENTAGE OF WHAT THEY WERE BEFORE A SMALL PERCENTAGE." IN FACT THERE WERE ONLY 5 "OVERFLOW" INCIDENTS IN ALL OF LAST YEAR IN KINGSTON --- COMPARED WITH 50 TO 60 IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
