stinger63
01-01-2008, 10:34 PM
I found this on another site.
Posted By DAN McCAFFERY
Posted 1 day ago
The St. Clair River could be removed from a list of toxic "hot spots" within 10 years.
Archie Kerr, the director of sustainability for Lanxess, made that assertion Tuesday following an address to the local Seaway Kiwanis Club.
Kerr, who is also a member of the Binational Public Advisory Council (BPAC), said great progress has been made to clean up the river since 1980, when the International Joint Commission included it on a list of 42 "areas of concern" around the Great Lakes.
He added it would be a "reasonable estimate" to say 75 per cent of the river's pollution problems have been eliminated.
BPAC, which is made up of people from all walks of life on both sides of the river, has been looking for solutions to river pollution since the 1980s.
Kerr said fish from the St. Clair can be eaten in moderation now, something that was not possible in the past.
In fact, it's safe to eat eight meals a month of pickerel or rainbow trout in the 10 to 22- inch range, he said.
"The fishing is good, but you can't live on them," he told the service club.
When it comes to drinking water out of the river, he said it should not be done directly, due to both domestic animal feces and human pollution. But he noted municipalities do draw water from the St. Clair and purify it for human consumption.
As for the river bottom, he said sediment is far less polluted today. Indeed, when dredging took place near Walpole Island in 2001, about 95 per cent of the sediment brought to the surface was found to be free of contaminants.
But degraded areas still exist along the river floor near Talfourd Creek and off Stag Island.
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Kerr also noted beaches on the river must still be closed from time to time. That's because municipal sewer systems sometimes discharge untreated sewage to the river. Sarnia is currently separating its storm and sanitary sewers to correct the problem.
Chemical Valley spills are far fewer in number these days and, when they do take place, they're usually very small, Kerr said.
Still, he said both municipalities and industries need to do more. Industries, he said, should "continue to eliminate" the practice of sending once-through cooling water into the river.
Some environmentalists have called for the restoration of 22,000 acres of land along the river bank to its natural state. But Kerr said that's probably an unachievable goal because too much development has taken place.
Nevertheless, the tone of his speech was mostly upbeat.
"I think we're headed in the right direction," he said.
Article ID# 815559
Posted By DAN McCAFFERY
Posted 1 day ago
The St. Clair River could be removed from a list of toxic "hot spots" within 10 years.
Archie Kerr, the director of sustainability for Lanxess, made that assertion Tuesday following an address to the local Seaway Kiwanis Club.
Kerr, who is also a member of the Binational Public Advisory Council (BPAC), said great progress has been made to clean up the river since 1980, when the International Joint Commission included it on a list of 42 "areas of concern" around the Great Lakes.
He added it would be a "reasonable estimate" to say 75 per cent of the river's pollution problems have been eliminated.
BPAC, which is made up of people from all walks of life on both sides of the river, has been looking for solutions to river pollution since the 1980s.
Kerr said fish from the St. Clair can be eaten in moderation now, something that was not possible in the past.
In fact, it's safe to eat eight meals a month of pickerel or rainbow trout in the 10 to 22- inch range, he said.
"The fishing is good, but you can't live on them," he told the service club.
When it comes to drinking water out of the river, he said it should not be done directly, due to both domestic animal feces and human pollution. But he noted municipalities do draw water from the St. Clair and purify it for human consumption.
As for the river bottom, he said sediment is far less polluted today. Indeed, when dredging took place near Walpole Island in 2001, about 95 per cent of the sediment brought to the surface was found to be free of contaminants.
But degraded areas still exist along the river floor near Talfourd Creek and off Stag Island.
Advertisement
Kerr also noted beaches on the river must still be closed from time to time. That's because municipal sewer systems sometimes discharge untreated sewage to the river. Sarnia is currently separating its storm and sanitary sewers to correct the problem.
Chemical Valley spills are far fewer in number these days and, when they do take place, they're usually very small, Kerr said.
Still, he said both municipalities and industries need to do more. Industries, he said, should "continue to eliminate" the practice of sending once-through cooling water into the river.
Some environmentalists have called for the restoration of 22,000 acres of land along the river bank to its natural state. But Kerr said that's probably an unachievable goal because too much development has taken place.
Nevertheless, the tone of his speech was mostly upbeat.
"I think we're headed in the right direction," he said.
Article ID# 815559