Express_2011_03_25

sewageplant; theapplicationof agricultural

Water – we can’t live without it, and

and non-agricultural “source material” to

sometimes we can’t live with it, either.

land, the application, handling and storage

Adam’s ale is as essential to our daily

of fertilizer, pesticides and road salt; the

lives as a cell phone, a laptop and high-

storageof snow; thehandlingandstorageof

speed Internet. But whenwe get toomuch

fuel, a dense non-aqueous phase liquid, an

of agood thing,we canbe rapidlyawash in

organic solvent. Plus, be wary of the

problems.

“management of runoff that contains

As this isbeingwritten, the slushseason

chemicals used in the de-icing of aircraft.”

has peaked. Roads and basements are

Other threats are “an activity that takes

flooded; icy parking lots are claiming

This should make us think

water from an aquifer or a surface water

victims; cars’ electrical circuitry is going

body without returning the water taken to

nuts because of all the moisture; water

the same aquifer or surface water body, an

jeopardizing the safety of travellers.

courses are coursing at high levels;

Raisin-SouthNationDrinkingWaterSource

activity that reduces the recharge of an

A five-year comprehensive science

pedestrians are drenched by passing

Protection Committee.

aquifer,” and “the use of land as livestock

assessment determined the release of road

motorists.

But some activities that are or would be

grazing or pasturing land, an outdoor

salts into the environment in very high

The debris that had been hidden since

“significant” drinkingwater quality threats

confinement area or a farm-animal yard.”

amounts leads to environmental problems.

the first snowfall hasbegun toemerge, and

have been identified.

More information on these threats can be

The use of road salt can lead to damage to

much of that flotsam is carried away into

The committee is working under the

viewed at www.yourdrinkingwater.ca.

vegetation, as ismost obviouswith roadside

ditches and creeks.

Clean Water Act which

helps protect

For those who naturally bristle at the

vegetation damaged by salt splash. Salt has

Our environment is a lot like processed

drinking water at the source, as part of an

suggestionofmoregovernmentregulations,

also been associated with damage to

foods – a strange mix of various elements,

overall commitment from the Province of

remember that it is better to be safe than

organisms in soil, to birds and to other

some of which we did not want to know

Ontario to safeguard human health and the

sorry and to err on the side of caution,

wildlife. Almost all chloride ions from road

about.

environment. A key focus of this legislation

particularly when a precious resource such

salts eventually find their way into

Take salt. We know that wemust try to

is the preparation of locally developed,

as water is concerned.

waterways, whether by direct runoff into

shake the habit of salting our foods. Too

science-basedassessmentreportsandsource

Water, water everywhere — it ought to

surface water or by moving through the soil

much sodium is not good for our health.

protection plans.

make you think.

and groundwater. In surface water, road

But road abrasives – the traction aid

To devise a protection plan, you need to

salts can harm freshwater plants, fish and

products, not those rude drivers – are

scope out the potential problems. And we

otherorganismsthatarenotadaptedtoliving

essential. We cannot live without the salt

have a lot of issues here, people.

in saline waters.

ourgovernmentsapplytostreetsandroads

For example, according to the water

Fortunately, there is little evidence that

to help us battle ice and snow. A bag of

protection committee, in Hawkesbury, 23

road salt has adverse health effects on

road salt is a fixture in most households,

“activitiesthatmayposeasignificantthreat”

humans. But it takes a heavy toll in other

and is particularly useful when

to the municipal drinking water systems.

ways.

temperatures cango fromminus 10 toplus

There were 521 in Casselman, 87 in

Consider the damage it does to the body

10 in the span of a few hours.

Wendoverand14inAlexandria.Thenumber

of your car as well as pant legs, car mats and

However, salt is also a contaminant, a

of risks is affected obviously by the source.

carpets.

fact that will force Hawkesbury to

For example, Casselman gets its drinking

Governments continue towork onmeans

eventually relocate its snow dump, which

water from the South Nation River, a basin

to reduce the use of road salt, save money

now sits perilously close to the Ottawa

that meanders through a vast territory. The

and help save the planet.

River.

watershed is bucolic all right, but it also

Meanwhile, governments are also

As Environment Canada notes, about

contains several sources of pollution.

continuing to enact new laws to protect us

five million tonnes of road salt are used

The list of drinking water threats, as

fromourselves,ostensibly.Fortunately,most

everywinter in Canada tomake our roads

definedby theCleanWaterActRegulations,

Rural residents rely on privatewells for

of us in easternOntariobenefit fromsafe and

safer.

is lengthy and wide-ranging. It covers

theirdrinkiong water. The installation

plentiful water supplies.

The federaldepartment isoneof several

everything from manure-spreading to

of signs identifying the location of

Studieshaveshownthatnowaterquantity

organizationsthathasbeenexploringways

aircraft maintenance.

sources is a simple and effective safety

threats exist in the area, according to the

of cutting down on road salt use without

Risks include a waste disposal site;

measure.

B I N G O

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