Water is flowing through sewage treatment facilities in northern Ontario, with some levels of wastewater reaching as high as 40 times the recommended levels of chlorine, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
Water quality monitoring at several facilities in southern Ontario has shown that some levels are at or above the level that would be considered hazardous.
The agency says that’s not the case at the sewage treatment plant at the mouth of the St. Clair River in the town of Yarmouth.
Yarmouth resident Julie Rivelli said she believes the wastewater levels at her town’s sewage treatment facility were “too high” and she believes it may be because of the high levels of contaminants in the water.
She said she and other residents of the community are concerned about the health impacts.
“The wastewater that’s coming out of the plant has been in the river for a while and we have a lot of water coming in, so we are concerned with the amount of water that’s going to be flowing in,” Rivelli said.
“I’m sure that’s what is happening to our community.
It’s just unfortunate.”
The EPA says the water in the treatment plant is treated by bacteria.
The water has a pH that’s around 5.4.
