ewa Secondary treatment pushed Katharine Hamer Contributing Writer A poll conducted for . the Greater Vancouver Regionai District (GVRD) suggests that 80% of Vancouver resi- dents want sewage treatment facilities in the Lower Mainland upgraded at any cost. The poll, which has yet to be released publicly, was undertaken by Viewpoints Research in August. It involved a random survey of 600. Lower Mainland resi- dents. According to the poll, only 44% of those surveyed believe that waste disposal is being handled appropriately. Meanwhile, letters sent to the GVRD over the summer from both Environment Canada ard the Department of Fisheries and Oceans rec- ommended the upgrading of both the Iona and Lions Gate sewage plants to secondary treatment capabilities as soon as possible, Both plants currently pro- vide only primary sewage treatment. such, they’re not in compliance with the federal Fisherics Act. - Paul Hundal of the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) says the GVRD is more than non- compliant, it is criminally liable. . ‘Hundal, who is also a. * lawyer, says if the GVRD doesn’t upgrade the facilities, it will be “subject to prosecu- tion under section 43 of the ‘Fisheries Act,-which is an indictable offence.” = In stage two of its Liquid Waste Management Plan, GVRD. committee members acknowledge the risk of feder- *. al-prosecution, but state that “it would be highly desirable if the federal government for- ‘mally = recognized the ‘District’s Liquid.» Waste Management. Plan preferred approach and harmonized. it with its legislation.” * ‘Under the GVRD’s “pre- ferred-approach,” the need to “upgrade the Iona plant (at a ‘cost: of $330 million) and Lions .Gaté plant ($100 mil- " ion) to higher levels of treat- -ment would only be required if’ water’ quality objectives ‘Make your ‘love unique sove unig = | We specialize in cistom design -) «| i i #2-2435 Marine Dr., West Van G20 14 (wack iene): *- Hiss y. ime a NEWS phot Mike Waketield SPEC’s Paul Hundai with dog Tess at the spot where he says “horrible scurn” from Lions Gate sewage treatment plant washes across Ambleside beach. could not be met. “They want to change the law so that what they're doing becomes legal,” Hundal said — adding that it is something the GVRD attempted once before in the carly "90s. They were opposed at the time by environmental lobby groups including SPEC and the Suzuki Foundation. — Hundal said it’s not enough for the Lions Gate plant — which pumps primary treated sewage into Burrard Inlet — to be upgraded to secondary level. “To remove ammonia (a toxic effluent), they need to spend another $20 million at Lions Gate,” he said. “It’s a billion dollar system. What's ~ another $20 million? “We should be proud of our sewage treatment facili- ties. We're proud = of Vancouver because it’s a clean city; it’s one of the most liv- able cities in the world. It docsn’t make sense to go cheap on this.” The GVRD has conducted its own environmental assess- ments on the impact of ammonia — defined by the Fisheries Act as a “deleterious . substance” — on the marine environment and has deter- mined thar “there appears to be no‘significant environmen- tal benefit -to:.be gained by removing ammonia.” “The GVRD think they don’t have to do anything,” Hundal said, “They did what we think was kind of a bogus © . test last October — they put red dye in the sewage pipe for a very short time. It was a WAREHOUSE LOCATION VE Prtal) ss INSTANT FURNISHINGS! 1417 HUNTER ST. N. VAN, Hwy} 731-4173 , . | \Shenasi | Carpets, SAT 10-6, 990-5340 | completely inadequate — sewage pumping out 24 week. looking scum that washes up on Ambleside beach is from the sewage plant. It’s a reere- ational area, Our children , $8 . ; tacts: idee sabe rene, | ii Fram cae fat, Set quarded fies cares, | pblewss ant pitew covets. ibe gucallties last : 1165 West 15th St. 986-8514. play in that water. F don’t want them to be the guinea pigs.” The Liquid Waste Management Pian, which is on the agenda for this Friday’s mecting at the GVRD, requires the endorse- ment of “specific (financial) commitments from member municipalities.” there’s no comparison berween a two-hour test and hours a day, seven days 3° “A lot of the horrible- Viewpoints survey stats 600 contacted. 1 44% feel their municipality is doing “only a fair or poor job in handling wastewater. 59% feel that sewage problems are getting worse. B 88% believe that area rivers, streams, and marine areas are polluted or degraded. @ 80% favour the upgrading of all sewage plants to a uniform standard, even if this means paying up to $100 per year in prop- erty taxes. ooo @ Only 18% favour the cheaper alternative of only upgrading those sewage treatment facilitics whose discharge scientists say harms the environment. 3 The substances perceived to be most polluting to waterways were industrial and agricultural products. The survey indicated that most residents did not realize the contribution made by houschold pollutants such as bleach, septic tanks, and garbura- tors. . Z Hossein Shenasi travels to Turkey, Wednesday, September 29, 1999 — North Shore News — 5 Free Time Time Out me For Women For Men SS ; Many colours & widths to choose from Willowbrook 533-9200 Park Royal South 925-2001 Granville St 738-2662 OUg> ANY OIL CHANGE PACKAGE Formerly Shell Rapid Lube Lonsdale & 13th N. Vancouver 985-1050 . 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