Are you a recreational water user in Toronto? Register here!
A kayaker paddles through sewage pollution on the Humber River, July 12, 2013. Photo by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.
Are you a recreational water user in Toronto? We need your help.
There’s nothing like a paddle or a swim to cut through the heat, and the GTA has some of the best urban swimming and paddling on the Great Lakes.
But there’s a problem, and it could be making you sick.
Toronto has an outdated sewer system. After heavy rains, the system is overwhelmed and sewage is diverted directly into the closest water body.
Only your voice can help protect our waterfront.
Last summer’s storm carried a whopping 1 billion litres of raw sewage into the Humber River and Lake Ontario in a single day.
Pollution from the Toronto storm and Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant wash ashore, July 16, 2013. Photo by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.
When sewage spills happen - even the big ones - the City of Toronto doesn’t alert the public. There are no warnings, no media advisories. You could be paddling through sewage and never even know it.
The one-year anniversary of this flood is coming up. It’s time to reclaim urban waters for people and wildlife.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is submitting a legal request calling on the City of Toronto to alert the public every time it bypasses sewage into public waters.
Toronto is taking steps to upgrade its aging sewer system, but this construction will take years. In the meantime, heavy rains are flushing bacteria, chemicals and pharmaceuticals into the waters you love to visit.
If you don’t know when sewage spills are happening, your time on the water can give you a rash or make you sick. Let’s change that.
Add your name to the list of people who love urban waters.
Your voice will bolster Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s legal application for a new policy that would ensure the City of Toronto alerts the public every time sewage is spilled into local waters. We will release it on July 8, 2014.
Your name will not be published or shared with anyone outside of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Only the total number of people who sign up will be included in our legal application. Please share this link with all your water-loving friends so we can show Toronto that people care about our waterfront! www.waterkeeper.ca/i-love-torontos-water