Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
Honouring the Citizen Scientists of the Toronto Monitoring Hub
Are you someone who is concerned about environmental issues such as pollution and climate change? Do you want to help make a difference in protecting local water bodies, but you don't know where to start? Then you should become a citizen scientist with the Toronto Monitoring Hub.
Water sampling: what are we doing? Q&A with Mark Mattson
Mark Mattson tells Alysse Mathalon about the history of sampling at Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and its impact on swimmable, drinkable, fishable water.
Why the citizen science hub thing we started might change the Great Lakes forever
Toronto Harbour is the place where I came to understand the importance of recreational waters. This is the harbour I look at year after year. And it’s the place where we created a community monitoring hub model that is now expanding to more Great Lakes.
Toronto Harbour seeing effects of rising Lake Ontario water levels
Lake Ontario’s swim season has arrived during record high water levels. As you start spending more time by the water, you will notice how these water levels impact your favourite waterfront destinations.
Swim Drink Fish submission for Ontario’s environment plan
Swim Drink Fish submitted comments to the Government of Ontario on its provincial environment plan. Read our six recommendations to the Government and our model policy for sewage spill public alerts.
Can sewers overflow in dry weather?
Our data shows Toronto’s combined sewers overflow during dry weather, not just during a rainfall event. This raises important questions. Is the City of Toronto’s sewer system overcapacity? Could dry weather sewer overflows be linked to to new urban developments? Here’s what you need to know.
An Update on the Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report 3.0 and a Call to Action
On November 7th, the Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report 3.0 was released detailing our findings from the water sampling season. This is the one month update after it’s release, which outlines the next steps for the program. The dream of having a swimmable, fishable, and drinkable harbour is on the horizon, and the five recommendations to the City of Toronto will help define this plan if implemented. To help you community please read, share, write a letter, and help volunteer to take water samples.
Are Sewage Spill Alerts and Real-Time Monitoring Coming to Ontario?
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, a Swim Drink Fish Initiative, has yet to review the plan in its entirety, but understands through the summary on the registry that sewage spill alerts and real-time monitoring may be coming to Ontario communities. This action, is something Lake Ontario Waterkeeper has been calling for, for a long time. If the rules are clear and enforceable, it could be a crucial turning point for Great Lakes communities.
A letter to Mayor Tory about Waterkeeper's Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report
On November 7, 2018 Waterkeeper presented its Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report as well as a letter to Mayor John Tory outlining the importance of the report’s five recommendations. Sixty five members of Toronto’s waterfront community signed onto Waterkeeper’s letter to the mayor.
Environmental Commissioner urges the Ontario government to eliminate sewage pollution
Ontarians who care about clean water - which is basically everyone - got a show of support from the province’s independent environmental commissioner today. When Dianne Saxe released her third annual report this morning, she called on the province to do more to protect urban waters. An entire section of the Commissioner’s report examines combined sewage pollution in Ontario, mentioning the growing push for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water in Ontario.