Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
Environmentalists in court to demand proper review of nuclear risks
Lawyers for environmental groups ask a Federal Court today to order the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to redo its environmental review of Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to rebuild and run the aging Darlington nuclear reactors for three more decades.
Darlington nuclear refurbishment gets go-ahead
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper raised serious concerns about the impacts on fish from these nuclear power plants. Darlington nuclear power plant sucks up enough Lake Ontario water to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool in just 15 seconds. It does this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to keep the nuclear reactors cool. In the process, millions of fish, eggs, and larvae are crushed and killed. This outdated cooling water system kills more fish than any other technology on the market.
7 things you need to know about the Darlington nuclear refurbishment
Two hundred people will gather at Hope Fellowship Church in Southern Ontario next week to discuss how to rebuild Lake Ontario's largest nuclear power plant. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is holding a three-day hearing to assess the impacts of the plant before issuing an operating licence. CNSC staff, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) staff, and some 93 intervenors will make presentations on December 3, 4, 5, and 6.
How many dead fish would be "significant"?
CNSC staff are asking Commissioners, acting together with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, to allow OPG to operate a “once-through” cooling system. This outdated system will suck in water from Lake Ontario to cool the nuclear reactors, then discharge warmed water back to the lake all day every day for a half-century.
Waterkeeper comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment Screening Report - Refurbishment and Continued Operation of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station
The weaknesses and omissions contained in the Report cast a shadow over the entire environmental assessment process. Neither the EIS nor the Draft Screening Report provides a reasonable or credible basis for evaluating the environmental effects of Darlington’s once-through cooling system. The Report demonstrates that OPG, the CNSC, and DFO are either unwilling or unable to mitigate harm to fish and fish habitat on Lake Ontario. In light of these failings, Waterkeeper submits that a legitimate, reasonable, and informed decision is impossible without an independent, thorough review panel process.
Waterkeeper submits comments on Darlington nuclear station refurbishment
The proposal should be denied outright because it will cause significant adverse environmental effects that will not be mitigated and cannot be justified.