The River Starts at Home: Knowing How to Help Fight

This story is both a hopeful and unfortunate one.

It’s about a water treatment plant in Ottawa that can only filter 90% of its grey (waste) water and releases phosphate into the river. It’s about a water treatment plant in Toronto that releases phthalates into Lake Ontario, and yet another plant in Vancouver that releases petrolatum into the Pacific Ocean. 

Water Filtration 101

Grey water makes it into the facility, where it undergoes six main steps.

First, it undergoes screening, a process that removes large debris like branches and trash by catching them on a coarse screen. Then comes coagulation, in which the water is mixed with chemicals like salt or aluminum to help bind particles like clay, bacteria, and organic matter together. Flocculation is a similar process that targets smaller debris and silt. A new set of chemicals gets mixed into the water to turn the undesirable particles into flakes.

These steps make the sedimentation process easier. At this point, the water sits in large basins and solids settle at the bottom of the vat, before the water passes through filtration to remove microscopic particles and leave the waste behind.

Finally, it undergoes disinfection, where chemicals like chlorine or even ultraviolet light are added to the water to kill bacteria. At this point, the water is safe to reuse and returns to the river or to your home. 

10% Through the Cracks

This heavy-duty treatment system is an impressive feat. Compared to 150 years ago, when storm drains and sewage pipes pumped unfiltered grey water into the river, we’ve come a long, long way. Up to 90% of all waste, bacteria, and chemicals that make it to the water treatment facilities get filtered out.

But we have our eye set on the remaining 10%. It’s not because we like to nitpick or see the glass half empty, but because this 10% of renegade chemicals end up having a significant environmental impact on our rivers.

For example, the Ottawa water treatment facility treats up to 90% of phosphate that makes it to the plant. But that 10% of remaining phosphate, a phosphorous-rich compound common in household cleaners, is a fan-favourite dish for algae. Phosphorous exists naturally in aquatic ecosystems, and for thousands of years, nature has perfected a balance that keeps every microbe, plant, and fish in check.

The over-enrichment of our waterways with nutrients like phosphorous causes eutrophication. Essentially, algae get extra food, thanks to human activity. This makes them grow and multiply excessively, which can cause Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB).

Algae produce a poisonous substance called cyanotoxins that, in large quantities, are extremely toxic to people, pets, and fish. But the damage isn’t just caused by living algae. Bacteria in the water eat dead algae, and in the process use up a lot of the oxygen found naturally in the lake or river. This oxygen depletion, in turn, leads to the mass killing of fish and a steep drop in biodiversity.

Over time, the little 10% of phosphate that slips through the cracks of our waste management can lead to severe biodegradation.

But phosphate isn’t the only contaminant making its way into our water. Think about the toxic chemicals in personal care and household products, like triclosan, phthalates, microplastics, and formaldehyde, that also wind up in our lakes and rivers.

It Takes a Village

In big enough doses, any chemical that isn’t directly harmful to us will have significant repercussions on the rivers and lakes that sustain us. One household doesn’t produce that much. But it takes more than a raindrop to flood a river.

Here’s the math.

Over 10 million Canadians rely on the Great Lakes water system for their water. 1.5 million rely on the Bow River Basin. 2.73 million people depend on the Fraser River, that is, 67% of the BC population.

Spanning hundreds of kilometres, these river systems are massive. It’s hard to imagine that trace amounts of chemicals can lead to such disastrous environmental impacts. Yet, just based on the levels of HAB in Canadian waterways, the consequences become obvious.

In the 1960s, Lake Erie was deemed a ‘dead lake’ due to large-scale industrial and sewage waste that pumped phosphorus into it and caused algae blooms. Lake Winnipeg, the world’s tenth-biggest freshwater lake, is considered one of Canada’s sickest lakes. Even rivers in slower-moving areas, such as the Ottawa River, have been suffering from algae blooms.

Industry and agriculture pose a big threat to the fragility of these ecosystems, but citizens like you and I can do a lot to help lessen the impact by remembering the golden rule: the river starts at home.

The River Starts at Home

It can be easy to feel discouraged by all this. But the good news is that the river starts at home.

It starts in the shower, in the bathroom sink, in the toilet bowl, in the kitchen sink. It starts with every product that washes down our drain and makes it into the sewage pipes.

In the same way that all our pipes are connected, so are we and ecosystem we belong to. So, whether you’re using shampoo, hand soap, detergent or floor cleaner, what you put down the drain will end up in the river. But the upside is that there are things you can do to limit the impact on our waterways.

What You Can Do

1.     Choose eco-friendly alternatives

When in doubt, green’s the route. Natural products from companies like Green Beaver have the environment at heart. We don’t use any chemicals or compounds that are harmful to our watersheds.

2.     Use less

If you’re not ready to make the switch, using less can help. More product doesn’t always mean cleaner. 

3.     Dispose properly

Avoid pouring chemicals or medication down the sink. Consult your local waste management guidelines to safely dispose of hazardous waste and return unused or expired medication to your local pharmacy.

4.     Advocate

Support organizations like Ottawa Riverkeeper or Environmental Defence that are committed to protecting our environment and ecosystems.

5.     Educate yourself and others

Learn about the environment and what role your products play in environmental degradation. Most people, myself included, have simply never learned about the impact everyday things can have.

And tell your friends and family; after all, our strength lies in numbers.