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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 22, 2011 · 4 State of environment delivered good news By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It's said business doesn't have to be bad for the environment, but, according to Oakville's State of the Environment report, that appears to be the case at least for now. The report, presented to the Community Services Committee last week and approved by council Monday, noted that since 2005, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) has been decreasing in Oakville -- with a significant drop experienced in 2009. That 2009 drop, however, reversed itself in 2010. "The increase in 2010 indicates that the 2009 drop can likely be attributed to the economic downturn, which was most obvious in that year," said Cindy Toth, the Town's environmental policy department director, in the report to the committee. "Weather also impacts the ability of fine particles such as PM 2.5 to remain airborne and the hotter summer in 2010 also likely contributed to the higher PM 2.5 levels." It was a similar story for water quality. In 2010, phosphorus levels in Oakville's creeks exceeded the Provincial Water Quality Objective (PWQO) of .03 mg/L. "The lower levels seen in 2009 are likely due in part to influences such as a significant decline in development activity that year," said Toth. "Chloride levels also showed an increase from 2009, although they remain below the PWQO of 250 mg/L. A significant contributor to chloride levels is runoff from roadways and salt use during the winter." To curb these increases, the Town salt spreaders are now equipped with pre-wetting capabilities. This reduces the amount of salt required and prevents it from bouncing off the road and into sewers and waterways. A bylaw to assess and control major emissions of PM 2.5 was passed by council in 2010. Other environmental indicators found Oakville residents appear to be taking greater interest in conservation. In the area of energy consumption, natural gas use per-capita decreased from approximately 850 tribute to this trend, not the least of which is the continued water reduction strategies offered by the Region and the Town. These include the Outdoor Water Use Education Program and the annual rain barrel sale held each spring," said Toth. "In 2009, we had a much wetter and cooler summer, resulting in a reduced need to water gardens and lawns. It is positive to see that despite a hotter and drier summer in 2010, water use per capita continued to decrease." The report also showed a trend of decreasing transit ridership reversed almost as soon as the grid system was introduced. Toth said transit set a new singlemonth ridership record in September 2011 when it provided more than 272,000 rides. She also said ridership over a 12month period is now more than 2.8 million. The report said Oakville's forestry staff planted 1,497 trees in 2010, Oakville's 2010-2011 school year saw a total of 42 Oakville schools certified as ecoschools, and as of 2010 Oakville's waste to landfill diversion rate has leveled off at 56.5 per cent. GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER GREAT GIFT: Oakvillegreen presented Mayor Rob Burton with a White Oak sapling grown from a acorn collected from the great white oak on Bronte Road. Burton, right, accepted the sapling from Karen Brock, Oakvillegreen president, and Liz Benneian, the group's past president and manager of public education and communications. cubic metres in 2009 to approximately 780 cubic metres in 2010. During the same period, electricity use per-capita continued to increase. Town staff said the decrease in natural gas could indicate residents are investing more in retrofits for their homes and keeping thermostats lower. Water Conservation in Oakville also showed some positive trends since, despite a population increase of 20 per cent since 2001, total residential water use has remained relatively constant and per-capita use has dropped significantly from just under 100,000 litres in 2007 to just above 80,000 liters in 2010. "A number of factors may con- CHRISTMAS GIVE THE GIFT OF GREAT COFFEE THIS Sometimes the best presents don't come in a box. Your local Tim Hortons invites you to a Free Holiday Skate. It's our way of saying thank you and happy holidays. For a schedule of ice times and locations please visit a Tim Hortons restaurant in Oakv k ille or www.timhort r ons.com. We know coff f ee like nobody knows coff f ee. If you have a coff f ee lover on your gift f list visit us for expert advice on espresso machines, grinders, coff f ee makers, and freshly roasted coff f ee. Open Christmas Eve Until 4pm 315 Steeles Ave East, Milton Ontario, L9T 1Y2 Phone: 905-636-0922 | Toll: 1-800-425-5405 © Tim Hortons, 2010