The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Local Pollution Problem 13 Examined BY Engineer Editors note Mr Beckett served or beer for the tuna and city of Barrie for lame time and so lul some practical knowledge at the engineering problem cart by the municipality is plrllcuiuiy late ted in water pollution and as The Barrie Examiner asked him to write an article on this with particular reference In the City Of Barrie By BECKEIT Consulting Engineer During the past year thch avgtaped for the first time onsiderabls awareness of the Iavoc our present way of living causing in the pollution of our ivcrs lakes and underground waters One leading Canadian magazine devoted most of re cent edition to discussions of the alarming rate at which our wat air and foods are being con taminated Technical journais gave increased attention to all phases of analysing and control of pollution and reports of pol iutcd bodies of water and con demned bathing beaches ap pcared regularly in our news papers How effective the revelation of all this information will be in bringing forth some effective action from the municipalities and industries conccmed will depend on strength of public demand We must first realize what pollution dangers exist in our own surroundings then both de mand that action be taken and be prepared to pay our share of thc costoi such necessary works in the past fifteen years there have been number of notable charges oi pollution some of which have been car ried to the highest courts of law These however are seld om regarded as the sort of thing that could be developing in our own community But on the contrary Investigation of most of such cases has usually re vealed that each is but more obvious stage in chain of more widespread conditions SET UP OWRC in 1955 general investiga tion into these matters by provincial committee led to the immediate setting up of the Ont ario Water Resources Commis sion the first organization of its kind on this continent Today this Commission is one of the leading Provincial Departments in its scope or overseeing and controlling municipal aifairs BECKEII Since the lluted waters are ated by one municipality invar iably now or extend to other municipalities only provincial body such as this can ensure that each municipality is held fully responsible for the proper disposal at its own wastes with this situation iamind we should then consider our surroundings and take stock oi the way in which we are con serving thoso natural advantag es we often proudly advertise The City oi Barrie la quite iortunato that it is able to draw all its water supplies from deep wells centrally located at the northwest end at Kempenielt Bay At pr an four wells reach down some 90 to 290 feet into great underground reser voir of who bearing sands that lie below the low land at the west end of the bay Test drill ing has proven that this reser voir also extends for some miles westward Several laye rs of dense impervious soils seem to cover most of these water laden sands so that we can feel quite confident that the water supply is safe from any sources oi polv lution that might seep down from the suriace very small and usually un noticeabla amount of chlorine and chemical are now being ad ded to the wells to offset min eral condition which although having no elfect on the consum ers causes soft scale to build up in the cast iron mains The hardness of the water is due to its contact with the underlying limestone bedrock condition which is genera throughout this part of the province Equal in importance to out water supply is tha considera ability for selfpurification tion of the manner in which our sewage waste are dlrpoaed We must realize that the lake in which they are now being div posed is II source at water so ply for one of the most den 5er populated summer resort areas In the country Swim mlag boating and other Iuch recreational activities also keep this summer population includ lng many Barrio citizens as well in daily contact with its waters Large as thislalre may seem there is dellnite limit to its Even when water samples are taken some miles out from urb an areas sufficient pollution is evident to require the chlorina tion of all lake water used for human consumption We are well aware oi an ad vanced stage of pollution when we obtarva the way in which the citys wastes have In re cent ycars exceeded the natur al capacity of Kempenielt Bay for selfpurification Where an extensive bathing beach was developed at considerable ex pensc some 11 years ago and enjoyed by many residents and tourists contamination of the water has reached the point where it is usually visible Al gae the green slimy growth fertilized by sewage wastes Is frequently washed up on shore and adds offensive sight and smell as it rots COMPLEX WASTES it is not only the additional numbers of population and in dustries that have created this situation but the increasingly complex wastes that are being disposed with the number oi chemicals now being sold to serve various purposes in the home the once easily treated domestic wastes are moving into the same category as in dustrial wastes As well as there now being many chemical wastes which are difficult to break down to suitable state by the standard sewage processes some cheml cals actually cause interference The great with the processes quantities of foam produced by household detergean can keep waste materials floating in the treatment tanks when they should he settling out Another ingredient oi these detergentsi passes through most water and sewage plants quite readily without being broken down or diminished Every month there are made available for industrial com LvEAns or FARM AND GARDENING SERVICE TO BARRIE DISTRICT BROWN CO orrcns Y9 PLANTS GROWN AT LOCAL NURSERY TO BETTER SUCCESS MOST COMPLETE INSURE YOU STOCK OF GARDENA SUPPLIES PLANTERS PET SUPPLIES ANDGIFTS TORO LAWNBQY Tl LLERS AND MQWERS FERTILIZERS AND SEEDS OF ALL KINDS COME AND sEE us FIRST AND AVAIL vounsnr or our YEARS or EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE gredien or futerrrtora pool tivo action Just what reno tionr of many of these ingred ients have on the human has yet to be determined For nom compounds no suitable tests have been devised for others we must await their turn to be analysed by public health authorities already swamped by the flood of compounds being developed at rate faster than all their characteristicscan be studied Some compound react soslowly on the body that it may take lama year to deter tnlna theirfull effect or while perhaps harmless themselves can produce undesirable effects when in combination with other chunlcals in 1952 the existing scwogo treatment plant constructed on cousrnnr Pnocarss tbc Alilndlio waterfront invlw nu enlarged to lire rated as ruiflclent to give primary treat ment to the wastes from apop Illaan of thirtyfive mound Slaco our present population is still only some 22 thousand it has been frequently stated that there is still considerable ra serve capacity at lull efficicrr cy However when we use the engineerl technique of rating industrial wastes in terms of requiring the some amount of treatment as the was tu from an equivalent popula tion we get quite different picture Several of the citys major ll dustries when assessed on this basis each have ratings rough ly equivalent to the citys popu lation With all sources consid ered we would find that the presmt plant is closer to being only half the capacity that it should be for efficient operation es the rennin ing percentage can be eliminat edaniybytbalastallatlonola secondary treatment plant larger and more complex pro nus Recent tut have rhown that the discharge from the lrcaunent plant to the bay is us ually ten to 15 times more than is presently regarded the ac sortable limit of concentration NEEDED NEW STATION The first important step in correcting the existing state of pollution was taken during the East ire years in tho copstruc on lag station and trunk sewgnrplo the existing piantt Before this unit went into operation some 30 per cent the citys wastes went directly laid the bay without any sort of treatment and at point only TEE BARBIE exam TUESDAY FZRBUABY 1101 some 600 feet from the Bayfleid Straet dock There now remains only one street lower line and several commercial which still go directly to the bay from the area just east oi the cltyl main business see on Approximately eight months ago thr clty council retained flrrn or highly qualified Toronto consulting engineers to bring in preliminary report on the whole matter of sewage dispos al within the city This report which has now been completed will outline the mucus that will have to be taken for proper collection and full treatment oi allwastea the order in which the work should be carried out and an experienced estimate at the cost of constructing and op the recommended works We should well acquaint eon selves with the full content of this report for much of the int ure development of our city and immediate surroundings will de pend on the manner in which we set bout to eliminate oar rapid ly increasing condition of pollu tion and guard our natural re sources Reports of similar types were presented to the Town of Barrie In 1945 1949 and 1952 by three different pad ccpially qualified groups of con sultlag engineers and little or nothing was done in each case as each lacked the support of both the citizens of this city and their elected council During these few years we have seen how quickly the adjacent waters have become increasingly pollu ted nnd the system at sewer more and more inadequate AT MAJOR BAnnIE INDUSTRY rounnen IN 1891 i945 i5 Employees 1961 100 Employees Canadian Leader In The Dairy Industry We Are Proud To Have MANY FIRSTS AT LAKEVIEW DAIRY FIRST completely mechanized home delivery fleet FIRST automatic temperature control led pasteurization FIRST milk clarification FIRST iced milk home delivery FIRST cold milk separation for better quality cream FIRST electrically refrigerated home delivery trucks milk flavour uniformity FIRST dairy vviih refrigerated farm bulk tanks and tank truck milk pick Aaa aow IllfIIlA HIGH TEMP PASTEURIZATION EnAr FIRST and only dairy with AroVac Flavourizer that assures yearround This completely revolutionary process which is theworlds newest and most scientific method ofposreurizatiori enables us toprocess milk with unexcellod flavor and longer keeping time For Your convenience the SealPure Division of nakemwnairy no Offer You Milk SINCE I87I BARRIES In PurePair Containers LEADING For Your Store Purchases GARDENING CENTRE BARRIE OntariosMost ProgressiveCiiy AERIE osodo