Open Sewer: The Primal Function of a River
Posted by feww on March 19, 2010
“12,000 years of [alleged] human civilization and all we have to show for is Google, Facelift [Facebook] … and cluster bombs.” —JPB
Perhaps, the title of this post could also be incorporated in the above quote, which comes from an email written by one of the blog’s contributors.
12,000 years of civilization and the Neanderthals are still using rivers as an open sewer; however, the waste is getting deadlier each year.
High levels of mercury found in Cataraqui River: Queen’s study
Public release: Queen’s University, CanadaThe Inner Harbour on the Cataraqui River in Kingston, Ont., has mercury levels in sediment more than two times the Canadian government’s most severe effect limits, according to a Queen’s University study.
“Mercury levels in this part of the river have never been studied before,” says biology professor Linda Campbell. “Now we know the sources of the problem and just how widespread it is.”
Most of the western shore of the Cataraqui River south of Belle Park and above the LaSalle Causeway Bridge had levels of contamination, with the worst area around the Cataraqui Canoe Club, just south of the former Davis Tannery.
Over the past century, the area has been home to many industries, such as a coal gasification plant, tannery and lead smelter, municipal dump, textile mill and fuel depot. The report found rain is washing contaminated shoreline soil near the canoe club into the river, adding to the sediment already contaminated by decades of industry.
The mercury comes in two forms, mercury and its organic and more toxic form, methylmercury. Right now, most of the mercury around the rowing club seems to be associated with the sediment in its inorganic form, with very little if any actually being mobile in the river water.
Rower and canoeists don’t have to be too concerned about the high mercury levels because they don’t drink the water or spend a long periods of time swimming there. But more studies will be needed to determine the impact on marine life.
“People have always been worried about lead, chromium and PCBs in the Cataraqui River,” says Professor Rutter, Director of Analytical Services Unit in the Environmental Studies department who worked on the study. “This study looked at mercury. We need to know what and where the major sources of contamination are before we can make a decision on how to solve the problem.”
The findings are were just published in Science of the Total Environment. The City of Kingston and Ontario Ministry of Environment have also received the study results for consideration when making future decisions about contaminants in the river.
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