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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1972-06-14, Page 7NEW TORO RIDER Here's a Whirlwind® riding mower with features you'd expect to pay a lot more for. • electric starting for just $49.95* • rugged body frame • adjustable steering wheel • disc brake • stores on end, to save garage space • 5 hp, 4-cycle engine; 25" cut See it now, at your nearest Toro dealer TORO ORMIEraggaiMiNiii"W:0%te maltmaki CHARCOAL in STOCK at SPECIAL CENTENNIAL PRICES For YOUR CAMPING PLEASURE NOW DEALERS OF KAPLUN CAMPER TRAILERS SOME MODELS on DISPLAY Bauer Farm & Garden. Equipment Brussels, Ont. THE Calls Maittand River An outhouse for .Perth" •!(The. 090110 :Pignai Star) "There is no reasou why Haron County has to be the sout;, house for Perth County," Huron Medical Officer of Health Dr. prank Mills observed last week after ,returning from a tour Of the Listowel Sewage Lag9P11 and portions of the Maitland River, "There. is no reason why we have to legally accept this," he added noting that there just seems: to be too much complacency, Dr, Mills conducted a survey of the Maitland River situation last week with Dr, K. Hampson, the Medical Officer of Health for Perth County, Paul Ross, Chief Public Health Inspector for Perth County and William Empey, the chief, public Health Inspector for Huron County. "We first toured the site of CAMEO HOBBY CLASS Beginners and advanced classes, starting. JUNE 20th in shading, velvets and new ideas in paints for girls and ladies. Morning or evening. Mrs. Phyllis Mitchell 887-6697 the Listowel lagoon MOM to see first hand what the system actually was comP9seci of," Dr. Mills explained, “The system is Obviously small for the area that it serves. There are three main Parts. The first, is an aeration tank into which the raw sewage is first discharged and in which are supposed to be two large aeration pumps which float on the surface aerating the material during the first stage of treat- ment." At the time of the visit, Dr. Mills said, only one aeration pump was visible and operating. "The other was not present, and no one had any idea that it wasn't present or why it wasn't present." "The sewage is then pumped from the aeration tank into pond number one which is about a 40 acre pond which allows for aero- bic action between the .organic waste and the bacterial content of the sewage pond," the M.O.H. said. "The pond appeared to be working well, but it was obvious 'from the debris along the side that approximately two feet had been drained off the first pond very recently, and the computed gallonage for two feet on this 40 odd acre site would probably be well in excess of one million gallons," Dr. Mills said. "This is for all intents and purposes, very active Sewage • material which would be high in containT inance and extremely high in organic material which would result in an overgrowth of algae Along the draining system," he added, The third element was pond two approximately a 25 acre final pond into which the liquid i effluent of pond one in theory ig pumped and in which at there should be no solid merial, and at the time of the visit, there was •no solid material visible and from this pond, when necessary, either the material could be dis- charged as semi-treated sewage effluent free of sludge into the drainage sYstem or this, mater- ial could very easily and effect- ively be pumped into lines onto the neighbouring hillside and sprayed as had been done in the previous season. "There was no indication that this pond had changed in level for a long period of time. The water level seemed to be con- stant, there was no debris line, there was just no indication that `any discharge had taken place from this pond from which all discharge, if it does occur, should come," Dr. Mills pointed out. "At the time of the examin- ation of this plant, there was also found to be a ten-inch dis- charge pipe from the primary aerobic tank into the discharge basin for the whole effluent sys- tem. This was obviously a recent installation system as the pipe was still lying in a shallow ditch on top of the ground and was obviously a new type of pipe. The end of the pipe in the aero- bic pond was visible and pict- ures were taken of this and showed that it was readily avail- able for discharge from the aeration tank whenever the oper- ator decided," the M.O.H. said. "I was frankly appauled by the obvious tokenism of this primitive type of treatment sys- tem for a large residential and commercial use," Dr. Mills ob- served. "The sprayers will not be in use this year as the O.W.R.C. did not provide funds for their continued operation. Even though they state, they were very effective in the final dis- position of this sewage effluent," he added. At the time of the visit, it was also noted, that the first pond which should never be dumped into the drainage system of the Maitland, had indeed been relie ved of at least one million gallons, plus, obviously undi- gested sewage material. Friends, neighbours and for- mer neighbours gathered recently at the Walton. Hall to honour Mr. and Mrs. "Wallace Bell, Sharon and Wayne and Mrs. Frank Bell prior to their departure from that neighbourhood. Progressive euchre was en- joyed and following this Wallace, Jean, Sharon and Wayne and Mrs. "After visiting the pollution plant, as such, we then examined, the Chapman drain hefore it re- ceived discharge effluent to 01), serve first hand this drain con- tained no unusual amount of algae overgrowth or sewage or general pollution indiciation. We exam- ined the Chapman drain after the point of discharge which indeed did show that there was heavy growth of algae already develop- ing and even at the time of the examination, the discharge pipe from the lagoon system, was trickling steadily," M.O.H. Mills explained. 'We then examined the Mait- land River at a point before the Chapman drain enters the. Mait- land and found it to be fairly heavy with algae overgrowth and we examined the Maitland River below the Chapman drain and found it to be excessively heavy with algae overgrowth. In order to be complete, we then visited the Maitland River before it entered the Town of Listowel. On questioning the Chief Inspector for Perth as to the possibility of sewage entering the Maitland system in Listowel, he admitted that there were indeed old draihs that entered the Maitland within the town limits," Dr. Mills points out. "I t was most interesting," he added, "to drive to the Lis- towel recreational area where the Maitland enters the town and the Listowel dam is located and to find above the dam, beaut- iful, islands, weeping willows and a very picturesque scene above the dam and certainly the type of scene one would like to see all along the Maitland, and then standing on the dam, seeing the small trickle of water that is allowed over the dam, and within fifty feet of the dam, the water becoming obviously more pol- luted with heavy algae overgrowth and to the amazement of all of us, to observe open sewage drains of about twelve inch diameter running into the Maitland at this point and at several points before the first main street of Listowel." "Each drain was a dirty algae overgrown, foul-looking trickle emerging from it and with the water becoming consequently more and more covered with algae as we progressed down the stream. The source of drains appeared to be a new subdivision area of approximately five years age on a street bordering the Maitland in Listowel," he added. "To sum it up, the Maitland, Bell were called to the platform. Doug. Fraser then read the following address: Dear Friends: Tonight is both a sad and happy occasion - sad because we are losing good neighbours and happy because you will be in your new home. You can look forward with then, as it enters Listowel. is a • typical, clear and desirable con- dition with no overgrowth of algae," Dr. Mills explains. "The Maitland, from its passage through Listowel, starts the pro- cess of heavy Pollution with heavy algae overgrowth and reduced water flow and the Maitland below the point of discharge of the Listowel lagoon system, becomes even more grossly laden with masses of matted algae over- growth and decreased clarity of the water. The algae growth re- sults in the breaking off of these 'tremendous chunks of algae which 'die and in dying and rotting, form huge brown clots of mat- erial which are seen in the lower 'Maitland within the county as floating, foul smelling material that is mistakenly taken to be human faeces." "The whole picture of. the Maitland destruction is one of gross human blundering, of gross unconcern of the Provincial Department of the Environment for the protection Of this body of water within the two counties, of gross misnianagement by the Ontario Water Resources Commission in refusing to cor- rect what they know to be in error acid of gross negligence on the part of the Ontario Water Resources Commission in al- lowing this continued destruction of a natural resource which in itself, can only lead to further destruction of the subsequent natural resources on this trib- , utary system," Dr. Mills charged. "It is time that the Ministry of the Environment got off its proverbial backside and did the job that it proclaims to be so efficient at and that is, to pre- vent pollution of our waterways as they now exist. Their blund- ering is costing us, and it is time that they spent some of their funds to correct the errors which they so hastily installed and are so reluctant to correct," he said. "As Medical Officer for the County of Huron, I cannot condone - the continued and gross misman- agement of this branch of the Maitland River, and I urge the 'County Council and the people of ' Huron to demand of their legis- lators that immediate action be 'taken to halt this tremendous wastage of one of our most im- portant natural resources,'! Dr. Mills said. "We, in the county, have every right to refuse to accept this contaminated water in the Mait- land. Honored with gifts prior to departure preasure to another winter - no • lane to bulldoze out - no hills to slip up and down after an ice storm. We'll miss Wallace with his neighbourliness, always ready to help when it was needed and Jean with her cheerful smile and kind thoughtfulness. Mrs. Bell, we depended on you to enlighten us when we needed information about people and places for school projects. Looking back we remember I the good times of the taffy pulls at the Bewleys(one that Wallace will remember) sleigh rides to farm' forums with Coleman lan- terns, the fresh meat from the beef ring every week. We have watched Sharon and wayne grow step by step from little babies to fine young people we are all proud of. They will find new friends but we hope they won't forget their old ones. You won't be far away and we hope all of you will find time to visit your old friends and neigh- bours. Please accept these gifts as tokens of our warm wishes for happiness, health and good luck froni your friends and neighbours. Wallace then thanked every- one for the lovely gifts and those who arranged the party and in- vited everyone to visit them in heir new home in Brussels„ BRUSSELS POST, JUNE 14, 1972-7 PARTS and SERVICE AVAILABLE M. C. SMITH Sports Division Turn off Hwy. 86 at Elma-Grey Townline and follow the signs -.111.11•11.-