May 13, 2002

Mr. Fiacco,  Mayor of Regina

I believe it is time to address a serious issue facing the City of Regina and the surrounding communities. It’s a fact, Regina is seriously polluting Last Mountain Lake. Hundreds of people in the area have been talking for over 10 years that the quality of the lake water is degrading. I have read the recent article in the Leader Post and have to say it is very accurate. Local residents and the general public have observed and smelled the tell tale signs of a lake which is dying of pollution. I own one mile of shoreline on the north side of Last Mountain Lake at Vale Port. I also own in title, ¾ of a section of hay land which is flooded by the waters of Last Mountain Lake directly in the dumping path of Regina’s sewage. This is the beginning of the south end of the lake where the sewage from Regina enters into the body of water.

On Sunday May 12^th, 2002 my wife and I sat on our picnic table that oversees this portion of our land on Last Mountain Lake. The smell of sewage was so disgusting that we had to go back inside the house. This was Regina sewage and in large concentration that has never been seen or smelled before. It was not plant decay or marsh gas. The wind was from the southwest and brought the smell over our land and into the villages of Kannata Valley, Sask Beach and other cottage areas on this side of the lake.

Like many of the domestic water wells in our area our well too went dry and we have been pumping water for our family out of the lake and are now worried about the future of our water source. Until our area gets a little more rain many of us rely on the lake as a source of water. The cost to have water delivered is 5 cents a gallon but an average family uses about 150 to 200 gallons a day on the conservative side. This excludes the expense to purify and distribute the water. These costs add up when you have to use an alternate source other than lake water.

On Monday May 13^th, 2002 I went to the Lumsden baseball diamonds to see my son play ball. The diamonds are next to the creek and gave off the same disgusting smell of Regina sewage. The whole river chain is becoming polluted and looks and smells like a sewage lagoon.

The lake has seen a progressive and regular decline in the safety and quality of its water over many years. I also have a cottage at Kannata Valley on Last Mountain Lake and have seen a dramatic increase in heavy green surface algae over the last 5 to ten years. This is caused by an increase in nutrients as found in human sewage. The smell is real bad too. When I did some winter scuba ice diving in February five years ago in front of my cottage the visibility was well over 30 feet. This year the visibility was zero, and the water was a terrible smell and brown colour as observed by many of the fishermen on the lake.

I am very aware of the policies of Sask Water with regards to the flow and movement of water. The movement of water is very political and often clandestine in nature as there are many opinions on how to manage it. The louder and convincing voice or the right political pressure has allowed the inappropriate flow or diversion of the water source. Cottage owners on Last Mountain Lake don’t want sewage-tainted water diverted into the lake as a means of increasing the level of the lake. Sask Water knows cottage owners would object if they had an informed decision prior to releasing heavy sewage-tainted water into the lake. We are all aware that the lake doesn’t need more crap in it. Maybe it is time that Sask Water comes clean and explains some of the other diversionary tactics it uses to move and store polluted water on this lake body.

The lake should see more fresh water from lake Defienbaker but Sask Water forces it against its natural flow northward into the south end of the lake against the flow that is trying to get out. Years ago much of Regina’s polluted water saw its way to Pasqua Lake and the rest of the lakes downstream. Last Mountain Lake is at a higher elevation than the lakes around Fort Qu’appelle and Sask Water has to knowingly force it into our lake by opening and closing dams and weirs. With lighter spring run-offs the lake doesn’t get the flushing it needs to keep itself cleaner. The waterfowl area which are managed by Ducks Unlimited/ Saskpower are also very political as they get priority over the cottage owners to fill the much higher elevation of the marsh area first. The marsh area at Vale-port is a much higher elevation that the mean level of the lake and requires Sask Water to put a priority over the human majority who use this lake. Is Regina’s sewage dangerous to birds and animals in this marsh area?

The vegetable and market gardens and other crops which irrigate from the river down stream of Regina should be advised to placard and warn the public that “the water used in the growing and/or washing of these vegetables may contain water which may be deemed dangerous or unsafe.” They do it in other places in the country, are we exempt from warning the public of this health hazard. Consider a young family picking up some unshelled peas or carrots from these gardens and eating them as they drive home. Much of this produce ends up at Regina’s market gardens in the fall. They need to be aware that there may be dangerous coliform and ecoli on the exterior of these fresh and so called healthy home-grown vegetables. There may be a need to educate or inform the public of these hazards now that the concentration of Regina sewage is high.

Regina may feel comfortable that Sask Water is testing the lake for safe levels of contaminants. I am fully aware that around Vale-Port that water samples can change from day to day and hour to hour depending when and where the samples are taken and when and what Regina has released into the system prior to the testing. The tests are sometimes subjective and may not reflect the true extent of the problem. When I tested the lake at my end a few years back the quality of the water was of concern at that time. The fresh water springs at Vale-port also allow the heavy concentration of sewage to be diluted and falsify the true analysis and real danger levels of the sewage. The lake is large enough that the concentration and true content is further diluted by the time it reaches Regina Beach. Regina has a problem if it depends on the “dilution factor”, summer evaporation, and strong water mixing winds to mask the real sewage problem on Last Mountain Lake. We all know this is a poor long-term strategy to deal with the Regina‘s sewage issues. Right now the safety of the water depends on the guardian of Sask Water and Sask Environment to protect us. They have been failing us for years and they now know they are going to have to start enforcing their own laws which they themselves have been breaking. It is unfortunate that these corporations are not honest about the problem as they could have been part of the solution for years.

Currently Regina gets its water from Buffalo Pound and spends considerable money at the treatment plant to get clean water. How would Regina Residents feel if there were major cattle feed lot or a pig farm next to intake of the water plant which interfered with the safe filtration process. If the water was becoming polluted by human waste would Regina residents object? Would the city advise them of when the water quality and safety had become marginal so they can make alternate plans to obtain a safe source? We all assume that this would be taken care of immediately.

Around the Last Mountain lake area property values decline when good potable water cannot be found. The problem is further compounded when a secondary consumable source such as the lake is now becoming unsafe. Regina had recently twined its water line to Buffalo Pound Lake. Regina may need to tap into Last Mountains 70 mile long water source in the future. Regina may be polluting its own future water supply by not addressing and protecting its future needs.

I have regular contact with enforcement staff from the Department of Natural Resources and it has been stated that Last Mountain Lake will be dead within the next twenty years. The increase in nutrients and contaminants from the sewage is poisoning and choking out the life of the lake and damaging the lakes ecosystem. There is a steady increase in the growth of aquatic weeds in areas in the lake that were never there 5 and even 10 years ago. This is similar to the growth of weeds which Wascana Lake has seen due to a variety of nutrient related problems. The stench of the rotting weeds much like Regina sees in Wascana Lake may become another compounding factor in the future for Last Mountain lake without corrective action. There is also an increase in sodium due to a number of reasons including underground springs and Regina water containing sodium. In places such as California, water softeners, which uses sodium as the active ingredient, are prohibited because of the serious impact they have on the environment. The City of Regina has now proven it is behind the times on being eco-friendly with their sewage.

The problem may be that there hasn’t been a collective and cooperative look at the need to protect our water bodies in the Regina Area. Who is the watchdog for Regina’s sewage and the protection of the environment? Does the city worry about what is happening downstream? There is a concern that acknowledging the problem will expose the city that there is a need to address or correct a problem. This may also address the actual fact that the sewage treatment plant will have to be upgraded at the expense of the taxpayers. This is never a popular decision particularly when the city can economically release the surplus or daily flow of sewage directly into the river virtually anytime they want.

The City of Regina must be aware that legal issues including lawsuits are a reality as this pollution related issue gains momentum. The city has outgrown its sewage treatment plant over a decade ago and it needs to be expanded.

Regina has an obligation to clean up the sewage water to the best of their ability. Regina’s controlled release of sewage in this modern day is really pollution. Regina believes it has the same ability to dilute the sewage into a large body of lake water but the evidence now shows it can no longer mask it effectively. In the Victoria, British Columbia the city now has to address the pumping of sewage onto the ocean floor. There are some mighty upset American neighbours who don’t appreciate the dumping of Victoria’s sewage. Our problem may be that Regina has not been able to mask the sewage as well as Victoria because our spring run off is less and sewage concentrations are now steadily higher.

Sask Environment takes serious issue to cottage owners or septic pump operators if they are caught dumping or pumping in or near the lake. They are also very strict on the alteration of the shoreline, which may cause erosion and silt and/or a pollution problems which will affect fish spawning grounds. Regina’s sewage directly settles onto the spawning ground of the lakes Walleye fish which is directly in front of my residence, up from Vale-port. Many people eat the fish they catch on Last Mountain Lake. Is the Regina Sewage problem going to be the final catalyst to the announcement that we can no longer consume the fish from the lake. The City of Regina pollutes the lake during its regular and controlled release of sewage at concentration and volume levels which are astronomically higher than all the violators combined together. This is the real pollution issue which is being politically ignored.

I know many are starting to look at the big picture and the long-term environmental effects of Regina sewage problems. Regina needs to immediately stop dumping sewage into the river system which ultimately makes itself into our lakes. Regina’s real record on sewage dumping is not something we can call environmentally sound or smart. The sewage treatment plant is undersized and needs to be expanded to handle current and future demands of Regina residents. Saskatchewan is environmentally ten years behind the times and needs to wake up and fix the problem.

Regina is the Queen City with a Royal flush of a sewage problem. We are ignoring the warning signs what our environment is telling us. We are ignoring the dangerous sewage lessons from all the people who got ill from North Battleford and Wakerton. Try telling a child that the smell of poop in Last Mountain Lake won’t hurt you if you get it in your eyes, small cut or his mouth accidentally. There is some culpability on Regina’s part and I think an immediate action plan is needed.

The City of Regina is polluting a valuable water and recreation resource, killing the lake and fish, and taking from our children’s future. The negative impact on property values, personal safety and even tourism could be substantial. This will also become an image and long-term perception problem for Regina and its residents. A priority should be placed on the sewage problem over road repair. The City of Regina should be prudent to address any potential liability and environmental issues regarding this sewage problem today, as it will be a real problem tomorrow. Regina’s sewage problem is everyone’s concern especially now that it is in our community’s back yard and lakes.

I look forward to discussing this matter further with you at your convenience.

Sincerely

CONCERNED CITIZEN!

"Regina is the Queen city with a royal flush of a sewage,... especially now that it is in our communities back yard and lakes.