June 29, 1999

To:Works Committee

From:Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject:Metropolitan Toronto Watershed and Lakefront Pollution Abatement Work

1996-1997 Report

Purpose:

To present to the Committee the biennial report from the former Industrial Waste Control (IWC) Branch, Water Pollution Control Division, detailing our findings for the 1996-1997 period.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Not applicable.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

The former Industrial Waste Control (IWC) Branch, Water Pollution Control Division, Metro Works Department, had the responsibility for regulating the discharge from over 1,100 wet processing industries in Toronto. Through routine inspections and sampling of industries, field staff ensured compliance with the Sewer Use By-law 153-89 for both sanitary and storm sewer discharges and conducted enforcement activities as needed.

In 1988, a dedicated group was created within the IWC Branch to specifically address watershed water quality problems. This group's purpose was to identify contaminated storm sewer outfall discharges and trace the problems upstream to their source(s) for remediation.

Both the IWC and Watershed Water Quality groups address what is called "point sources" of pollution. This includes such problems as sanitary sewer cross connections, incidents of poor housekeeping, spills, illicit dumping, and groundwater contamination problems.

Today, in the new City, the IWC Branch is known as the Industrial Waste and Stormwater Quality Unit, of the Quality Control and System Planning Section, Water and Wastewater Services, and it comprises the work of both groups. The two groups compliment each other's work - by the Industrial Waste crews identifying and remediating problems at the industry sites and by the Stormwater Quality crews catching any remaining problems downstream at the storm sewer outfalls and tracing upstream to the source. In this way a comprehensive coverage is accomplished.

During 1996 and 1997, the two groups dealt with 302 point source pollution problems. The results of their work is summarized in the biennial report, entitled "Metropolitan Toronto Watershed and Lakefront Pollution Abatement Work, 1996 - 1997". The report provides statistics on the 302 pollution problems, including details on 96 of the most significant problems found. Where the information is available, it tries to also capture problems dealt with by other agencies as well (ie. former area municipalities, Ministry of the Environment, etc.).

The report is arranged by watershed , starting from the Etobicoke Creek in the west to the Rouge River in the east, with each serving as a different chapter. The Toronto Waterfront is represented as the last chapter. A watershed map at the beginning of the chapter has the priority and other problem outfalls labelled on it. Within each watershed is listed, by area municipality (since this is pre-amalgamation) and then alphabetically by reach number, both the priority storm outfalls and all other outfalls on which a significant pollution problem was identified. The details of the problems then follow the relevant outfall number.

Since the inception of this Watershed Water Quality Group in 1988, 62 priority storm sewer outfalls have been delisted (cleaned-up) based on the parameter concentration and loading criteria listed in Appendix D of the report. Presently, this group is working on the remaining 64 priority storm outfalls. Over this period of time, the IWC Branch has laid 207 stormwater related charges and collected $329,750 in fines.

Conclusions:

This report documents, for the period 1996-1997, the most significant watershed point source pollution related problems found and resolved by the former Industrial Waste Control Branch of Metro Works across the City of Toronto.

This work will continue under the present Industrial Waste and Stormwater Quality Unit of the Water and Wastewater Services Division, with the generation of a similar report every two years. The report will be distributed to the appropriate agencies and placed in the Urban Affairs Library.

Contact Name:

Mr. Vic Lim, P.Eng., Manager,

Industrial Waste and Storm Water Quality

Quality Control and System Planning

Telephone: (416) 392-2966 Fax: (416) 397-0908

e-mail: victor_lim@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

Michael A. Price, P.Eng., FICE Barry H. Gutteridge

General ManagerCommissioner

Water and Wastewater ServicesWorks and Emergency Services

gg:File No. 1078.00