Earth Day Feature: Stop the Flow! Putting rain water down the drain.

The following is one of a series of four environmental articles appearing in local papers in the month leading up to Earth Day...

Stop the flow! How you can help stop money from going down the drain.

By: Allison Muckle
Coordinator, Junction Creek Stewardship Committee

Every time it rains in Sudbury money is flowing down the drain. This is because many homes (especially those built before 1984) are connected to the sanitary sewer system where they shouldn’t be. For example, many basement sump pumps, weeping tiles or even downspouts from eaves troughs are connected to the sanitary sewer system in Sudbury. This means that relatively clean rain water is required to be treated as if it was sewage (a problem called “inflow and infiltration”) – at the expense of citizens and our environment.

During rainfall and snow melt events, the volume of water heading to the wastewater treatment plant can increase by several times the normal volume! That adds up to wasted money; plus, treating this excess water overburdens our sewer systems, meaning that we all pay for additional capacity, extra maintenance, and the reduced lifespan of the system in the long run.

But the problem of inflow and infiltration doesn’t only hurt our pocket books. In Sudbury, certain sewage treatment facilities, such as the sewage lagoon in Garson, are used primarily to address the extra flow of wastewater during spring and fall – the rainy seasons. As a result, the Garson sewage lagoon discharges into Junction Creek each fall. This leads to high nutrient (such as phosphorous and nitrogen) loads in the creek that in turn result in algal blooms and declines in the quality of fish habitat. In addition, funneling rain water and snow melt into the sanitary sewer system prevents it from naturally re-entering groundwater, streams and lakes the way it should to maintain water levels.

The City of Greater Sudbury is currently working on various “inflow and infiltration” reduction initiatives. In the meantime, you can take action to make sure you’re part of the solution:

ü Disconnect your downspouts! By-laws prohibit the connection of downspouts to the sewer system. However, if your downspout is an offender, you can easily disconnect it yourself so the rainwater flows into a rain barrel or onto your lawn/garden. But make sure you plan where you want the water to go! You don’t want it to flow towards the foundation of your home. Visit http://www.junctioncreek.com/ (Stop the Flow!) to link to a handy do-it-yourself guide from the City of Toronto’s Downspout Disconnect program.
ü Disconnect your Sump pump! If your sump pump is connected to the sewer system, you can disconnect it so that it discharges instead onto your lawn or garden. Again you must make sure the water flows into a suitable area where it can drain naturally into the soil rather than pooling.
ü Cap your cleanouts! A cleanout pipe leads from the sewage system up to ground level so you or your plumber can access the sewer for cleaning. However, if the cleanout pipe is uncovered, has a loose cover or is located below the surface of the ground, storm water can get in. You can purchase a sealed cover and easily install it onto your pipe to make a big difference.
ü We all win! Redirecting storm water away from the sewer system is good for your lawn and gardens; will help to replenish our groundwater system; and will help maintain surface water levels in our creeks, rivers and lakes!
For more information about inflow and infiltration and other issues that affect our streams, lakes and rivers, visit the Water Education Area at the Greater Sudbury Earth Day Festival on Saturday April 19th from 10:00-5:00 at Market Square. http://www.earthdaysudbury.ca/