Qu'Appelle Lakes Chair wants Regina to 'stop dumping raw sewage'

The chair for the Calling Lakes District Planning Commission, Ken Hutchinson, says the City of Regina needs to stop dumping raw sewage into the water system.

"We've been arguing and discussing with the city and government for years to stop the practice of dumping raw sewage sewageof any type into Wascana and the Qu'Appelle, and therefore through the valley."

"Raw sewage it's just unbelievable that they would do that."

The city released strained sewage into Wascana Creek following heavy rains last week in an effort to avoid a back up of the city's sewer system.

Lack of communication about bypass, claims Calling Lakes chair

Hutchinson's organization is a regional planning group, sanctioned by government, that works to preserve theQu'AppelleValley.

He said he and other locals who live in the area are frustrated they were not notified about the bypass into the river system and only heard about it through media reports.

"I would have appreciated the communication.I would have [told Regina Mayor Michael Fougere], 'We have to stop this. We have to sit down and have a meeting.'"

He says the timing could not have been worse. With more tourists in the area and summer residents returning to their cabins this holiday weekend, the number of people on the lakes grows significantly.

"If I look out at [Pasqua Lake] right now, there are not many people on the lake," said Hutchinson, though he did not know if that was a direct result of the bypass.

Hutchinson said the City of Regina and the Water Security Agency are monitoring the water quality, but locals do not know if the water is safe.

"We have no idea how much fecal, how much sewage is in there. I suppose if the dogs get sick or the kids get sick, we'll know, 'Gee that's too much.'"

The City of Regina could not provide someone to answer questions until Tuesday, but did say in an email that it "is concerned about the water downstream and is working with the Water Security Agency."

Diluted waste couldarrive in lakes by Monday, says WSA

In an email response to CBC News, Patrick Boyle, spokesperson for the Water Security Agency (WSA), said based on the travel time, the agency expects the waste to arrive in the lakes by Monday. But he expects the waste will be significantly diluted by then.

The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region said it is not anticipating health concerns over the weekend for the Qu'Appelle lake system, but will re-evaluate Tuesday.

The City of Regina has a permit through the WSA to operate and within the permits there is an emergency provision for a bypass in extreme events.

"It's a very difficult situation because the risk in not having a bypass could be severe and run the risk of permanently damaging the system or losing it all together, that combined with the human health impact from sewage backing up into houses also adds to the urgency," read the email from Boyle, in part.

Wastewater treatment plant a long-term solution, says WSA

Boyle explained that the city is already working on a long-term solution by building the new wastewater treatment plant.

"I believe the city is also planning to upgrade some of their lift stations. This combined with the treatment plant upgrade will increase capacity for the city and should help to prevent events like this in the future."

But Hutchinson says the city needs to find an immediate solution, and he has some suggestions.

"Take some preemptive actions. If they know a big rainstorm is coming, ask the citizens to cut back on the use of water, and that's easy to do."

"And I understand they can bypass one lagoon to another lagoon."

Hutchinson said he has spoken with the provincial government and asked officials to put pressure on the city to avoid bypassing the waste year after year.

"Until the media pick it up as an important issue to be dealt with, it's just going to be shuffled off down the line," said Hutchinson.

"We're immediately affected by it, but we are all affected by polluting these rivers and lakes," he added.