OTTAWA - In anticipation of the UN World Water Day, NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) released his action plan for protecting the Ottawa River.

"Last year I introduced a motion in parliament calling on the government to take action on protecting the Ottawa River, this year I'm releasing an action plan that the government must implement in order to preserve the integrity of our river" said Dewar. "We should not have to wait for the Ottawa River to reach the catastrophic levels of pollution in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway before the federal government takes action".

One million people use the Ottawa River as their source of drinking water. Yet the watershed is impacted by several sources of pollution including municipal sewage and industrial wastewater. A combination of human waste, suspended solids, debris and a variety of chemicals derived from residential, industrial and agricultural sources pollute the river. The nine pulp mills on the banks of the Ottawa River are significant sources of contamination.

"The growing infrastructure deficit in our cities means that our communities can't make the investment needed to keep wastewater out of our river" said Dewar. "Strong environmental regulations, consistent enforcement and sustained investment in infrastructure are the first steps that the federal government has to take to protect and preserve the Ottawa River".

Ottawa Riverkeeper brings people together to protect and promote the ecological health and diversity of the Ottawa River and its tributaries and according to Meredith Brown, the executive director of Ottawa Riverkeeper, the river needs better protection. “This magnificent river that flows through our nation’s capital is globally significant and brings drinking water as well as quality of life to the communities along its shores” said Brown. “We are encouraged by Paul Dewer's efforts to bring the river to the attention of the federal government who clearly has responsibility to take action to protect this interprovincial river”.

Dewar's action plan also recommended investment in regular ecological monitoring and research, federal oversight of efforts to protect the Ottawa River, ecologically-friendly dam operations, and rehabilitation of vegetated habitats along the shorelines.

"For thousands of years, the inhabitants of this land have relied on the Ottawa River as a source of life and livelihood" concluded Dewar. "We need to take immediate action in order to preserve our river so that future generations can do the same".

Action Plan for protecting the Ottawa River

More than a million people use the Ottawa River as their source of drinking water.

In April 2007 NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) tabled the following motion in the House of Commons:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should commit to setting regulations to protect and preserve the integrity and natural environment of the Ottawa River.

As a follow-up to his motion and in anticipation of the UN World Water Day, Dewar releases this action plan to protect and preserve the Ottawa River.

Problems and solutions:

Problem: Municipal wastewater pollution: large amounts of sewage is disposed in the river. The combination of raw and treated sewage contains toxic substances such as human waste, suspended solids, debris and a variety of chemicals derived from residential, commercial and industrial sources. Furthermore, storm water running across the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau is discharged in the Ottawa River.

Solution: Strengthened environmental regulations from the federal government and enforcement of the Federal Fisheries Act accompanied by funding for cities to improve their infrastructure. Publish compliance records and mandate a public right to know when untreated sewage is spilled to the river.

Problem: Industrial pollution: nine pulp mills on the Ottawa River significantly pollute the water. A typical mill generates some 90 to 130 million litres of industrial sewage per day. Colour, taste and odour have been detected 900 km downstream of pulp mills.

Solution: Stronger environmental regulations and consistent enforcement of the regulations.

Problem: No sustained research: water quality information for the Ottawa River is not integrated or consistent along the river. There is no one government agency that continually collects water quality information on a wide-scale basis for analysis. Water quality monitoring is piece-meal throughout the watershed and there are currently no monitoring programs designed to answer questions about water quality trends in the mainstream of the river over time. No one is adding up the cumuative inputs into the river.

Solution: Funding for research and regular monitoring of ecological indicators.

Problem: No central oversight of efforts to protect the river: the Ottawa River falls between two provinces and a number of municipalities.

Solution: Federal oversight of the efforts to protect the river: the federal government has pumped money into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway because of the catastrophic levels of pollution there. Federal government has to invest in progressive watershed management of the Ottawa River now instead of waiting for pollution levels to reach the same catastrophic levels. Furthermore, the Federal government must take the lead to establish a watershed management plan for the river as well as a conservation/protection strategy.

Problem: Dams: More than 50 major dams and several smaller water control structures can become barriers to species migration and negatively impact the river's biodiversity.

Solution: All new dams must be ‘low impact’ dams. Operate current dams to run like natural river flows. Construct ‘fish ladders’ to allow free migration of species.

Problem: Agricultural waste pollution: discharging of fertilizers, manure, pesticides and herbicides into the river.

Solution: Incentives for organic farming; mandatory vegetative buffers around the river and its tributaries.