We’re having some strange weather this summer in southern Ontario. Record rainfalls. Localized flooding. Reports of Tornadoes. All this after near record snowfalls this winter. While most of this has done great things for my garden, the extreme weather events are wreaking havoc on lakes and rivers, and have briefly closed beaches in cities across Ontario, including Ottawa and Toronto.
This is why people don’t think they can enjoy beaches in our communities. Every once and a while a big storm event washes nasty chemicals and bacteria into the swimming areas, and the influx of water kicks up pollutants settled on the lake and riverbeds causing folks to run from the water. Even if nature quickly deals with the problem naturally, our perceptions are often much more resistant to change and we stay away in fear.
And this is only the beginning. If climate change experts are right, then we can expect sever storms events to become more common and beach closures to be more frequent. More severe storms bring intense rains. Intense rains over short periods of time contribute to higher levels of pollution into our waterways. More pollution means increased health threats and fewer days at the beach.
It’s sad really. The one place (the beach) where most children experience one of Canada’s vast natural resources (freshwater) is being ruined by another one of nature’s most important gifts (rain). But it’s not nature’s fault. We are the ones contributing to the pollution and keeping our kids out of the water. We’ve destroyed the natural flow of things and without action, the problem will only get worse.
And where is our government? Last week in Ontario, a huge new infrastructure deal with the federal government was announced that does not mention critical wastewater and stormwater repairs and improvements.
Action must be taken to protect our water and beaches, and limit closures that ruin summer days and our chance to bond with our rivers and lakes. We can all do things at home that can help, but governments need to make the big investments and laws that will have a lasting impact.
Check with a local health authority to see if a beach is safe for swimming, or check out www.blueflag.ca for a Blue Flag beach near you. Blue Flag is the international standard for sustainable beaches tracking not only water quality, but the protection of natural ecosystems and providing onsite services and gives us one examples of how communities are working together to protect our beaches.…