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From a Volunteer Pipewatcher

On October 11^th I set off for the first time into Valley Park with my PipeWatcher Resident Handbook, which helpfully outlines how to identify problem outfalls and gives a map of the discharge points in Valley Park.  I was ready to see if there were any flows, smells or materials coming from any of the pipes.  There had only been 2.2mm of rain within the few days before the 11^th, so I knew that there shouldn’t be any water, let alone sewage, coming out of the pipes (all of the discharges in Valley Park are storm sewer outfalls).

I started out with one of the concerning outfalls: DCT 32, at 10:20am.  There was only a slight odor- I don’t know how much stronger it would be if there wasn’t a significant wind and my nostrils were clear.  There was steady low flow coming from the pipe as well, which spread out into an algae-covered surface before going into the creek.  There was also some debris caught in the pipe grate and in the surrounding area.

Pipes DCT 31 – DCT 25 were fairly non-concerning, providing I could find them or see them well enough.  There was a bit of debris in the grate for DCT 27, but I couldn’t tell if it was materials that would have been flushed down the toilet.

It was somewhat difficult to locate pipes DCT 24 – DCT 21; I believe I found 22 and 24.  DCT 24 had a very slight odor, debris (mainly garbage) surrounding pipe, and a steady low flow of water.  The other only had a slight trickle of water, and there was a small amount of debris around the pipe.

Submitted by: Kirsten Gellein 

October Workshops Recap

With a focus on both the Rosedale and McQuesten area, October's workshops provided residents with another opportunity to learn about the outfalls in their area, specifically RHC-27 and RHC-16. 

While both outfalls have several differences, which include location, appearance, and type (RHC-27 is a combined sewer outfall while RHC-16 is a storm outfall), they both unfortunately shared one common characteristic... green algae, and lots of it. 

The picture below is of RHC-27, located in Rosedale Park beside the Bocce Ball facility. While this picture was taken back in July (it was too dark the night of the workshop to get a good shot), it depicts the same sight that was seen on October 10th. 

This picture is of RHC-16 and was taken Oct 9, 2012 by one of our volunteers. While this outfall raised initial concern due to the extensive garbage buildup in its grate (see previous post), this newly found mass pool of algae raised some eyebrows. 

In addition to noticing these pools of green, workshop participants also noted the following: 

RHC-27 : Pipe was flowing, with minimal smell, and minimal sanitary debris. 

RHC- 16 : Pipe was not flowing, had no smell, and had no sanitary debris. 

"Ah, there's nothing like rising with the sun to take a peaceful dip in your own pool." 

{Dives In} "Lisa! The blob has got me! Don't touch me or he'll get you too!" 

OCTOBER WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED!

A second mini-round of workshops has been announced! Click the poster for a closer look. All are welcome to attend. 

Rained Out!

With excess rain the night before making for some very muddy conditions, September 22nd's workshop in Rosedale was cancelled. Keep an eye out as we try to re-schedule! 

Last Night's Workshop: The Recap

Well, the grate was clean, but too bad the same can't be said for the water. The picture below shows RHC-16, the large outfall located at the corner of Barton Street E and Nash Road N. The picture on the left was taken earlier on this summer, and the picture on the right was taken last night. As you can hopefully tell, the grate is currently clean. In fact, there was practically no debris found at the site. Additionally, the pipe wasn't flowing, and there was no smell. The complete opposite of what was found back in July! 

 While the outfall wasn't exhibiting the 3 actions we ask Pipewatchers to look for, it was easy to tell from the water alone that this outfall still has issues. Check out the photo below. Would you swim in that? Would you let your kids?

Historically, this outfall has not only had visual issues, but confirmed contamination issues as well. In 2002, the city reported it to have 338,000 counts of E.coli, which is far above the bylaw limit of 2,400 (/100mL), and leaps and bounds over the Province of Ontario's Recreational Limit of 100 (/100mL). 

The next, and last, Pipewatch workshop of the month is scheduled for this Saturday, the 22nd, at 11:00am. We'll be meeting in the Rosedale Park area just outside of the Bocce Ball Facility. An informative stroll within a beautiful setting? I think that sounds like a great way to start your weekend! 

Last Saturday's Workshop: The Recap

This past Saturday Pipewatch held its second workshop in the Quigley/Greenhill area. Taking the same route that was trekked a few days earlier, a new batch of volunteers were trained to identify outfalls within the area. Here's what we found: 

This is DCT-16. It's located about 50m north of Greenhill Avenue, just west of the large condo complex at the Quigley and Greenhill intersection. In 2002, it was recorded as having E.coli counts of 338,000 (/100ml) - which far exceeds the city by-law limit of 2,400 counts (/100ml), and the province's recreational limit of 1000 counts (/100ml). 

Here's a closer look:

Gross, right? While there was no strong odor, it's clear that the pipe was flowing and had a lot of debris built up on the grate. Volunteers (at both workshops) also noted dark algae at the base of the outfall. Algae (in these conditions) is bad as it helps to remove oxygen from the water supply leaving harsher living conditions for the creek critters and small invertebrates that reside along the creek bed. 

This section of the creek is also home to another outfall, DCT-15, which is located directly beneath the lookout for DCT-16. For a pipewatcher short on time, this location is ideal! 
While DCT-15's discharges have historically been recorded as less concerning than DCT-16's, the total counts of E.coli were above the levels set by both the Hamilton by-law and the province of Ontario. On June 5, 2002 it was recorded to have 27,000 counts (/100ml). On Saturday, the pipe was discharging, there was only a slight smell, and as you can see, there is some debris on the grate. 

The view looking down. 

The view from the other side of the creek (on top of DCT-16). 

Couldn't make either one of the two sessions in this neighbourhood? Don't worry, you haven't missed the boat! Call us up if you're interested (905-549-0900) and we will be more than happy to arrange a time to meet and show you the outfalls in the area. 

Otherwise, the next workshop will take place on Wednesday, September 19th, at 6:30pm. We'll be meeting at the corner of Melvin and Talbot Street (in the McQuesten community). Bring your walking shoes as we'll be walking along some of the Red Hill Trail, crossing the highway (along the sidewalk of course!), and hopping the guardrail to view one of the worst outfall offenders - it should be a doozy!