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Study: Toronto harbor waters need help

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Floating condoms and trash found in Toronto's harbor after heavy rains.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Floating condoms and trash found in Toronto's harbor after heavy rains.

Environmentalists in Canada are taking a close look at water quality, and a new study by the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper highlights some serious problems.

The study showed that out of 166 water samples, 106 did not meet Canadian water quality standards. In several instances E. coli was found. That’s from human waste.

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Floating condoms and trash found in Toronto's harbor after heavy rains.
Credit Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper / Floating condoms and trash found in Toronto's harbor after heavy rains.

Krystyn Tully, Waterkeeper’s vice president, said that in addition to water testing, visual inspections of the water were made.  

"Unfortunately, we did find on a number of different occasions sewage debris, so things you would normally see flushed down a toilet," she said. "Condoms, for example, floating in the harbor -- not every day, but definitely on multiple occasions."

In late summer, the group reportedly found thousands of used condoms and floating trash in the harbor area. This sparked concern about the city’s sewer overflow system.

The group is calling for increased monitoring of the Toronto’s harbor.

More information about the Waterkeeper's report can be found www.waterkeeper.ca

 

Copyright 2016 Great Lakes Today

Angelica A. Morrison
Angelica A. Morrison is a multimedia journalist with over a decade of experience in the field.
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