SPRING BAY—A Spring Bay man brought his concerns with untreated bilge waste from lake freighters being deposited into the Great Lakes during a Great Lakes public forum held in Toronto last week.

“My big issue is concerning untreated bilge from lake freighters going into the Great Lakes,” stated Mike Wilton of Algonquin Eco-Watch. “Not only is this putting waste into the Great Lakes but these (ships) are also bringing in invasive species as well.”

“I know many governments, groups and organizations on the Great Lakes are working on this, but things are progressing very slowly. They are not making headway fast enough,” said Mr. Wilton. He explained, “zebra mussels are one of the invasive species that come through the Great Lakes by ocean going freighters up Lake Superior, for example.”

“The other big concern I have relates to regulations in place for black water-human sewage, but similar regulations are not in place for grey water getting into the water system,” continued Mr. Wilton. “Recreational boaters, under regulations, need a black water tank on their boats. This water has to be pumped out at marinas and from there goes into a proper water treatment facility. The problem is there is no similar requirement for these same boats to have grey water tanks on their boats.” He explains the grey water can include the water remains from showers and dishwashing soaps that can be legally pumped out in the water. “There is no regulation for treatment of these type of waters, which is totally unacceptable,” stated Mr. Wilton. “Grey water should be treated like black water. There are no requirements in Canada and probably the same for the US on this. There are chemicals in all these kinds of waters.”

“Some of the boats I see in marinas around the Island for example are very expensive and their owners should damn well have grey water tanks installed on them and have this water pumped out properly,” concluded Mr. Wilton.