Also from what I understand the science has been very clear that there is harm to the environment. What the science has consensus on is that there is no health risk to humans based on the current flushing out of the straight. So we are fine but the fish are screwed. Likely not a great thing IMO. Something has to get done it is just too bad that we can't have a single city that would have had this approved and being built about 75 million dollars ago.
I don't think that your assessment of the marine science matches that of marine scientists, at least those who have been featured in three recent Focus Magazine articles (links below). Their main point seems to be that the risk to marine environment is low-risk at best and thus the federal classification of Victoria's two long screened outfalls with preliminary treated effluent should be reclassified as low risk. They see source control of especially-noxious contaminants as the only way to go, with example of microbeads and PBDE that can migrate from the liquid effluent into sludge and eventually return to the marine environment.
Classification of risk is key point because if the politicians really believe that the current system is high-risk, they fall prey to making huge mistakes such as the Viewfield, Esquimalt sludge plant plan that would have seen hazardous anerobic digester stacks producing methane just a few metres from nearest homes. Neither the old CRD sewage plant plan (Amendment 8) nor the current effort so far have included any criteria to assess the options that would be safety, hazard, threat or danger. The only risk factors include so far have been seismic and financial.
However, the health risk to humans is very low according to both current VIHA public health chief Dr Richard Stanwick and ex-chief Dr Shaun Peck. While Peck has extended his objection to the current CRD plan for more land-based sewage + sludge plants through his website of science, engineering and public health Responsible Sewage Treatment Victoria, Dr. Stanwick has focused his sewage plant concerns on two aspects:
- that the cost of unnecessary sewage plants will impact low-income residents especially and their health outcomes will suffer. Therefore a health impact assessment is needed (but not forthcoming from CRD/province); and
- storm drains dumping health/environmental high-risk contaminants right at the shoreline and recreational beaches (Gorge, shoreline around Victoria). Currently, there are about 40 such high-risk storm drains in the CRD (map below shows some of the storm drains).
An absence of evidence: There’s no scientific case for sewage treatment in Victoria, but the community faces a billion-dollar price tag anyway. Where do the candidates stand?
http://focusonline.ca/?q=node/931
Scientists to CRD: petition the feds for reclassification: Marine scientists plead for an evidence-based approach to developing sewage treatment for Victoria.
http://focusonline.ca/?q=node%2F962
Environment Canada's billion-dollar screw-up: A study by DFO scientists found that secondary sewage treatment will have a negligible effect on environmental conditions in our waters.
http://focusonline.ca/?q=node/981