DECEMBER 2011
CELEBRATING 131 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
VOLUME 61 NUMBER 12
Pressures on water are rising Handling of washwater, stormwater now requires costly engineering studies KAREN DAVIDSON Drip, drip, drip. That’s the sound of unrelenting pressure on growers and their use of water. For Holland Marsh growers, the issue is about washwater. Since August, four Holland Marsh growers have been charged for failing to have an environmental compliance approval from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) for what, until now, has been routine: washing the dirt off root crops such as carrots and pumping water to settling ponds. It’s what happens to that washwater which is at the crux of section 53 of the Water Resource Act. MOE officials are viewing washwater as the equivalent of industrial sewage. Under that section, any water discharge more than 10,000 litres per day must have an environmental compliance approval (ECA) – a new process instituted October 31, 2011 that requires growers to set up an account with MOE and “register” their activities. To be clear, there is no evidence of any water quality infractions of those growers charged, only a lapse of paperwork. An additional 26 growers have received warnings that if they don’t comply with MOE regulations, their operations will be shut down within 21 to 28 days. Despite those warnings at the start of fall harvest, no operations have been shuttered. Growers are unclear what an
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How water is handled is one of the biggest issues facing horticulture right now. In Ontario, the Ministry of the Environment is scrutinizing Holland Marsh vegetable growers for their use of washwater. Ron Gleason, president of Hillside Gardens Ltd near Bradford, Ontario contemplates his response as he views November-dug parsnips being dumped into a wash tank of potable water. Photos by Glenn Lowson.
ECA provides. What’s required to earn an ECA? Is there ongoing water testing? Is there an expiry date? Is there a cost to renew? “I’m happy to comply with any environmental regulations,” says Ron Gleason, president, Hillside Gardens Limited, one of the carrot, parsnip and beet growers near Bradford, Ontario. “But this is a public issue. I’m being asked to hire a consultant to prove that my washwater is not sewage. For me, the ministries of the environment and agriculture should be working together on how these rule interpretations impact Ontario farmers. On the one hand, consumers want local food but the layers of costs are making that goal impossible.” For Gleason, MOE’s warning to him was perplexing given his
environmental efforts to date for processing his own 500 acres and the washing and packing service for 500 acres of other farmers. All of the freshly dug harvest is washed with potable water from the farm’s artesian wells. Depending on the time of year and what’s being processed, water is pumped at the rate of 50 and 100 gallons per minute. The washwater is then pumped to a concrete-lined settling pond which was built four years ago under Environmental Farm Plan guidelines. From there, it flows into a secondary 1,000-foot settling ditch before entering the Holland Marsh interior canal system. The only time water from the interior canal is pumped into the Holland River is for a short time in the spring when the level
is lowered to allow field drain tiles to run in preparation for seeding. What happens to all that sediment in the settling pond? As required, the sediment is dug out says Gleason. In the interests of recycling, the washed soil sediment goes to a garden centre where it is sterilized before becoming a component of triple mix. “The marsh is the greatest filter ever made,” says Jamie Reaume, executive director, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, refuting the charge that the salad bowl’s washwater is akin to toxic sludge. “The soil in the water is organic because it’s the muck soil of the marsh. I’m afraid that any farmer who washes product – lettuce, celery,
apples, sour cherries – will eventually be targeted.” The Grower’s interview requests to southwestern and central regional directors of MOE were answered in writing by Kate Jordan, communications branch. “We need to ensure water used to wash and process vegetables is treated and discharged according to provincial requirement laws which protect the environment and local waterways such as Lake Simcoe . . . under the new program, there continues to be safeguards in place for the treatment and discharge of all sewage – including washwater from vegetable processing to groundwater and/or surface water in excess of 10,000 litres per day.” Continued on page 3