Water protection and conservation

Our only source of drinking water in PEI comes from groundwater. Fractured bedrock is mostly overlaid with sandy soil 50 that anything dumped on the ground can easily find its way into our groundwater. Nitrates from chemical fertilizer used on potato fields have been leaching into our groundwater for decades and despite repeated warnings, governments have done nothing to end the ongoing assault. Virtually every drap of drinking water in PEI is now contaminated with nitrates, mainly from chemical fertilizer.

Evidence is emerging of adverse human health effects from the consumption of water contaminated with nitrates below levels considered safe by the PEI government. People with contaminated wells are forced to bear the cost of drilling deeper wells or installing costly water treatment systems.

The Green Party believes the right to pure uncontaminated drinking water is a basic human right.

"EXPERT OPINION GIVEN TO US lN THE COURSEOF OUR DELIBERATION HAS SUGGESTED THAT ... THE LEACHING OF NITRATES AND OTHER FERTILIZER RESIDUES INTO SURFACE AND GROUNDWATERSOURCES PRESENTA "TICKING BOMBSHELL"lN THE ENVIRONMENTAL MILIEU."

Report of the Royal Commission on the Land (PEI), October 1990

The ongoing contamination of streams and estuaries from agricultural chemicals, topsoil and sewage has resulted in massive kills of ail manner of life in and around waterways.

Irrespective of the inherent right of ail species to exist, the contamination has impacted the right of some Islanders to earn a living. The shellfish industry regularly loses money when sewage and nitrates affect water quality. Nitrates in the Southwest River resulted in hundreds

of dead eels along a huge swath of the river. The Island is ringed with closures for clam digging and fishing because of bacterial contamination.

Green Party MLAs will:

• Protect the fundamental right to clean water for ail Islanders today and in future generations by enacting a Clean Water Act that enshrines the right of future Islanders to an ecological heritage that includes unpolluted drinking water at its source.

The Clean Drinking Water Act

The aim of the Act is to protect groundwater from pollutants by controlling the direct and indirect discharges of known contaminants into groundwater. Government must do a better

job of protecting drinking water in a province that is 100% dependant on groundwater.

Virtually ail PEI groundwater is contaminated with nitrates, mainly from chemical fertilizer.

The traditional approach to water quality management is centred on routine monitoring. Water test results are compared against acceptable concentrations of pollutants in order to estimate public health risks. The focus of attention is on the test results rather than ensuring that the water supply is not polluted to being with. The Ghiz government's primary response to widespread concern over nitrate contaminated drinking water was to offer free nitrate tests.

A further weakness in this water quality management approach is that the number of samples taken, especially for monitoring pesticide contamination, is very small and not statistically representative. The focus on tap water testing means that action is only taken after test results are known and polluted water has been consumed. The reliance on tap water testing is not supportive of public health protection.

The Drinking Water Protection Act wou Id recognize that every citizen of PEI has the right to pure and safe drinking water. It is based on five basic principles:

1.a high level of protection

2. application of the precautionary principle

3. the prevention of pollution

4. the rectification of pollution at source

5. adoption of the polluter pays principle

The Act wou Id regulate:

Nitrates

PEI's agriculture industry, specifically potato and corn production, is nitrogen intensive. The goal is to return nitrate levels back to natural levels - less than 1 rnq/L.

Nitrogen, like pesticides; will be a regulated product. Sales ofnitrogen fertilizer for commercial use must be reported to government, including name of purchaser, and quantity and type of fertilizer. Purchasers must submit monthly fertilizer application records information including name of business and where, when and how much fertilizer is applied. This information will be available to the public on the government website.

Provincial Sales Tax and a Pollution Tax will be levied on nitrogen fertilizers.

The amount of fertilizer applied per acre will be restricted.

The safe level of nitrate contamination will be lowered to 2 mg/L.

The residential use of nitrogen fertilizer will be restricted.

Fracking

Fracking will not allowed.

Pesticides

Ail known groundwater polluting pesticides will be prohibited.

Sales of pesticides for commercial use must be reported to government, including name of purchaser, and name and quantity of pesticide. Purchasers must submit monthly pesticide application records including name of business, name of pesticide, and where, when and how

much pesticide is applied. This information will be available to the public on the government website.

Provincial Sales Tax and a Pollution Tax will be levied on pesticides.

Sewage Siudge

The disposai of sewage sludge on land will be prohibited.

Septic Systems

The regulations for septic systems will be upgraded to bring PEI in line with industry best practices for the protection of groundwater.

Licensing requirements for contractors will be upgraded.

Site assessments for septic systems will be conducted by government, not the septic system industry.

An intensive and ongoing best practices education program will be established for septic systems users.

Animal Confinement Operations

The commercial application of manure will be regulated. Applications of manure must be reported monthly, including name of business, and where, when and how much manure is applied. This information will be available to the public on the government website.

Polluter Pays Compensation

The Pollution Tax will compensate landowners forced to dig new wells or install water

treatment systems when pollutant levels reach unacceptable levels, allow free nitrate tests for private wells, and when property is devalued because of contaminated weil water not caused by the landowner, compensation will paid upon sale of the property.

Other Contaminants

Ail substances and practices that may cause groundwater pollution will be regulated.