Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report 3.0

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 2
INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 3
WATER QUALITY RESULTS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………5
CONCLUSIONS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
RECOMMENDATIONS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
Appendix A ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16
Appendix B ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21

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The Toronto Harbour Monitoring Report 3.0. |
Sewage in one of the busiest water recreation spots in North America

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY__...
The Toronto Harbour is one of the busiest recreational spaces in North America. At the same
time, the harbour is vulnerable to sewage contamination due to our combined sewer system,
which includes nine combined sewer outfalls along the city’s Lake Ontario shoreline. During the
summer of 2018, the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s Toronto Community Monitoring Program
documented a consistent pattern of extremely high levels of E. coli (an indicator bacteria of
sewage) in several locations in the Toronto Harbour. Large amounts of sewage debris -
“floatables” were also documented. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper (LOW) is an initiative of Swim
Drink Fish, a registered charity working towards swimmable, drinkable, and fishable water for
everyone.
The poor results from the water quality monitoring in the Toronto Harbour are a defining moment
for the City of Toronto. The findings illustrate that two choices exist: to take ownership of the
problems associated with CSOs and sewage spills and further revitalize the Toronto Harbour or,
be left in the dust (or sewage in this case) as other Canadian cities respond to the public’s desire
for a healthy recreational waterfront. Currently, the public spaces on the Toronto waterfront and
in the harbour waters are vital for the community, business, tourism, and a healthy city, as it
allows people to connect to the water and Lake Ontario. However, increased sewage pollution is
putting this connection to the water and the public’s health at risk.
Swim Drink Fish provides the following recommendations for the City of Toronto so as to take
ownership of the water pollution problems associated with CSOs and sewage spills.
Recommendations:
1. Place signs at each combined sewer outlet on the waterfront;
2. monitor flows from combined sewer outlets located near recreational use areas on the
waterfront;
3. inform the public in real-time when those combined sewer outlets are flowing;
4. clean up sewage debris immediately after a sewer overflow event; and,
5. fund water quality monitoring in recreational use areas near combined sewer outlets.
These recommendations will continue to improve the waterfront, and keep it open for
generations to come. Currently, the Toronto Harbour is an accessible gathering place to connect
with the water, which will only gain in popularity with the continued waterfront revitalization. It is
time start restoring the water quality, so as to match the physical revitalization that continues in
this space.

2


INTRODUCTION __._
Untreated sewage and sewage debris called “floatables” (e.g. condoms, tampons, syringes, etc.)
are common in the waters of the Toronto Harbour. This is due to the nine combined sewer
outfalls located along the shoreline of Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto (image 1). Combined
sewers are underground city pipes that carry both wastewaters from toilets and drains in homes
and businesses, and stormwater from roads and paved surfaces. During wet-weather events in
Toronto the combined sewers spillover, causing a combined sewer overflow (CSO). Essentially,
instead of going to the water treatment facilities, the untreated and polluted water goes directly
into the lake. This raw sewage and the “floatables” contaminates the Toronto Harbour making
the water unsuitable for recreational use. Moreover, in the summer of 2018, the monitoring team
documented high levels of E. coli during dry weather (i.e. over 48 hrs without rain prior to the
sampling event).
Image 1: Approximate locations of the nine combined sewer outfalls located in the Toronto Harbour.
LOW’s Toronto Community Monitoring Program conducted water quality monitoring at nine
different sites along the waterfront of Lake Ontario through the end of May to the end of
September. These sites were selected for water quality monitoring due to their high numbers of
recreational water users, their vulnerability to sewage contamination, and because they are not
currently monitored by Toronto Public Health (TPH). The results from the water samples taken at
the nine different sites are publicly available on the Swim Guide (www.theswimguide.org). The
raw data of the water sampling results for the three sites located in the inner harbour is shared
publicly on the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper web-page titled Toronto Harbour Monitoring
(www.waterkeeper.ca).
3


The water quality results from the 2018 sampling
season (May 25 - September 27), and the severe
wet-weather event on August 7th, 2018 clearly
illustrate the need for daily water quality
monitoring, better public advisories on water
quality and CSOs, city signage showing the
location of the CSOs, and rapid and effective
City of Toronto clean-up crews for sewage
debris.
On August 7th, the average rainfall for the entire
month of August came down in a single 24-hour
period on the city. On August 8th the monitoring
team went to the Toronto Harbour to document
the sewage spill at three monitored sites in the
inner harbour (i.e. Marina Four, Rees St. Slip, and
Bathurst Quay). The team documented evidence
of a major sewage spill that posed a threat to
public and environmental health. Evidence
included large amounts of floatable and
biohazardous waste including condoms, used
syringes, tampons, plastic tampon applicators
and other debris (image 2, 3, 4).
The City of Toronto did not issue a detailed
public advisory about the sewage spill and the
contamination of the water, nor were water
quality samples taken by the city at the
impacted sites at any time during the sampling
season. On August 9th, two days after the
rainfall event, over 10 dead rats and several
dead fish and birds were also present in the
water.
The impact of this major sewage spill in the
Toronto Harbour, along with the results from the
other 70 water sampling events across the
waterfront, informs the recommendations
presented to the City of Toronto. For more
images see Appendix A.
Image 2: Photo was taken at Marina Four on
August 8th, 2018. Condoms, wipes, and
toilet/tissue paper debris is visible.
August 8th, 2018 of tampon applicators, wet
wipes, and toilet/tissue paper debris
August 8th, 2018. Condoms, wipes, and
toilet/tissue paper debris is visible

4


WATER QUALITY RESULTS __._
Over the summer water quality samples were taken on an at least weekly basis at nine locations
along the waterfront of Lake Ontario. Six of these sites are located in the Toronto Harbour (i.e.
the three inner harbour sites (red pins), and the three Toronto Island sites (light blue pins); image
5). All the samples were taken following consistent and reputable standard operating procedures
for recreational water quality monitoring. The samples were processed at the Swim Drink Fish
headquarters, using our in-house IDEXX lab. The water was tested for coliforms and E. coli
contamination. E. coli is an indicator bacteria for sewage contamination. When E. coli levels are
above 100 most probable number (MPN) / 100 mL of water, 7 out of 1000 swimmers will contract a
gastrointestinal illness 1
. The elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals are the most
vulnerable to waterborne diseases.
Image 5: Locations of the nine water monitoring sites sampled by Swim Drink Fish and external monitors
for recreational water quality. Green pin - Humber Bay Park West | Red pins in the inner harbour (left to
right) - Bathurst Quay, Rees St. Slip, Marina Four | Light blue pins at the Toronto Island (left to right) - Outer
Sunfish Cut, Inn Sunfish Cut, Algonquin Bridge | Dark blue pins (left to right) - Outer Harbour Shore, Outer
Harbour Bay.
In the City of Toronto, a beach fails recreational water quality standards when E. coli levels are
above 100 MPN / 100 mL of water. This standard differs from the new Recreational Water
Protocol, 2018 released by the Province of Ontario on February 5th, 2018 2
. The new Ontario
recreational water quality standard is as follows: a geometric mean concentration (minimum of
five samples) of ≤ 200 E. coli / 100 mL and a single-sample maximum concentration of ≤ 400 E.
coli / 100 mL (Table 1). No public consultation took place on this significant change to the
province’s recreational water quality standard. The City of Toronto and Swim Drink Fish have
continued to adhere to the pre-2018 provincial standard of 100 E. coli / 100 mL for a geometric
mean concentration.

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Table 1: Comparison of the new Provincial Recreational Water Protocol, 2018 with the City of
Toronto and Swim Drink Fish recreational water quality standards used for the 2018 sampling
season
Recreational Water Protocol,
2018
• Geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples):
≤ 200 E. coli / 100 mL
• Single-sample maximum concentration:
≤ 400 E. coli / 100 mL
Pre-2018 provincial
standards
A beach or sample site fails recreational water quality standards when
the geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples)
exceeds 100 E. coli / 100 mL of water
Guidelines for Canadian
Recreational Water Quality
• Geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples):
≤ 200 E. coli / 100 mL
• Single-sample maximum concentration:
≤ 400 E. coli / 100 mL
The federal government sets water quality guidelines on secondary contact for activities like
rowing, sailing, canoe touring, or fishing 3
. This guideline for secondary contact states E. coli
levels should be below 1000 E. coli / 100 mL of water (Table 2).
Table 2: Federal Guidelines for secondary contact recreation - Freshwater
Guidelines for Canadian
Recreational Water Quality
E. coli levels below 1000 E. coli / 100 mL of water is “a tolerable and
reasonable approach to protect users engaged in a voluntary activity”
Over the entire summer, the nine sites monitored by SDF consistently failed the pre-2018
provincial protocols for recreational water quality of 100 E. coli / 100 mL of water. The nine sites
sampled tested above the 100 E. coli / 100 mL and failed standards 44% of the time. One site
failed standards every water sample taken (i.e. Bathurst Quay - 100.0% fail; Table 3). The majority
of the samples that failed recreational water quality standards is clearly linked to rainfall in the
preceding 48 hrs. However, two sample sites failed to meet recreational water quality standards
several times without rainfall. These sites located in the inner harbour include Bathurst Quay and
Marina Four. Bathurst Quay failed water quality standards 14 times, and Marina Four failed two
times during 48 hrs of preceding dry weather. This illustrates that even without the volume of
stormwater runoff the combined sewer system is over capacity with wastewater from Toronto
homes and businesses.

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Table 3: Summary of recreational water quality results for the Toronto Harbour for 2018 (May 25 -
September 27). A sample failed if E. coli tested above 100 MPN / 100 mL of water.
Site name # of sample
visits
Percent
pass (%)
Percent
fail (%)
Highest E. coli result
(MPN/100mL) **
Date of highest
result recorded
Bathurst Quay 38 0.0 100.0 >24,196.0 July 7 & August 9
Marina Four 38 50.0 50.0 >24,196.0 August 8
Rees Street Slip 38 68.4 31.6 1916.6 June 19
Humber Bay Park West 16 62.5 37.5 1582.6 August 9
Inner Sunfish Cut 9 60 40 181.8 July 31
Outer Harbour Shore 8 75 25 139.4 August 8
Outer Sunfish Cut 8 77.8 22.2 123.3 August 14
Algonquin Bridge 9 80 20 112.5 June 25
Outer Harbour Bay 8 100 0 31.2 August 8
**colour decoder for column labelled “Highest E. coli result (MPN/100mL)”: dark red - E. coli above 1000
MPN / 100 mL; light red - E. coli above 100 MPN / 100 mL; green - E. coli below 100 MPN / 100 mL. To
download the full sample results visit: http://www.waterkeeper.ca/toronto-harbour-monitoring
On July 7th and August 9th, the E. coli levels measured at the Bathurst Quay site were the
highest ever recorded by the monitoring team: > 24,196.0 / 100 mL of water. On August 8th, the
E. coli levels at Marina Four were the highest ever recorded: > 24,196.0 / 100 mL of water. These
results are at least 241 times higher than the City of Toronto’s standard of 100 E. coli / 100 mL for
recreational water quality standards. They are at least 24 times higher than Canada’s
Recreational Water Quality Guidelines for secondary contact recreational water users, like
paddlers and boaters. Actual E. coli levels on these dates may be much higher; the test values
were outside the reportable range, even after using the highest dilution factor (1:10).
The high results recorded on August 8th and 9th are linked to the major sewage spill after a
wet-weather event in the city on August 7th. In addition to high E. coli levels, the monitoring team
documented large numbers of sewage floatables. The amount of debris was too high to count on
during the sampling visit, so photographic documentation took place. In the photographs,
hundreds of tampon applicators, condoms, swaths of toilet paper, and many used syringes are
seen. Following this sewage spill Swim Drink Fish issued a letter (https://goo.gl/r532oY) to the City
of Toronto regarding these findings. This letter also provides recommendations for immediate
action.
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During the water quality sampling visits, the monitoring team also documented environmental
observations at all the sites. The teams counted all the visible the litter and sewage debris in the
water and documented visual aspects and odours of the water. The water sampling visits and
environmental observations were done over a 40 to 45 minute period. Over the summer we
documented over 900 “floatables” including 246 tampon applicators, 171 condoms, 173 wipes,
164 feminine pads, and 36 syringes (image 6). These numbers exclude the visits where there was
too much debris to count, therefore the amount of sewage debris is actually much higher. The
accumulation of sewage debris is particularly high in the inner harbour and is highest at the
Marina Four site. Over 400 “floatables” were counted at this site during the 38 sample visits. The
monitoring team also documented strong odours including oil, acrid, sewage, rotten egg, fishy,
musky and algae during 46 of the 108 samples events (43% of the time) at the inner harbour. For
environmental observation data on each site in the inner harbour, see Appendix B.
Image 6: A breakdown of “floatables” and sewage debris the monitoring teams documented during each
sampling visit. These counts were conducted over a 40-45 minute period.
The Rees St. Slip site is prone to litter accumulation due to the wave deck at the north end of the
site. Clean-up crews cannot access the area under the wave deck, and the bubbler installed to
push the debris for easier clean-up was broken for the entire summer. During the Tuesday and
Thursday weekly sampling events, we observed continuous swaths of floating garbage and
sewage debris at this site. We also recorded 26 used syringes and received emails from
independent individuals at this site documenting syringes in the water (image 7).
8


Image 7: These used syringes were all found in the water during sampling events at the inner harbour
(i.e. Marina Four, Rees St. Slip, and Bathurst Quay).
9


The individuals, businesses, and organizations renting the space from the city are tasked with
cleaning up the hazardous sewage debris. Over the summer the monitoring team was notified
that removal of sewage debris and trash was often done on a voluntary basis by the camp
counselors and summer students. The sewage debris in the water is released out of city
infrastructure, therefore the city should provide the adequate resources for speedy and effective
clean-ups.
During the water sampling events the monitoring team also records the recreational water users,
and wildlife present. At Rees St. Slip where we documented 26 syringes, we also documented
over 100 children per sample visit connecting with Lake Ontario by learning to sail, kayak, and
canoe. On July 16th, Toronto received 8.0 mm of rain, and during the July 17th sampling event at
Rees St. Slip, the monitoring team was notified by a camp counsellor that a child fell into the
water that morning. The results from this sample failed recreational water quality standards at
181.1 E. coli / 100 mL. Had there been real time monitoring of the combined sewer outfall at this
site, the local water recreation clubs would have been better informed on what public health
measures to take during and after an active sewage spill from the combined sewer.
The monitoring teams also documented the total number of individuals visiting the sample site
during the sampling event (over a 40 to 45 minute period). For the nine sample sites we recorded
over 2579 individuals. More than half (1377) of these individuals were children attending summer
water recreation camps, where they get to connect and learn about Lake Ontario and the
Toronto Harbour. Part of the curriculum for these camps includes in water lessons on what to do
if you fall in the harbour water. At these times the children and other individuals taking lessons
are swimming in the water. Marina Four is also home to many houseboats, where community
members live on and interact daily with the water. This furthers the need for real time monitoring,
effective clean-up, and timely public advisories following sewage spills.
The wildlife documented at the nine sites includes 2632 migratory birds and waterfowl (i.e.
Cormorants, Mallards, Canada Geese, Swans). Overall we observed 3807 individual animals
including a variety of bird, mammal, amphibian, and fish species. During one sampling visit at
Rees St. Slip we observed a turtle in the accumulated trash and debris (image 8).
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Image 8: This photo was taken on July 24th, at the Rees St Slip sampling site located in the Inner
Harbour. The turtle is marked with the red circle.
We documented wildlife that died and could be observed floating in the water. We observed and
counted high numbers of dead animals like 32 rats, 31 fish, 5 pigeons, 2 raccoons, 2 cormorants,
and an opossum (image 9).
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Image 9: these images were taken during the sampling events are the inner harbour (i.e. Marina Four,
Rees St. Slip and Bathurst Quay)
12


CONCLUSIONS __._
The water quality of the Toronto Harbour is severely polluted due to the presence of combined
sewer outfalls that are spilling untreated sewage and debris into the water predominantly during
and after wet weather events, but also during dry weather. The harbour is not monitored for
recreational water quality nor is it maintained by the city, even though evidence of sewage
contamination is clearly documented in this report, as well as the previous the Toronto Harbour
reports from 2016, and 2017. The Toronto Harbour and the recreational water area is heavily
used by the communities, organizations, and businesses on the waterfront as well as by residents
and visitors to Toronto. This waterfront space is vital to making the City of Toronto a socially,
environmentally and economically healthy place. The community, businesses, and organizations
working on the waterfront provide invaluable services to the City of Toronto, including a vibrant
waterfront space for the public to connect to the waters of Lake Ontario.
As the waterfront is revitalized the number of visitors to destinations like the inner harbour of
Toronto and the Humber Bay West Park will only increase. The Toronto Harbour provides an
essential place for people and communities to connect with the water and Lake Ontario.
However, the presence of sewage and the visible evidence and odour associated with sewage in
the water negatively impacts the image of the Toronto Harbour. This can deter and alienate the
public from the area and connecting with the Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario. It is also a major
public health issue. The current situation presents as a defining moment for the City of Toronto
and it’s waterfront, to decide to either make progressive changes, or for it to be left behind as
other Canadian cities move forward and embrace their connection with the water.
Swim Drink Fish strongly believes that the City of Toronto can improve the way it deals with the
sewage spills into the Toronto Harbour from the combined sewer outfalls. By implementing the
following recommendations the city would fall in line with the most progressive cities in Canada,
like Kingston and Ottawa, ON. The City's Wet Weather Flow Master Plan that is supposed to
reduce the impact of CSOs on the water quality is not set to be complete for the next 25 years 4
.
In the meantime, the public must be informed on when, where, and the severity of the sewage
spill so they can make informed decisions on their recreational water activities. In order to make
this information available to the public, we provide the City of Toronto with the following
recommendations to implement immediately.

13


RECOMMENDATIONS __._
The following recommendations provide progressive actions for the City of Toronto concerning
the sewage spills in the harbour. The water quality data and photographic evidence gathered
during the 2018 sampling season illustrate that tackling the sewage problem in the Toronto
Harbour is essential for the development of a vibrant and healthy Toronto Waterfront. We are
calling for changes so that the public can continue to connect with the city’s greatest natural
asset, Lake Ontario. These recommendations are in line with the most progressive cities in
Canada that are also tackling sewage spills associated with their combined sewer system
infrastructure. The recommendations are as follows, the City of Toronto must:
1. Place signs at each combined sewer outlet on the waterfront.
○ In Kingston, Ottawa, and Vancouver visible public signage indicates the locations
of CSOs outlets.
2. Monitor flows from combined sewer outlets located near recreational use areas on the
waterfront.
○ In 2016, the City of Kingston equipped all their remaining combined sewer outlets
with new and reliable monitoring equipment. This helps them identify and quantify
sewage overflows anywhere in the sewer network.
○ The City of Ottawa uses a “Real Time Control” system looking at data on CSOs
and the sewer system infrastructure. Between 2003 and 2011, CSOs were reduced
by 66% by optimizing the standard static operation of the sewer system 5
.
3. Inform the public in real-time when those combined sewer outlets are flowing.
○ Kingston is leading the way in Canada by taking ownership of the problems
associated with CSOs. The city provides real-time information to the public that is
accessible on their sewer overflow map
(https://utilitieskingston.com/Wastewater/SewerOverflow/Map).
○ In Kingston and Ottawa a red light installed over top of the combined sewer outlet
illuminates during an active CSO.
4. Cleanup sewage debris immediately after a sewer overflow event.
5. Fund water quality monitoring in recreational use areas near combined sewer outlets
14

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS __._
The Toronto Community Monitoring Program has helped fulfill the Swim Drink Fish vision of
connecting people to water. This is a program has informed, engaged, and helped connect
individuals to Lake Ontario in the urban centre of Toronto in a unique and very important way.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s Toronto Community Monitoring Program was only possible with
several key groups of people, businesses, and organizations. This is a true community monitoring
program that engaged 202 dedicated volunteers who donated over 1604.5 hours of their time. Of
these volunteers, three passionate community groups helped monitor six sites to better inform
their community members and the City of Toronto on recreational water quality. These groups
include the Humber Bay West, The Wards Island, and the Outer Harbour monitoring teams.
Swim Drink Fish also gratefully acknowledges the amazing support from the Muskoka Brewery &
Evergreen Fresh Water Grant Program that made the Toronto Community Monitoring Program
possible over the past 3 years. Without their support this program would not have been possible.
Throughout the summer we hosted four engagement events with passionate and engaged
volunteers from Muskoka Brewery and Evergreen, RBC, Corby, and Walker Industries. Not only
did these groups make a difference by helping sample the Toronto Harbour, but the passion and
connection to the issue shown by these groups were inspiring.
With the support from Environment and Climate Change Canada the Toronto Community
Monitoring Program will continue next season to be an important citizen-science monitoring hub
and will continue to test recreational water quality in the Toronto Harbour.
REFERENCES __._
1. Ontario, Scientific Criteria for Microbiological Standards for Recreational Waters. Ministry of the 161
Environment, Hazardous Contaminants and Standards Branch, (city, February 1984).
http://agrienvarchive.ca/download/sci_crit_micro_stds_rec_waters_84.pdf
2. Recreational Water Protocol, 2018 [PDF] (Date of Release: February 5, 2018)
3. Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality Third Edition. Her Majesty the Queen in Right
of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health, 2012.
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/canada/health-canada/migration/healthy-canadians/publicatio
ns/healthy-living-vie-saine/water-recreational-recreative-eau/alt/pdf/water-recreational-recreative-e
au-eng.pdf
4. 2017 Wet Weather Flow Master Plan Implementation Status Update.
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-103216.pdf
5. Tackling Combined Sewer Overflows. 2018. Ottawa Riverkeeper in collaboration with Our Living
Waters. https://www.ottawariverkeeper.ca/publications-2/combined-sewer-overflow-toolkit/
15

Appendix A
The three following images were taken at the sample site Marina Four. They
are evidence of the severe sewage spill that occurred on August 8th, 2018.
Photos captured by Flavia Lopez.
16

17

The five following images were taken at the sample site Bathurst Quay They
are evidence of the severe sewage spill that occurred on August 8th, 2018.
Photos captured by Flavia Lopez.
18

19


20


Appendix B
21


22


23


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