<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div><span></span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "> <div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "> <div dir="ltr"> <font size="2" face="Arial"> ----- Forwarded Message -----<br> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu@rogers.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Regional Councillors <regionalcouncillors@regionofwaterloo.ca>; Eric Hodgins <EHodgins@regionofwaterloo.ca>; "mservos@uwaterloo.ca" <mservos@uwaterloo.ca>; "rdeloe@uwaterloo.ca" <rdeloe@uwaterloo.ca>; Emil Frind <frind@uwaterloo.ca>; eco <commissioner@eco.on.ca>; "info@sourcewater.ca" <info@sourcewater.ca> <br> <b><span style="font-weight:
bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 10, 2012 5:56:18 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Fish deformities in Grand River might be linked to atrazine<br> </font> </div> <br><div id="yiv1998027530"><div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><div><div style="font-size: 10pt; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">Dear Council Members et al. </div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size:13px;"><span><br></span></span></div><div style="background-color:transparent;"><span><span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">Here is a link to the KW article published on October 10th titled "Researcher Blame Fish Mutations on
Local Sewage Plants" regarding fish changing sex in the Grand River: </span></span></span><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/814661--researchers-blame-fish-mutations-on-local-sewage-plants" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(35, 71, 134); outline-width: 0px; outline-color: initial; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/814661--researchers-blame-fish-mutations-on-local-sewage-plants</a></div><div style="font-size: 10pt; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size:small;"><br></span></div><div style="font-size: 10pt; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size:13px;"><font color="#333333" face="Arial, sans-serif">Atrazine is the most frequently used pesticide in Waterloo Region, used mainly on corn and soy
crops. As new development and pits are created, many of these particulates, once captured in sediment of farmlands, are now being moved about, exposed, and rinsed off by precipitation events and/or gravel washing and
it is reasonable to state some of this might be making it's way into our storm water systems and treatment plants. This chemical is proven to change the sex of fish at doses lower than the allowable US human consumption level of 3 ppb.</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size:13px;"><font color="#333333" face="Arial, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size:13px;"><font color="#333333" face="Arial, sans-serif">In Canada human consumption levels are at 5 ppb but data shows a </font></span><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); line-height: 15px; font-size: 13px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">safe wildlife exposures standard of 1.8 ppb. The d</span><span
style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><font color="#333333" face="Arial, sans-serif">ata to support the lower exposure amount is extensive. </font></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><font color="#333333"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; ">The EPA and USGS have found Atrazine in almost every waterway where they have looked for it, and USGS even identified an association between contaminated streams and impaired fish reproduction. </span></font></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">In the attachment is a mapping of the contamination found in the US as created by the US Geological Survey. It would not be unreasonable to state we may be experiencing these same issues since our area sits
in close proximity to identified hot spots. </span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></span></div><div style="background-color:transparent;"><span style="background-color:transparent;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Earlier this summer Syngenta agreed to pay $105 million to settle a class-action lawsuit with 2000 water utilities in the U.S. Midwest because Atrazine contaminated their municipal water supplies. 300 utilities with the highest Atrazine levels in their water will recover 100% of their costs. </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Here is a link with the details
regarding the Syngenta Lawsuit settlement: </span><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.atrazinesettlement.com/" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">http://www.atrazinesettlement.com/</a></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">In regards to source water protection, we must include such matters as a bona fide risks to intakes along the Grand River. </div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
">Currently, staff from
Syngenta sit on the steering committee for Health Canada's Pesticide Management Regulation Agency so personally speaking, I don't hold much hopes for a remedy from the government level. In the US it took a lawsuit to make the changes happen. If we can prove the Atrazine links to our fish issues we might be able to seek fiscal compensation for the cost to remove these chemicals from our treatment plants. </div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div><div style="background-color:transparent;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">It's important we take a proactive approach to remedy the situation because if we don't act we could be held liable as a municipality dispite of statutory authority or immunity. Historically the courts are more likely to prosecute municipalities rather
than higher levels of government.</span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookbrowse.com/oswca-paper-to-cwwa-27-feb-2007-final-pdf-d25588171">http://ebookbrowse.com/oswca-paper-to-cwwa-27-feb-2007-final-pdf-d25588171</a><br></span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent;
font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Councillor Vrbanic, if you could share this concern with members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalties on my behalf I would greatly appreciate it. Perhaps we can secure funding to review the situation via the Green Municipal Fund? </div><div style="background-color:transparent;"><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Thank you kindly for your time. </div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><br></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Louisette Lanteigne</div><div
style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">700 Star Flower Ave.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Waterloo Ont</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">N2V 2L2</div></div></div></div></div><br><br> </div> </div> </div></body></html>