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F.Y.I. Open Letter to All Nova Scotians: It is my pleasure to send you a copy of Nova Scotia Environment and Labour's recently released Sewage Management Discussion Paper entitled "We all have a Part to Play". Sewage isn't a subject most of us think about, let alone discuss. However, inadequate sewage treatment can affect both human health and the environment. Each summer, beaches are closed to swimming because of sewage contamination. Streams, lakes and coastal waters are threatened by sewage and depleted dissolved oxygen levels that can adversely affect fish and other aquatic life. Shellfish harvesting areas are closed, aquaculture development is constrained and, most importantly, drinking water can become contaminated, which can have devastating effects. In order to effectively deal with this situation, the Department of Environment and Labour has developed this sewage management discussion paper for Nova Scotia. This initiative represents a collaborative effort which also includes Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. The discussion paper outlines the current situation regarding sewage management in the province and explains the basic principles of sewage treatment. The document is the first step toward the development of a plan to address this problem. The booklet discusses the key areas of on-site disposal systems including servicing new development, central collection and treatment facilities as well as raw discharges and financing. In each of these key areas, pertinent questions are asked. The objective of the discussion paper is to encourage input to: * define a realistically acceptable path forward for the full treatment of all raw sewage discharge * define a role for the Department of Environment and Labour in the management of approved on-site sewage disposal systems * establish an achievable and province wide uniform approach for the enforcement of Department of Environment and Labour requirements for poorly functioning central and on-site systems. It is my sincere hope that you will take the opportunity to participate in the upcoming public consultation process. Departmental staff will be holding sessions in your area of the province and I would encourage you to make your views known. If you cannot attend one of the sessions, there are other avenues available to share your thoughts with us. We have set up a toll free number where your comments and questions can be recorded and responded to (1-800-946-9303). Our web page is http://www.gov.ns.ca/enla/ or e-mail or fax 424-0503. By mail, write to c/o Aileen Waller-Hebb, P.Eng., Nova Scotia Environment and Labour, PO Box 697, Halifax, NS, B3J 2T8. Thank you in advance for your participation and remember.... We all have a Part to Play. Yours truly, David Morse Minister -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Volunteer moderator: Paul Falvo mailto:sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca To submit a message to sust-mar, please send it to: mailto:sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca PLEASE SEND MESSAGES TO SUST-MAR IN PLAIN TEXT ONLY MESSAGES CONTAINING HTML (MIME) CANNOT BE POSTED
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