Is spilling drinking water an offence?
Clark Builders, construction managers for a new pool building at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton in 2009, hired a subcontractor to dig the foundation pilings. Clark had failed to locate underground water mains before digging began, and the subcontractor hit a water main. This released around 12 million litres of chlorinated water into the North Saskatchewan River, waters known to have the greatest diversity of fish species of any river in Alberta. The chlorinated water was analysed and found to be harmful to fish.
Following a guilty plea to one count under the Fisheries Act, the company was ordered to pay a penalty of $285,000. Of this, $15,000 represents a fine, while $270,000 will be paid to the Environmental Damages Fund (administered by Environment Canada) where it will be used to conserve and protect fish and fish habitat in Alberta.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Frankly I consider spilling or wasting any type of resource a felony. Not only are you knowingly giving away something extracted from the earth at a huge cost for the environment, but you could be using those resource or items you are wasting to help others. I really couldn't understand people wasting things..
Is there that much crap in our drinking water that it harms fish and widlife . What the hell do we have water treatment plants for???
Dear Gib,
It's hard to be sure from the case note, but I expect that the water was chlorinated; perhaps super-chlorinated. Super-chlorinated water is often used during construction and repair to clean water mains.
Best wishes
Dianne