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On June 5th, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's Web site reported the air quality index (AQI) for the Sault was 68 at 1 p.m. Measurements over 50 are considered "poor." Ontario's next highest AQI at that time was in downtown Toronto, at 36 - just over half the Sault's levels.

Fine particulate matter was cited as the source of the poor air quality. Particulate matter, the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air measuring no more than 2.5 microns in diameter, can include aerosols, smoke, fumes, dust, ash and pollen. It is primarily formed from chemical reactions in the atmosphere and through fuel combustion - for example, industrial facilities.

A doctor with the Ontario Medical Association says the Algoma Steel Inc. plant is "for sure" the pre-eminent source of particulate matter in Sault Ste. Marie.

"You have large-scale combustion there - very large-scale. Steel mills and smelters are the largest source of combustion in any community unless you have a huge coal-burning energy plant," said Ted Boadway.

The MOE warns that at levels of 68, people with respiratory illnesses should limit prolonged exertion, and the general population is at "some risk."

The province did not issue a smog advisory for the Sault, because the high reading was considered a "brief episode," MOE said. Advisories are issued only when poor air quality is forecast for six hours or more.

The Sault's AQI was 25 at 9 a.m., 43 at 11 a.m. and back down to 24 at 3 p.m.

This is the first summer the MOE has measured particulate matter in addition to ozone, giving what Boadway said was a clearer picture of the Sault. "In the old days you had great readings," he laughed.

Excerpted from a story written by Frank Dobrovnik, Sault Star, June 6, 2003

Visit www.airqualityontario.com to view the Air Quality Index.

Rapid-eau Fined $8,000 for Failing to Maintain flow at power dam on Kagiano River

Rapid-Eau Technologies Inc. has been fined $8,000 - plus victim fine surcharge - after pleading guilty to failing to comply with the conditions of a permit to take water for a power dam on the Kagiano River. Rapid-Eau Technologies Inc. is the part owner of Kagiano Power Corporation, which built a hydroelectric power station on the Kagiano River at Twin Falls, west of Manitouwadge.

Contrary to a condition of a permit to take water, Rapid-Eau Technologies Inc. failed to maintain a minimum flow of one cubic metre per second over the falls between August 20 to September 18, 2001. There was virtually no flow over the falls on September 5, 2001. Further charges against Kagiano Power Corporation are still before the courts.

Tembec Fined $30,000 for Discharge of Silt into Stream

Tembec's Spruce Falls Inc. in Kapaskasing has been fined $30,000 - plus victim fine surcharge - after pleading guilty to two charges related to the discharge of silt into a stream in Griffin Township.

On July 6, 2001, improper road construction methods allowed significant amounts of silt to enter into a stream leading to the Groundhog River. Spruce Falls Inc. was fined $25,000 under section 30(1) of the Ontario Water Resources Act for discharging a contaminant that may harm a waterway. The company was fined a further $5,000 under section 30(2) of the Act for failing to notify the Ministry of the Environment of a spill. The company has also been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to a charge laid by the Ministry of Natural Resources under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act related to siltation.

Goulard Lumber Fined $4,000 for Illegal Waste Disposal

Goulard Lumber Ltd. in Sturgeon Falls pled guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a Provincial Officer's Order and was fined $4,000 plus victim fine surcharge. The charge came after Ministry of the Environment inspectors discovered that Goulard Lumber had not complied with a Provincial Officer's Order to remove waste deposited from the company's site in the Municipality of West Nipissing to an approved waste disposal site.

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