WASHINGTON - Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), in a letter with Canadian Member of Parliament Tony Martin, called on the United States State Department and the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become actively involved in cleaning up the St Marys River, which has been plagued by bacteria levels that are off the charts and by raw sewage in the river.  Stupak and Martin wrote Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter McKay, to call for assistance from the U.S. and Canadian federal governments. 

“We need our two governments to swiftly work together to identify the source of this problem and take effective steps to immediately remedy the situation,” Stupak said.   “This problem is not going away and it is important that our two governments work together to give residents of Sugar Island and those who live along the St. Marys River assurances that the water in front of their homes will be cleaned up.”

The letter notes that the legislators had been hopeful that the opening of the new wastewater treatment plant in Ontario would resolve the problem.  While bacteria levels initially dipped after the new plant opened, more recent test results by the Chippewa County Health Department found that bacteria levels were once again off the charts, exceeding the tests’ maximum readings. 

Michigan State Representative Gary McDowell (D-Rudyard) said that involving the federal governments was important to helping resolve the problem. 

“Involving the federal governments of Canada and the United States could make a major difference in resolving this problem,” McDowell said.  “I am pleased Congressman Stupak and MP Martin are working to engage the U.S. Department of State and the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this problem.  I will continue working on this problem locally as well.”

As early as June, it was reported that tests for E. coli on Sugar Island beaches had exceeded 2419.6 Colony Forming Units per 100 milliliters.  This is more than eight times the standard for closing a beach, which is 300 Colony Forming Units.   Those reports prompted Stupak to work with Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials, the Chippewa County Health Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Joint Commission to draw attention to the problem.  In early July, Stupak toured affected areas of the St. Marys River and convened a meeting of American and Canadian officials to seek resolution of the problem. 

Stupak has a long history of working on water quality and environmental issues.  In 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Stupak that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from loosening its rules to allow partially treated human sewage from being dumped into waterways.  Stupak has also received numerous awards recognizing his legislative work to protect the Great Lakes.

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NOTE: The text of the Stupak and Martin letter is below.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice                                        The Honourable Peter MacKay

Secretary                                                          Minister of Foreign Affiars

U.S. Department of State                                  Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry

2201 C Street NW                                             125 Sussex Drive

Washington, DC 20520                                      Ottawa, ON, Canada   K1A 0G2

Dear Secretary Rice and Minister MacKay,

It is with serious concern that we contact you regarding dangerously unhealthy levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the St. Marys River near Sault Ste. Marie, MI.  Resolution to this water quality problem in the boundary waters between the United States and Canada requires the involvement of both governments.

Recent tests in the St. Marys River near Sugar Island, Michigan have shown extremely high levels of E. coli, coliform, and other harmful bacteria.  In fact, these dangerous bacteria exceeded measurable limits, testing off the charts.  These test results have prompted local health officials to close beaches and issue a “No Body Contact Advisory” for the river.

In late August, the East End Treatment Plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario placed a new secondary sewage treatment system on line.  While initial testing by the Chippewa County Health Department was encouraging, with bacteria levels in the area declining significantly, it seems that the situation has not been resolved.  More recently, tests have shown that levels of E. coli and other bacteria are off the charts once again.

Water quality on the St. Marys River affects residents of both the United States and Canada.  Unfortunately, efforts to address this problem have not been successful.  While we realize that a solution to high bacteria levels on the St. Marys River may not be simple, we encourage the US State Department and the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry to fully engage each other and do their due diligence to resolve this public health concern as quickly as possible.  Therefore, we request the active involvement of the US State Department and the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry in the identification, enforcement, and remediation of this harmful pollution.

As you do so, we request you detail your plans to address this problem in the appropriate manner, including determining the source of the high bacteria counts.  Upon finding a source, it is important that the two governments work together to stop these high bacteria concentrations and remediate any areas that may be affected.

We request information detailing your respective plans to meet these priorities.  Given the public health issues involved, we look forward to your timely response to this request.

Sincerely,

_________________________________                  _________________________________

BART STUPAK                                                          TONY MARTIN

Member of US Congress                                               Member of Canadian Parliament