According to a CK councillor, downtown Wallaceburg isn't looking or smelling great thanks to people dumping waste in the river and she wants to stop it.
Carmen McGregor will be presenting a plan at Monday's council meeting to possibly introduce a by-law, or an amendment, regarding dumping any sort of waste in the Sydenham River. She said the big problem is people living on the river dumping their grass clippings.
She said a bylaw might not be necessary, but would be a great step towards educating the public. The councilor added she reached out to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, who informed her dumping of any kind in the river is against the law.
"I don't think people are doing it deliberately who know it's illegal," McGregor said. "I truly think that maybe people living on the river don't understand they should not dump their grass that way. It is causing problems for other people and they probably don't realize that."
McGregor said the big problem with dumping grass clippings into the river is they go down stream, cling to break-walls and docks and then remain there.
"The grass and clippings then begin to rot which becomes unsightly and smelly causing what appears to be contamination and algae," McGregor said. "I have talked to a lot of business and restaurant owners downtown and it is a great concern."
The councilor added the clipping can become slippery, which make it dangerous for swimmers and boaters who use the break-walls and docks.
McGregor understands a bylaw will be very difficult to enforce as someone needs to be witnessed or be caught on camera in the process of dumping to be fined.
She believed this is a problem throughout all of CK and is asking administration to bring a report back by the Aug. 13 meeting.
McGregor said the report should include the best method of managing and preventing dumping of grass and organic yard waste into the water systems within Chatham-Kent. She added it should also recommend a possible by-law and further education methods to inform communities.