Rapid rise in ammonia levels in Canadian city waterways blamed on urine

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:11 AM EDT The waterways of several Canadian cities saw substantial increases in toxic ammonia levels last year, and the prime culprit in at least two cases, according to municipal officials, is household urine. Figures released this month by Environment Canada show major hikes in ammonia levels in the waterways around Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Quebec City and St. John's. The Newfoundland capital, where sewage is discharged untreated into the ocean, saw a 62-per-cent increase in ammonia levels in its harbour. "There's no real discharge limit," city engineer Lynn Ann Stapleton said. "This is the way it's been for 500 years, right, since [explorer John] Cabot came over." In Victoria, the only other major Canadian city that emits untreated effluent, ammonia levels rocketed up in... [read full story]