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QEW Speers Bront e llaceWallac See the transformation of what we can do in relation to others! 905-825-4256 25% Drop-off Discount! w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , D ec em be r 2 4, 2 01 0 4 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakvilles impact on the environment is getting better in some areas, however, the town is still not where it needs to be. This was the finding of the Town of Oakvilles State of the Environment Report, which was received by council during Mondays council meeting. The report examines a number of environmental indica- tors including natural resources, resource use, transporta- tion, healthy neighbourhoods, community engagement and best practices to determine the condition of the envi- ronment in Oakville. Among other things the report found the overall num- ber of trees planted in Oakville each year is rising with 3,791 trees planted in 2009, 3,610 planted in 2008 and 3,076 planted in 2007. While the number of trees planted during volunteer planting events decreased in 2009 to 661, the 3,130 trees planted by Oakville Forestry Staff meant the town still experienced a tree planting increase for 2009. Oakville also saw a marginal increase in its green space in 2009 with three hectares added. The report said green space currently makes up approx- imately 30 per cent of Oakvilles land base of 78.1 kilome- tres, but also said it will be difficult for the town to maintain that ratio as the population increases and north Oakville is developed. In the area of air quality, the report lists, PM 2.5 levels as dropping in 2009, but said this may have just been because of the reduced industrial out- put related to the recession. The pollution levels may also have gone down because there was a lot of precipitation in 2009 causing PM 2.5 to spend less time in the air. Oakvilles water quality was also examined in the report, which said phosphorus and chloride levels in Oakvilles creeks have generally gone down since 2007. That said, as of 2009 phosphorus levels in all three major creeks are still slightly above the Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO) of .03mg/L. Chloride levels in the creeks are also dropping with levels now below the PWQO of 250 mg/L with the exception of Fourteen Mile Creek, which is showing an upward spike in chloride levels for 2009. As roadway runoff and salt use during winter can increase chloride levels, the Town and Region are steadily decreasing their winter salt use. Water consumption is also seeing a downward trend on a per capita basis, however, with the population rising 20 per cent between 2001 and 2009 the total water consumption levels have actually increased by 8 per cent. Overall the amount of garbage diverted from the landfill has increased since 2003, particularly since the introduction of the Green Carts, but because of the growing population the amount of garbage created continues to rise. For example in 2003 Oakville cre- ated 58,108 tones of garbage with 38,153 tones going to the landfill and 19,955 tones being diverted. In 2009, 63,983 tones of garbage were created with 36,076 tones going to the landfill while 27,907 tones were diverted. Oakville actually did better in 2008 creating around the same amount of garbage, 63,857 tones, but diverting more of it, 34,540 tones, with 29,317 tones going to the landfill. The report recorded a per capita decrease in the areas of electricity and gas use for 2009, but said this may have been due to the recession, a warm winter and a cool summer. In 2009 electricity use on a per capita level dropped by more than 50 megawatts while natural gas con- sumption per capita decreased by around 10 m3. While conservation efforts could also have played a role in the energy consumption decrease, the report said, little can be known until future years when it can be seen if the trend continues. The report noted all of the Towns and Bronte Creek Provincial Parks 189 garden plots have been rented since the Town began tracking this information in 2004. In the area of transportation, the report found that more than 80 per cent of Oakville residents use a per- sonal vehicle for their commute. The Town hopes to encourage more envi- ronmentally-friendly modes of trans- portation by adding dedicated lanes for cyclists with 15 km currently in place and an additional 71.8 km pro- posed over the next four years. Town staff is expect to see more transit use following the reorganiza- tion of Oakville Transit to a grid sys- tem. More work needed to reduce Oakvilles environmental impact