There is a new threat coming to our Great Lakes, North America’s most precious water source: toxic wastewater from fracking. The Niagara Falls (NY) Water Board (NFWB) is working on a feasibility study to treat this waste. They want to experiment with the safety of the water in the Great Lakes! Will you stand with us and tell the Niagara Falls Water Board to not accept fracking waste?

The Niagara Falls Water Board will hold their next monthly public meeting on Wednesday November 23, 2011 promptly at 5 p.m. We need to show a consistent turn out at these meetings to speak out against this experiment with our water. Please consider preparing a five minute or shorter speech to read to the board.Council of Canadians Regional Organizer, Mark Calzavara, will be traveling to Niagara Falls, New York to attend the meeting next Wednesday. Please join him and tell the board not to frack with our water!

If you can’t make it to the meeting, please send written comments to the NFWB.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” is a controversial drilling process used to extract natural gas from shale, coal beds and “tight sands” with vertical and horizontal drilling. Sand, water and chemicals are blasted at high pressure to fracture rock where natural gas is trapped. Wastewater from fracking contains a cocktail of toxic chemicals including carcinogens and edocrine disruptors.

Earlier this month, Niagara-On-The-Lake (NOTL) passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on fracking and the treatment of fracking wastewater in the Great Lakes Basin. On November 14, Fort Erie passed a resolution in support of NOTL’s resolution.

The NFWB, however, has stood silent, and has not abandoned their plans to accept fracking wastewater. Time is running out, as the board awaits a response on their initial wastewater testing. Join us at the next Niagara Falls Water Board public meeting to express your concerns on the risks of accepting fracking wastewater in Niagara Falls.

Speak out and protect Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes Commons!

Emma Lui - Fraser River

Emma Lui

Emma Lui is an activist, writer and researcher. She is a contributing editor with rabble.ca and a member of Cooperative Biblioterre. Emma is also the holistic health director for the Canadian Women...