Application to take millions of litres a day prompts calls for Tiny council to defend “purest” water
Mayor George Cornell
By Kate Harries AWARE News Network
Tiny Township residents as well as members of council expressed concerns Monday about an application by CRH Canada Group Ltd. for a renewal of a permit to take water at its Waverley Teedon Pit.
Councillors requested a report from their engineering consultants J. J. Burnside and deferred any action on the application until their next meetings on Monday February 12.
The application is posted on the EBR Registry (#013-2282); the deadline for public comment is February 22.
CRH, which operates the pit through its division Dufferin Aggregates, seeks a 10-year licence to take 1.6 million litres a day from a well, and another 5.2 million litres from a pond, 210 days a year.
In submissions to committee of the whole on Monday January 29 2017, area residents and representatives of the Friends of the Waverley Uplands and the Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations (FOTTSA) urged council to oppose granting the permit.
Many referred to the studies by Bill Shotyk, Bocock chair of Agriculture and the Environment at the University of Alberta, who has tested the area’s water for over 25 years and found that it’s cleaner than 5,000-year-old Arctic ice cores.
“This is a huge issue,” said FOTTSA representative Kate Dewey. “This is the purest water that’s ever been tested on this planet. That’s awesome! That’s what we’re drinking here. What a blessing!”
Dewey noted that the cottager groups were among the many who successfully opposed Dump Site 41 because of concern about the impact on the aquifer below, which also underlies the Teedon Pit.
“There is a strong argument for asking the minister of natural resources and forestry to give the aquifer environmental protection,” she said.
“We urge council to vigorously oppose the renewal of the permit to take water for use in the Teedon Pit and that it explore all avenues for taking a stand on this issue,”
The request was echoed by a group representing those living next to the pit. “Friends of the Waverley Uplands object to any further extension of the water-taking permit on the Teedon Pit,” said Pete Anderson, noting that “the gold standard of water … flows from French’s Hill.”
But Anderson warned, “we’re not only here to talk about the hill, we need council to step up and support the Greenbelt… When I look at the Greenbelt (study area), there’s nothing in North Simcoe County and I find that hard to believe when the Couchiching Conservancy recognizes the Waverley Uplands as a significant recharge area.”
Bonnie Pauze drew council’s attention to a critical 2007 report by Doug Jagger on the original permit to take water, applied for by then owner Beamish Construction.
Jagger, whose firm Jagger Hims was Simcoe County’s hydrogeological consultant at the time, found that Beamish’s report failed to address long-term changes to the water budget related to global warming. These changes could reduce groundwater levels which in turn would affect the catchment area, Jagger wrote, recommending a cumulative impact assessment.
Jagger also noted that the source of water for the underlying aquifer is principally in the upland area and suggested the County of Simcoe consider establishing the lands in the vicinity of Waverley as a groundwater protection zone.
“I know you weren’t on council, and one council can blame another council… but let’s have some vision!” Pauze urged. “What about this cumulative impact assessment? It’s been 10 years, we spend money on a lot of things.”
And, she added: “ I hope we have the courage for the future of this township. This council needs to think, do you want to be remembered for the guys who ruined the water, or the guys who saved the water?”
Dave Barkey, who has been helping with a door-to-door survey of residents, said many have sediment issues in the summer months. One well went dry and came back the next day. Filters on appliances need replacement. Vibrations can be felt as far away as County Road 93.
“Anybody I’ve talked to, they’ve never had problems prior to as far as 10 years ago,” Barkey said. He called on council to ask the natural resources ministry to put a stay on the water-taking permit until an independent cumulative impact study can be completed.
Anne Ritchie Nahuis noted that the permit application comes before any meeting of the committee that Dufferin undertook to set up. “No information has been forwarded to people who have expressed an interest and concern in the site, she said. “And this to me shows that the proponent is really not interested in the public’s opinion.”
Members of council were supportive.
“The non-compliances we’re seeing at this pit, I have a serious problem with,” said Councillor Richard Hinton. “I would not accept what you guys are going through if I lived there.”
Councillor Cindy Hastings said she feels there are significant flaws with the rules set by the province. “I do want to discuss,” she said, when time permits, “some flaws with the whole aggregate act and the process with regards to site plan and expansions and continued operations.”
Mayor George Cornell reported that County Warden Gerry Marshall, following his attendance at the November 2017 Water Walk, had convened a meeting of the mayors of Tiny, Tay, Springwater and Oro-Medonte to discuss the situation.
They are waiting for further input from the public, Cornell said, but hope to meet with Nathalie Des Rosiers, the new minister of natural resources and forestry, at the February 25-28 Ontario Good Roads Association conference.
Cornell said noted he’s “disappointed” to hear that Dufferin hasn’t worked with the community on well-monitoring. Instead, community members themselves have started the process to establish a baseline.
He added that he’s “perplexed” that the community liaison committee has not met, “yet we see an application coming forward to extend the (permit) to take water. I find that a little disconcerting.”
Cornell said there could be timing issues that prompted the application being filed before the committee met. However, he said, “I certainly am not supportive of seeing private wells being disrupted by an aggregate operation in the community… I would hope the proponent doesn’t support that either.”
Comments on the CRH application can be posted online or mailed to: Central Region Permit To Take Coordinator, MOECC, Drinking Water and Environmental Compliance Division, 5775 Yonge Street Floor 8, Toronto ON M2M 4J1
Phone: (416) 326-3323 Toll Free Phone: (800) 810- 8048
Link to YouTube video of council meeting (7:31-1:13:33 mns)
This water should be protected from commercial and industrial interests.
Next Tiny Council Meeting February 12 – 9 am
Councillor Hastings – Chair
This water should be protected from commercial use, period. No one should profit from our precious, local resource.
The people of Simcoe County need to Stand Shoulder to Shoulder to defend this precious water or it will be forever lost to us all.
This being the purest water in the world should not be used to wash aggregate. There are people who have not got any clean drinking water and here we are washing stones! This is not right. Big question what happens to the water after the aggregate has been washed. Where will it go? How will it be cleaned? I am definitely opposed to this permit.
Water is life❤️ Protect the sacred!
Rape the trees, rape the land, suck up and waste OUR fresh, pure water and in the process, destroy the natural filtration system. That sounds like an intelligent plan,, NOT! This area should be legally protected. I find it hard to believe that this issue is even a debate. Someone’s pockets are being lined.
So glad that Aware is working on this issue. This is one of many locations where legislation is needed to protect the water.
This application renewal should be turned down. Drinking water for people should always come first.
We need to take care of this precious water. When this was an issue before, people’s voices were heard. Why is this happening again? We must band together and make our voices count!
are you kidding me do you know it has been scientifically proven that all the water will be gone in Simcoe County in 15 years with all the bottled water plants, Nestle to name one then with the EBR# 013-2282 it is unbelievable that any of this would pass. Stop the madness now . We are all dead without water
Do not allow this renewal to take place! We must be working to protect our water, our life, rather than handing it over to corporations for wash and waste. Water is life.
When will we, as a species inhabiting this planet recognize this precious element of the earth, for what it truly is, a giver of life. This water from this aquifer is of the purest on the planet, it is not a resource, it is to be protected as any heritage site would be. It does not exist to be compromised or poisoned but protected and thanked for giving us life. We, the human race is busy securing our end on this planet by our thoughtless, greedy actions.
This water should be protected. We are already living in a country with so many water crisis currently going on. We should be protecting what clean water we have and finding ways to help others have access to clean water not distroying what we have left.