SOS Beaverton welcomes LRSCA action on farm run-off, with reservations
Ramara operations are not addressed in this plan
News release from SOS Beaverton
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We want to acknowledge the fantastic support we have received with over 12,000 signatories to our petition to stop the agricultural pollution into Lake Simcoe from the Goodyear Farm operating north of Beaverton in Brock Township, and as well in Ramara Township.
With this support, SOS Beaverton’s legal efforts, social media presence, letter writing, phone conversations, meetings, and the like have resulted in a first key step to fix the problem. This news release explains this development.
At the November Board meeting of the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority (LSRCA), approval was given for a comprehensive plan developed by Emmons and Oliver Environmental Consultants to stop farm run-off into Lake Simcoe from the Good Year Farm (GYF) – Beaverton operations.
We met recently with LSRCA staff to gain a full understanding of the plan and are in support. Construction activities to mitigate runoff from the farm are currently underway and are targeted for completion in Apr 2020. Cost is $1,500,000 in total with 2/3 being paid for by GYF and 1/3 being paid for by LSRCA.
Key to the plan are two large holding ponds and associated drainage systems designed to manage a 1 in 100-year storm runoff equivalent to a Hurricane Hazel size storm. Also being built are three Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCOBs) designed to control surface water runoff. We have three reservations related to this plan.
(1) It addresses the major runoff locations at the Beaverton operation but does not address all of them, including field runoff to the north on Concession 9, and some of the field runoff between Concession 7 and 8. The Board report indicates the plan is expected to address 80% of the run-off from the addressed areas.
(2)Water testing for lake turbidity and chemical runoff from the farm is not included in the plan. It remains our view that this testing is important to ensure the plan works at the onset, as well as over time, as ongoing maintenance will be required for the systems put in place.
(3) GYF – Ramara operations are not addressed in this plan. We remain concerned with runoff from this farm into the Talbot River / Trent Canal and ultimately into Lake Simcoe affecting overall water quality, downstream property owners, fish spawning grounds, and the Provincially Significant Wetland at the mouth of the Talbot River.
A copy of the LSRCA Board Report and associated map is posted below
Comments and requests to be added to our email distribution list can be directed to us at sosbeaverton@gmail.com
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