Friday, August 28, 2009
Should the Millbrook water system be shared with the new development in Fraserville?
How do members of the community feel about the development in Fraserville using the Millbrook water supply as it's source of water?
2 comments:
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The water issue facing Millbrook at this time could pose the greatest threat to the existence of the community. People have always assumed that there is plenty of water in the area - they see the swamps, the gushing springs and various creeks, streams and ponds. But this is a bit of an illusion. The Ministry of the Environment in their hydrogeological survey of Ontario rates the groundwater availability in this area as being only 'Fair'. One of the reasons that the Kawartha Downs Casino Complex trucks in its water supply, and this was confimed by a MOE official, is that there is not enough water on site to supply all of the casino's needs. And there are two creeks, Baxter and Cavanville that pass by the vicinity of Kawartha Downs not to mention the large wetlands in the area. So this is why the township wants to take the water from Millbrook to service not only Kawartha Downs, but to service as well, the proposed hundreds of residential units, golf course, hotel, recreation center, community center, big box stores, industrial enterprises - and on and on - a 'complete community' according to the Official Plan.
ReplyDeleteThere will be experts at the September 9th meeting to tell you that they can take the water safely and effectively. But the experts can be wrong - especially when in comes to water. There are many instances documented across Canada but one doesn't have to go even that far. Years ago there was a proposition to build a subdivision off of Elgar Drive. The experts said it could be done even though locals pointed out that there was a a large section of water just below the surface. The subdivision got the go ahead and what happened - a huge sinkhole appeared. And experts indicated that water would not be a major issue for the Baxter Creek estate development. I am sure many residents will disagree with that expert evaluation.
If the groundwater levels are lowered by the pumping out of the millions of liters of water needed daily, it could effect wells for miles around. An aquifer in Saskatchewan saw the aquifer levels drop due to a hydroelectric project even though pumping tests indicated that would not happen. It dropped the water level in wells in a 20 kilometer radius - here that area would include Bewdley, Garden Hill, Pontypool and Springville. Moreover the recharge of the well is so low it will take thousands of years for it to come up to its former level.
So why are we willing to give up Millbrook's water supply a community miles away.....
In Penobsquis, New Brunswick the wells of several rural landowners suddenly went dry in 2004. The owners believe the water is now flowing to a quarry that was approved several miles away. But, they can't prove that because water being what it is, it changes direction and flow. Water was trucked in to these poor people for some years, but now the government has stopped water delivery. Who's to say this scenario could not happen in Millbrook as well? The amount of water needed for the monstrous development in Fraserville will be monumental.
ReplyDeleteThe following is from an article on the well problem in Penobsquis.....something to think about.... The Open House about the taking of Millbrook water will be held at the township office starting at 6 pm on September 9th. Lots of questions need answering.....
drinking water to those property owners during the same period. Many residents believed the water resources that once filled their wells now flows into the potash mine. That inflow is transported out of the mines by tanker trucks on an ongoing basis.
Wayne Bell is a member of Concerned Citizens of Penobsquis (CCP), the group that retained DesNeiges' services. He was one of the first property owners affected by the shift in the water table.
"They took something away from us. Now they want to charge us for it," he said.
Neighbour Gary Thomas said his own well used to draw more than six gallons per minute at 90 feet.
"Then in 2004 it went dry. Since we were one of the first families to have our well go dry, I didn't realize that the problem wasn't just ours," he said.
"I spent $2,600 to have the well expanded, and after that it was drawing one and a half gallons per minute. It bought me two years."
CCP spokesperson Beth Nixon said Thomas is one of many people who spent money hoping to remedy problems they didn't cause.
"There were people who were still paying for their wells when they went dry," she said.
Others had to replace washing machines and taps because of the deterioration in the quality of the water as the wells gradually dried up.
Beyond the issue of water supply, there is also a concern that Penobsquis properties are subsiding along with the water table. According to Nixon, septic systems have had to be replaced more frequently than what is considered normal and sinkholes have developed in farmers' fields. Bell, Thomas and Nixon believe the value of their properties has been negatively impacted by the water situation.
-Jane