[All] FW: lunch in Brantford today?
Robert Milligan
mill at continuum.org
Thu Jan 21 17:35:55 EST 2010
Hi Norah,
There is a slight implication here that Lulu should run for Waterloo
Council (or even the Region). I think she has the knowledge,
toughness, etc. to make an excellent Councillor!
POSSIBLE UPSTREAM SOURCES OF AMMONIA:
1. Ammonia that might be dumped in the Grand River by our sewage
treatment plants could come from:
a) at least our Mannheim Water Treatment Plant where they
combine chlorine gas and ammonia to create chloramine which is used as
a form of chlorine residual (the MOE now requires a chlorine residual
for all of our municipal drinking water thanks to the Walkerton
tragedy);
b) improperly regulated industries who dump waste ammonia
compounds into the sewer;
c) interactions of various compounds -- including proteins in
poop -- to produce ammonia compounds;
d) or ?
2. Inadequately regulated farming practices:
a) liquid runoff from manure piles flowing to watercourses;
b) some animals still pooping in/near watertcourses;
c) nitrogen fertilizer changed into ammonia compounds before
entering &/or while in watercourses;
d) the "gift" (for the health of ourselves & that of the
environment) of municipal sewage sludge and septic tank sludge that is
spread on farm fields as fertilizer likely containing ammonia
compounds or nitrogen compounds that bacteria convert ... ;
e) etc.
3. Etc. (always allow for etc. !)
Best wishes,
Robert
On 20-Jan-10, at 11:13 PM, Richard and Norah Chaloner wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> As I won't be able to attend tomorrow night I send my deep regrets .
> So much happening here.. but I plan to be at the pipeline meeting
> Fri Afternoon if you tell me where John lives.
>
> Right now, I want to pass on the information from the coffee meeting
> I had today with Marguerite Ceschi-Smith. 12 yr councillor in
> Brantford. I met her in Dec at the GRCA Source water Protection
> meeting and wanted to pursue talking about quality in the Grand
> River due to impact from development in the upper watershed. She had
> some concerns last month about the amount of ammonia being put into
> the water in Waterloo...
>
> My desire to talk with her stemmed from the fact that our CAO in
> Guelph was on the Brantford City Staff for some years.. and has such
> a stranglehold on us that the whole council have caved to his
> direction and laud him at every turn . Yet his role is the right
> hand of our mayor .. and he is not elected. He stands between the
> citizens and city staff and is unquestioning and adamant about the
> HCBP group... no contact and no respect. He is behind the SLAPP suit
> I am sure of the young occupiers.
>
> It was a most interesting meeting. Marguerite started out in the
> 80's in much the same situation as Louisette... she moved into an
> area and a road was coming through it... development was awful.. and
> she got together with others and decided to run.. a maverick.. She
> has given me some names of others in the Brantford area. She worked
> with others in a group called SNAP ( Six Nations Against
> Pollution) , they invited someone from the Love Canal to come and
> they had lots of public interest from then on.
>
> There is a local development issue and a meeting last week had 200
> people at it so she sees a revival in protection of natural areas.
> Can't remember exactly what the issue was.. maybe the waterfront?
>
> A new person running for council this year Mary Ellen Kay.. running
> on enviro issues. Would be good for us to meet her I think.
>
> Chuck Beach and Art Meens also are names of local grassroot leaders
> who are actively working on Earth Week activities. They are starting
> an Enviro Policy Advisory Committee.
>
> This is disjointed.. like our coffee break but the names are
> important for a connection. I will see her tomorrow.. at the January
> meeting of the Source Water Protection at GRCA and see if we can get
> contact details for these people.
>
> Joanne Lewis exec director of Brantford Community Foundation and on
> the Environment Committee. The city is very proud of its waterfront
> master plan and there is a Waterfront Workshop April 14th and
> 15th. Also an Enviro forum on April 20th and 22nd and they would
> love a speaker... I mentioned someone with knowledge of L Erie and
> the Great Lakes and John Jackson and she is very interested.
>
> She is interested in GREN coming to Brantford. Wants to connect
> with us. I am missing my little diary.. have left it somewhere.. can
> you tell me where the Feb, March, Apri and May meetings are and
> dates. I think the May one is in Brantford???.
>
> When I get these dates etc I will be able to further the link with
> Brantford.
>
> thanks all.... Norah
>
> Interesting info on Marguerite below.. re the pipeline? She wants to
> keep the river clean! but realizes that the pipeline will be needed
> in Brantford if humans screw up. !
>
> Marguerite is also very active on brownfield development inBrantford
> and at the FCM. Norah
>
>
>
>
> Program
> Registration
> Sponsors
> Sponsorship opportunities
> Exhibitor opportunities
> - - - - - - - - - -
> 2009 Speaker Presentations
> 2008 Speaker Presentations
> 2007 Speaker Presentations
> 2006 Speaker Presentations
> 2005 speaker presentations
> 2004 review
> 2003 review
> 2002 review
> Peter Krause
> Elizabeth Witmer
> Lorrie Minshall
> Thomas Schmidt
> Mary Jane Conboy
> Theresa McClenaghan
> James Etienne
> Marguerite Ceschi-Smith
> Eric Hodgins
> Arnold Silver
> Alex Labelle
> Tony Smith
> Gordon Miller
> Exhibitors, sponsors and organizers
> Grand River Watershed Water Forum 2002
> Case Study: Innovative
> Planning Approaches to Protect Water
>
> Marguerite Ceschi-Smith
> Councillor
> City of Brantford
>
> (Slide 1)
> In 1999 an article in the Brantford Expositor referred to the land
> around Oak Park Road as a "moonscape." Much of this land consisted
> of active and worked out gravel pits. This area was slated to become
> the City of Brantford's newest Industrial Park.
> (Slide 3)
> Unlike the real moon the area below the proposed industrial park was
> home to a surprisingly rich ecosystem, particularly along the south
> and west edges.
> A staff person of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources said
> this: "I wish to draw attention to the perched fen on the bluffs
> overlooking the Grand River southwest of Oak Park. I believe this
> fen to be the rarest vegetation community in Ontario."
> Marguerite Ceschi-Smith was first elected as a Brantford city
> councillor in November 1994 and has been involved with many
> environmental issues ranging from water and brownfields issues to
> ensuring the Official Plan includes environmental protections.
> She is the Chair of Brantford's Northwest Gateway Committee, an
> environmental advisory committee for the industrial and residential
> development taking place in the extremely environmentally sensitive
> northwest corner of Brantford.
> She holds a Masters of Science degree from the University of Guelph
> and has lived in Brantford for the last 15 years.
> More recently the MNR is considering designating this area as an
> area of natural and scientific interest (ANSI).
> For several years concerns were raised by local environmental groups
> and Six Nations about this significant environmental area.
> Council realized that the development of the 440 acres that the city
> had assembled for industrial development had to be completed in a
> sustainable manner.
> (Slide 4)
> Sustainable Development refers to the balancing of 3 goals
> 1. the economic well being of a community,
> 2. the social needs of that community and
> 3. the environmental protection of its' ecosystem.
> (Slide 5)
> While the first two are obvious from a development perspective, it
> is the latter - environmental issues - which will be the focus of
> this presentation. While "the environment" refers to the entire
> ecosystem including vegetation, wildlife, and water resources, we
> will tend to concentrate on the water resources issue in this
> presentation.
> (Slide 6)
> Water cycle: This slide is a graphical representation of the water
> cycle. A portion of any rainfall evaporates, another portion will
> find its way downstream via ditches, streams etc. and a portion will
> seep into the ground, feeding the groundwater table.
> The percentages change, obviously, when development occurs. A much
> smaller portion can be expected to infiltrate the ground, as a
> larger part of the development has been covered by roads, parking
> lots and buildings. This interrelationship between surface and
> groundwater became the most important element in the design
> considerations of the North West Industrial Area (NWIA).
> (Slide 7)
> Watershed: This slide shows the extent of the major watershed
> boundary, which drains the majority of the industrial park.
> (Slide 8)
> Watershed cross section: Here we show, in crossection, how this
> aquifer flows underneath the industrial park, outletting along the
> slopes or bluffs adjacent to the south and west. This is the area we
> referred to earlier as a perched fen community.
> (Slide 9)
> Perched fen: This is one of the rarest vegetation communities in
> Ontario. It is called a "perched" fen since it does not occur in a
> wetland basin, but on a hillside. It is totally sustained by seepage
> from the underground watershed (aquifer). It's origin was probably
> 12,500 years ago along the shores of what was then a glacial lake
> (Lake Warren) and has survived to this day. It contains many rare
> vegetation species, which would be at risk if the aquifer discharge
> was altered in any way.
> While there were many other issues that were reviewed when we
> developed the sustainable environmental protection plan, it is the
> perched fen community which best illustrated the possible negative
> impact of development on the environment (in particular on the
> watershed). That is why Brantford had to find a balance between
> their need for economic growth and the recognition of the importance
> of the ecosystem in the NWIA.
> (Slide 10)
> So how did Brantford deal with this balancing act? How were these
> two seemingly opposite goals integrated?
> The first step was to recognize the problem. The second step was to
> make sure we knew as much as possible about the various issues and
> their interrelationship with each other. While the recognition
> factor was obvious in 1999, the process since that time has been
> intensive and was managed by staff and a steering committee which
> consisted of government agencies, council, staff, community members,
> and consultants. It was a very inclusive approach to ensure no
> issues were overlooked.
> (Slide 11)
> The third step involved the development of an environmental plan
> which provided the framework for the development to go ahead. The
> development of a the draft plan was an intensive process involving
> the public, all government agencies including the GRCA, various
> consultants and staff. The draft plan established the various road
> patterns, land uses, and conditions of development.
> The time allotted today does not permit a thorough review of all the
> details of the planning process (the second step), so I will
> concentrate further on the necessary steps, rules regulations and
> design concepts that went into the preparation of the environmental
> protection plan.
> (Slide 12)
> The lands were rezoned to separate the industrial, residential and
> environmental areas identified as open space.
> (Slide 13)
> An additional control used to protect the watershed was the
> establishment of an eco-corridor to protect wildlife and the needs
> of the receiving watershed.
> Additional buffer zones were established to provide the necessary
> "space" between the proposed development and the no-build/
> development areas.
> (Slide 14)
> The use of buffers, eco-corridors, zoning, and setbacks were
> planning tools used to protect lands that receive runoff from the
> development areas. While these may be intangible, they are none-the-
> less very important by limiting the extent of development.
> In addition to these planning methods, certain physical steps were
> taken to ensure that the runoff from the business park is treated
> before it outlets to the Grand River, and in this case even before
> it reaches sensitive environmental areas. This is referred to as
> "source" controls. A number of methods of treating runoff were
> mandated before any runoff could leave a development site. This
> "treatment train" included:
> (Slide 15)
> Lot controls and site plan control manual
> (Slide 16)
> Oil Grit separators are installed to protect against sedimentation
> or pollution runoff (quality runoff). Additional steps include
> storage of runoff on site, whether it be on the roof tops, or in
> parking lots. This flow is throttled on site and treated before it
> leaves the site and enters the sewers located on the roads.
> Additional landscaping and grading ensures that the water is treated
> on site. These requirements are outlined in a site plan control
> manual.
> (Slide 17)
> Spill controls:Throughout the industrial park, water treatment boxes
> are located strategically to ensure runoff from the roads is treated
> before being outletted. Additional modified catchbasins are provided
> with deep sumps to protect against the risk of pollution from spills
> and runoff.
> (Slide 18)
> Exfilltration trench: One of the more innovative technologies
> implemented in the business park, was the use of of an exfilltration
> trench design. It is a method of splitting the storm water runoff.
> The first, lower pipe, is designed to infiltrate the water back into
> the ground. In so doing, the water table (aquifer) is ensured of
> being fed the same amount of water as it had before development.
> While this may not be workable in all developments, the sandy/gravel
> type of soils is ideally suited for this type of design. The balance
> of the water is captured in the second, higher pipe, directed toward
> another treatment system- the stormwater management pond.
> (Slide 19)
> Storm water management pond: The pond you see on this slide- acted
> as a sediment pond during construction, and also as a storm water
> management pond after construction. Even though the water has been
> treated on specific development sites, the pond ensures that both
> quantity and quality are controlled and monitored before outleting
> to the Grand River.
> (Slide 20)
> Additional methods of environmental protection provided during the
> design and construction included methods to revegetate disturbed
> area, provide physical barriers such as fences or vegetation to
> separate the construction and environmental areas.
> (Slide 21)
> Landscaping: Finally, developed areas were landscaped , using
> locally suitable plants to protect against erosion, and to direct
> runoff to treatment areas.
> (Slide 22)
> Operations and Monitoring: While best efforts can be made to treat
> the runoff on site, the question always remains- are the methods
> used working? The City has embarked on a program of monitoring the
> water- this has been going on for a couple of years now, and will
> continue until the area is fully developed.
> To date the monitoring has shown that in spite of all the
> construction- no changes have taken place in the quantity and
> quality of the water in the watershed.
> (Slide 23)
> Lastly, what happens after the various industries move in. The city
> is developing a land owners manual to make sure that the owners are
> aware of the sensitive nature of the area, that they can help-
> through simple housekeeping rules (garbage, sweeping, storage).
> Protecting the watershed is everyone's responsibility.
> (Slide 24)
> Conclusion:To date phase one has been developed. The monitoring of
> the drainage systems from a quantity and quality standpoint has
> confirmed the desired results; indeed a 30% safety factor has been
> built in. Cutting edge technology has been used to plan for and
> construct a project which protects water at the source.
> The province is rumored to be considering source water protection
> amendments in the EPA. We are proud to be ahead of the game- We
> believe that sustainable development is achievable.
> A few newspaper headings shown here summarize the northwest
> industrial park as our gateway to success.
>
> Make this page printer friendly
>
>
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