[All] Fw: Protect Farmlands and primary recharge with Greenbelt!

[Louisette Lanteigne]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
To: "greenbelt at ontario.ca" <greenbelt at ontario.ca> 
Sent: Friday, December 7, 2012 11:46:59 PM
Subject: Protect Farmlands and primary recharge with Greenbelt! 
 

Hello

I would like to see all primary recharge areas and A1 farmlands off limits to new land zoning under the protection of the Greenbelt Act. 

In the attachments are my concerns specific for Waterloo Region.

At this link is my concern for Brant County. http://www.slideshare.net/Waterloomoriane/brantwater

I provide these two case examples to illustrate that the risks we are seeing are cross jurisdictional.

Developers have specifically targeted the exploitation of primary recharge in Waterloo Region because they can offset development fees with aggregates. Unlike a pit, you don't need a permit to remove hummocky hills from a property if you are a developer. Around Waterloo Region the trend we're seeing are entire subdivision areas being built below grade simply to exploit as much gravel as possible and this creates serious risks for the protection of our municipal aquifers particularly in regards to road salt. 

Waterloo Region is the largest region in Canada dependent on ground source drinking water but this same source is being targeted by the gravel industry and there is little we can do to stop this trend. Our region has over 80 active pits and expansions are planned for below water table projects. Our region has been fighting at the OMB to protect the country side line. With many of these projects now coming to fruition,  developers keep pushing and threatening to use the OMB for delay whenever the city tries to secure further science to avert the risks and too often the OMB sides with the developers. 

I went to the OMB regarding three harmful subdivision projects and I secured new scientific studies but I witness blatent non compliance to the  OMB ruling. The OMB has no enforcement powers and there is no protocols in place to actually enforce these rulings outside of having a concerned citizen willing to pay out of pocket to seek contempt charges. I couldn't afford to seek compliance to the ruling because the OMB process depleted me of all funding I had. It's a catch 22. 

The City of Waterloo has been allowing the destruction of wetlands before EIS studies and I've chronicled it in a power point on line here: 
http://www.slideshare.net/Waterloomoriane/waterloo-regions-drained-ponds


The Grand River Conservation Authority's baseline data is based on pre-development studies paid for by developers. The data is biased and lacks regard for post development impacts. They are also funded by aggregate firms, engineering companies and developers who's work they review for planning processes. It's a blatant conflict of interest. 

Personally I think provincial intervention is the only way we can protect our water supply for the long term. The city and region have no political will to contest the wave of damaging projects we are seeing at the local level. Many of these projects regard properties being developed by a firm called Activa Holdings. In the attachments are documents linking them to illegal banking and fraud in Germany. I raised the concern with the City of Waterloo and Region of Waterloo who stated it is hearsay. The Waterloo Regional Police said unless I'm a shareholder they can't help me. The RCMP was informed and I provided them with lots of data but all in all, this firm is still actively destroying our moraines here and in other locations including Brantford. 

Simcoe is losing their water supply right now and the blame is being put on the SWM ponds associated with their gravel pits. As they washed the aggregates from the farmland area, it released high volumes of nitrate and phosphates that hit the water table contaminating their water supply. The silt filled up the aquifers resulting in water budget losses in area wells further aggravating the water issues to the point they are looking for a new water supply. I don't want to see the same thing happen anywhere else. 

To get to the root of the matter, the reason we are seeing all of these horrendous projects manifesting right now is due to bad science produced by firms such as Stantec. I have witnessed this firm do shoddy work for the Melancthon Mega Quarry. The bore hole data they were using there was taken from the 1940s! In regards to the West Side Lands I got them to sign off on the fact their own work was insufficient. The experts minutes resolved my issues and it's all online here: http://waterloomoraineact.com/expertminutes.htm

Stantec's issues for my hearing were repeated at Mount Nemo and other areas. This firm has no regard for 12 month creek studies, spring thaw bore hole data, proper bore hole depths but this is due to the fact that Ontario lacks rules to govern what constitutes as a reasonable test time or method. We need rules to make sure data is up to date, that the studies are done reasonably and that models can be replicated using chronicled detailed notes to support how those estimates were established. We need criteria to standardize units of measurements for clairity's sake and we need to back up modflow with actual geological data because modflow shows aquifers are simply self contained and that is not now nature works. We must understand sediment type. We also need to have regard for the draw down impacts of wells and do ground penetrating radar on outwash moraine systems to determine risks to aquifers because bore hole data alone cannot reasonably identify the
 risks to recharge along sloped hills. 

I know this is a lot of information but the bottom line is, lives depend on this. We must do the job right to protect our water for the long term. 

I hope this helps. 

Thanks

Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ont.
N2V 2L2
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