[All] Minutes of January GREN Meeting

Fri Feb 3 09:30:23 EST 2012

Hi All-

GREN minutes are attached and below.

Susan B.

GREN Meeting Minutes - Jan. 25, 2012

Waterloo Region Headquarters

1.     Presentation on Source Water Protection in Waterloo Region, by Leanne
Lobe,  Supervisor -Source Water Protection for Region of Waterloo 

.         Waterloo Region is in the Lake Erie Source Protection Region,
which consists of four watershed areas: Kettle Creek, Catfish Creek, Long
Point Region and Grand River.

.         As per Ontario's Clean Water Act (2006), the Region and other
municipalities are required to develop a plan to protect municipal water.
The plan will a) identify the sources of municipal drinking water, including
municipal wells, river and lake intakes, b) outline the threats to the
quality and quantity of water in source areas, c) propose actions needed to
reduce those threats and protect source water.

.         The task of developing protection plans is guided by the Lake Erie
Region Source Protection Committee, and the GRCA co-ordinates the planning
process. The first step is an Assessment Report to identify all the water
sources and the threats to each. The Region completed its assessment report
in draft form in 2010 and submitted it to the MOE for comments. MOE comments
are not yet in. The Region has gone ahead discussing strategies and drafting
policies for the final protection plan. Public consultation will take place
once the policies and final plan are approved---probably not before fall
2013.

.         For doing Assessment Reports, the MOE has prescribed 19 specific
threats (e.g. chemical storage, manure spreading,  septics) and identified
the specific circumstances where the threat can be actual ones (e.g. within
100 meters of a municipal well, sandy soil, high water table). The risk for
any area is calculated based on the hazard rating of the threat, on a
10-point scale, and the vulnerability of the water source, on a 10-point
scale. The risk score is calculated by multiplying the hazard rating by the
vulnerability score. The result will be a number on a 100-point scale: Risk
score = Hazard rating x Vulnerability score. Based on the results, threats
are placed into one of three categories: 

.         Significant threat -  80 to 100

.         Moderate threat  -   60-79

.         Low threat        -    41-50

{Note:  This is complicated! To learn more, go to
<http://www.sourcewater.ca> Lake Erie Source Protection Region website}

.         Chloride, DNAPLs, TCE, and nitrates are the main threats to the
Region's wells. The Region is working on drafting the protection policies.
The potential costs of implementation could be huge. The current thinking is
to

.         Be more restrictive nearer the wells, or where specific wells are
particularly vulnerable.

.         Use a carrot and stick approach, starting with a more voluntary
approach for landowners in the early years and becoming more restrictive
after the first 5-year period.

.         Use existing programs wherever possible.

.         The Clean Water Act gives the Region more tools than the
traditional ones of incentives and education. To address significant
threats, the Region can prohibit an activity; restrict land use; negotiate
individual risk management plans (RMPs) with landowners.

.         For example, the draft policies to deal with the threat of salt on
parking lots close to wells:

.         Large lot - require training and accreditation in the Smart about
Salt program

.         Medium lot - give incentives for operators to get above
accreditation

.         Small lot -  educate the operators on wise use of salt

.         Question: How does the Region propose to educate the public about
salt and other threats? Leanne responded they're already doing it, for
example with the Smart About Salt program (a Region initiative that is now
national.) However, it's tricky because while they want to get out the
message, they don't want to scare people into not drinking the water.

.         Question: Who will enforce the restrictions? Leanne responded that
the Region will have inspectors. They are working on how many and the costs.

.         Question: What about surface water intake zones? Leanne responded
that there are no significant threats reported in the water intake zones
from the Grand River.

.         Leanne noted that the Region's Official Plan can be more
restrictive than what can be written into the Source Water Protection Plan.
She noted "holes" in the Clean Water Act on aggregate issues and
pre-existing contaminated sites.

2.     Presentation on Saving Hidden Valley - Daphne Nichols

.         Daphne explained the negative impacts on the ESPAs and rare
features (including breeding areas of Jefferson salamanders) of Hidden
Valley of the proposed extension of River Rd. and exit from Highway 7-8. 

.         It was noted that whenever alternative routes are proposed and
considered by the City, the Ministry of Transportation steps in and nixes
those options.  

.         Daphne requests letters to the Record and councilors suggesting
that the City of Kitchener use LEAF funds to purchase the property. (See
below appendix for her Jan. 25 e-mail with specifics.)

3.     Region's Proposal for Private Participation in LRT - John Jackson

.         John noted concern about a little publicized proposal for a
public/private arrangement for the LRT.  A short article in the Record gave
Feb. 7 as the date for the public to respond to Regional Council on the
issue. The Region's report on the proposal will be issued on Jan. 27 after
4:30. That's very little time in which to make intelligent comments.

.         The public does not get to see the contract, which is negotiated
in private, which makes it difficult to comment. 

.         GREN agreed to have John draft a statement from GREN objecting to
the short timeline for public consideration and comment and requesting a
six-week period. John will circulate the statement to GREN by e-mail.

Appendix:   E-mail from Daphne Nichols to GREN, Jan 25, 2012

Hi friends of Hidden Valley, friends of clean water and air, 

The lead editorial in Saturday's Record (link below) recommends that those
people who care about saving Hidden Valley, Kitchener as a "Natural Area
Park" should contact their councillors now. Suggest to Kitchener Councillors
that the remaining LEAF money be used to buy Hidden Valley. (Local
Environmental Action Fund) Please, write while the issue's hot! 

 Write your councillor, in fact, copy all the councillors and Mayor Carl
Zehr:  <mailto:council at kitchener.ca> council at kitchener.ca and/or write the
Editor, John Roe ( jroe at therecord.com), in response to the article. If
you're short on time, you could simply say "I agree with  the Record
editorial of January 21st, 2012: We must preserve Hidden Valley".   

If you live in Waterloo, or Cambridge, your councillors can encourage the
Region to take a stronger stand, especially to protect Regional drinking
water if the River Rd. extension goes ahead:  For all  Regional Councillors
and Chair Seiling:   <mailto:council at region.waterloo.on.ca>
council at region.waterloo.on.ca. (Or it might be the plural
<mailto:pluralcouncillors at region.waterloo.on.ca>
councillors at region.waterloo.on.ca , if it bounces back. Sorry) 
If you'd like to write a longer letter, here is a bit more background
information.

Hidden Valley is much more than a beautiful area of woods, fields and
Provincially Significant wetlands. It's 200 acres of healthy ecosystems
which impact our water and air quality. Water and air impact our health, and
therefore our economy. Hidden Valley's worth as "Natural Capital" should be
evaluated, before any development or road construction occurs in the area.
Without clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, what else will
matter?

Water: The water from the three Provincially Significant Wetlands in Hidden
Valley enters the Grand River, right where 22% of the Region's 

 drinking water is piped out and sent to Manheim for treatment. Any
contaminants from development, roads and parking lots would end up there.
But not all contaminants, including road salt, oil and gasoline can be
removed, so surely the precautionary principle should apply. That would mean
that the business parks (zoned B1 and B2, which could include manufacturing)
and the subdivision which are permitted in Hidden Valley, should NOT be
constructed. This beautiful and biodiverse ecosystem is simply too valuable,
just as it is! The zoning bylaws  were established 24 years ago are
out-of-date: current zoning standards, would not permit this kind of
development. Hidden Valley needs to be rezoned. 

Air: The construction of the River Rd. extension, including new ramps onto
highway 8, would require clearcutting a large portion of the mature forest
near highway 8. The Grand River Conservation Authority recommends forest
coverage of 30%, but  Kitchener has less than 12% forest coverage. Trees
produce oxygen and remove an equal volume of carbon dioxide. How much does
your councillor think we should value of this natural air purifying system,
when air pollution in KW is the worst in the province? 

 Parks: At a time when the population of Waterloo Region is going to
increase by 200,000 people in the next 19 years, we need a variety of parks
for recreational needs. Hidden Valley, with it's wonderful wildflowers,
nesting and migratory birds, and beautiful hills and valleys is an oasis in
the heart of the Region. We need more parks, not fewer parks. Let's preserve
Hidden Valley.

Please send an email and then circulate this request to as many of your
friends as possible. As the Record states, now is the time to speak up.
<mailto:gordanddaph at sympatico.ca> gordanddaph at sympatico.ca

Waterloo Region Record, Saturday, January 21, 2012
Let's preserve Hidden Valley

<http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/658865--let-s-preserve-h
idden-valley>
http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/658865--let-s-preserve-hi
dden-valley 

Minutes by Susan Bryant  

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