[All] Progress on Issue GREN is working on

[Caterina Lindman]

Very good!


On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 8:52 AM, John Jackson <jjackson at web.ca> wrote:

>
> *Dropping water demand pushes pipeline idea beyond 2051 *
>
> *Waterloo Region Record Region of Waterloo maintenance operator John
> Marton goes about his work at the Greenbrook Water Treatment Plant in
> Kitchener on Monday. An update to the region's water supply plan says that
> local water sources will be sufficient for the coming decades. * WATERLOO
> REGION — A controversial and costly plan to pipe water from Lake Erie to
> the region won't become a reality anytime soon.
>
>  Thanks to aggressive conservation efforts and declining demand, regional
> planners are confident that local water sources will be sufficient for the
> coming decades.
>
>  The latest update to the region's Water Supply Master Plan pushes the
> need for a pipeline from 2035 to beyond 2051.
>
>  "I think that's a very important change," said director of water services
> Nancy Kodousek. "We're refocussing and reinvesting in our existing
> infrastructure."
>
>  Most of the region's water comes from wells. The rest is taken from the
> Grand River.
>
>  While the updated plan indicates that new water supply projects within
> the region may still be undertaken, they're not needed as soon as
> previously believed.
>
>  That's largely due to a significant drop in demand, even as the
> population grows.
>
>  Water use has dropped by an average of 2.4 per cent a year since 2007.
> Daily residential consumption is forecast to drop from 203 litres per
> person, per day to 168 litres by 2025.
>
>  There are a number of factors at work, Kodousek said.
>
>  Outdoor water use restrictions have cut summer consumption. More
> efficient household appliances and fixtures are becoming commonplace and
> mandated through building codes. With dollars on the line, industries have
> become more focused on conservation.
>
>  "People have taken water conservation seriously," said John Jackson,
> chair of the Grand River Environmental Network. "It's avoiding us having to
> spend a fortune to build a pipeline to Lake Erie."
>
>  Some estimates have pegged the cost of a pipeline at more than $1
> billion.
>
>  That's more expensive than the region's rapid transit project, Jackson
> pointed out. And it would be costly to operate, too, with electrical pumps
> working to transport the water north.
>
>  "Think of the savings you could get by avoiding pumping from Lake Erie
> all the way up here," he said.
>
>  Critics have also raised red flags about the lake's health — and its
> suitability as a water source.
>
>  "It's really incredibly risky to be dependent on Lake Erie water,"
> Jackson said.
>
>  The shallowest of the Great Lakes, Erie can be unpredictable in terms of
> quality. For example, toxic algae blooms are becoming more frequent and
> widespread.
>
>  Jackson doesn't think the region's water consumption targets are
> unrealistic.
>
>  "We're far from going as far as we can," he said. "There are all kinds of
> new techniques coming up."
>
>  The region's water supply predictions are in line with what the Grand
> River Conservation Authority is forecasting as it updates its own water
> management plan.
>
>  For the most part, the municipalities within the Grand River watershed
> are in good shape, said senior water resource engineer James Etienne.
>
>  "They're living well within their means … and have the capacity to bring
> on some additional supplies in the future," he said.
>
>  In terms of preparedness, it's not a bad idea to keep the pipeline
> concept on the far back burner.
>
>  "I think you always want to be prepared to have alternatives," he said.
>
>  But as soon as you let your guard down, and assume the lake is a viable
> part of your future plans, "you start thinking differently about how you
> use water," Etienne said.
>
>  "I think it's very important to be as sustainable as you can and work
> within the limitations of what you have available."
>
>  There's another upside to the region's revised supply plan: Projects
> totalling about $65 million, including a new Grand River reservoir, have
> been removed from the 10-year capital forecast.
>
>  "We can push it beyond that time period, and re-evaluate whether it was
> still needed," Kodousek said.
>
>  bdavis at therecord.com
>
>
>
> http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4275295-dropping-water-demand-pushes-pipeline-idea-beyond-2051/
> --
> John Jackson
> 17 Major Street
> Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
> 519-744-7503
>
>
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>
>
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