They came, they walked and they got wet.
But the 45 people taking part in the Wellington Water Watchers march from Guelph to the Nestle Waters plant near Aberfoyle were undaunted as they engaged citizens along the way, explaining that Nestle has applied for a ten year water taking permit, with the right to take 3.6 million litres a day.
Organizers called the walk a success, but Nestle’s Director of Corporate Affairs John Challinor classified it as “a non-event.”
Wellington Water Watchers board member Andre Hueniken said in an interview prior to the march his group wants the Nestle Waters permit capped at about 1.65 million litres of water per day, and also to have conservation restrictions put in place.
Guelph has cut water taking by residents by 15% over the past ten years, and when there is drought and water restrictions placed on residents, similar restrictions should be place on Nestle he said.
Hueniken said part of the danger of the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) granting a ten year permit with Nestle’s request for 3.65 million litres a day is nobody knows how much water is in the aquifer or what the recharge rate is.
Hueniken said one member of the water watchers’ group, Mark Goldberg, is on the Lake Erie source water protection committee that includes three conservation authorities, and it will be reporting “this year or next” on such questions, including how much water is available, and how fast it is recharged.
So, said Hueniken, the MOE should provide only a temporary permit until those questions are answered. Guelph gets a lot of its water from that aquifer.
“Then you actually issue a permit based on full knowledge,” Hueniken said.
Challinor disagreed with many of the water watchers’ statements.
He said the company has just completed a $3-million hydrogeological and biological study of the sub watershed that shows no effect on the aquifer. He said the company plans to donate the study to the University of Guelph, which is setting up a course to teach about water and watersheds, and can use the information.
Challinor also disagreed with the group’s estimate of the number of walkers, and noted plant security and the OPP said about 30 people attended. The Water Watchers estimated 60, and Hueniken said 95% of those finished the walk.
Hueniken cited Justice Dennis O’Connor, who wrote the water report after seven people died in Walkerton. O’Connor said allowing a company to take water without knowing what is there and how fast it recharges is like writing “a blank cheque without knowing how much money is in the account.”
He and the water watchers have issues with the bottled water industry. The company claims 60% of its bottles are recycled, but if it produces a million a day, that means 400,000 plastic bottles end up in landfills, or in the trash.
Challinor said the company even set up a bin near the road for the walkers so they could deposit any refuse. He added the company’s Montclair brand water is made of 100% recycled plastic.
He agreed the walkers did not litter or trespass, but he said an email obtained by the company had indicated some walkers might leave plastic bottles on the site, and that was why the company mentioned littering to the OPP.
Hueniken has other issues with Nestle. He said Mill Creek flows through the Nestle property, and it is a cold water trout stream. He said there are trout up and downstream of the Nestle plant, but none in the stretch on the Nestle property.
He said that section is warmer than other parts of the creek, and trout do not like warmer water. The water watchers want a study to determine why that stretch is warmer and without trout. He added there is suspicion among some members that Nestle removes water from the creek.
Hueniken said the problem his group has is that it has to prove the negative effects, rather than Nestle having to prove it does not have a negative effect on the water table and environment.
Challinor said in an interview ten years is now common for a water taking permit, and others in the watershed have similar lengths.
Wellington Water Watchers executive director Arkene Slocombe told the gathering prior to the march they would not be permitted onto the Nestle property. She urged the walkers to talk to people along the way and explain why they were marching.
Slocombe said in an interview the group was formed in 2007 when the Dolime Quarry sought an extended permit and there were concerns its excavation would impact the groundwater. At the same time, Nestle was applying for a water permit. The group currently has over 900 members.
Challinor said the number of walkers on Saturday was less than five per cent of the group’s actual members.
Slocombe said Dolime is still operating, but working in less sensitive areas of its pit in Guelph. “We feel there is some level of cooperation at this point.” She said founding the group at that time “hit a nerve” because there were new scientific findings being presented, such as the problems with plastic bottles.
Hueniken said with the constant rain, he was pleased that so many completed the entire walk of over 5km in the rain. But, he added, “It was a very quiet gathering.”
The marchers were met by two security guards and did not try to enter the property. Hueniken called the group “well mannered.”
The two sides even disagree about how the MOE will accept comments. They do agree the deadline for public comment was on Saturday, but Hueniken said the ministry is extending that up until the time it makes its decision, but he does not know when that will be.
Anyone still wanting to comment can do so by email at moewcr.permits@ontario.ca.
Challinor said the ministry will always accept comments as public policy, but anyone commenting after the deadline would have no effect on the ministry decision. He said that decision is likely to come sometime in early May.
