Puslinch councillors believe bottled water companies should not be singled out when it comes to new proposed provincial regulations.
At the Nov. 23 Puslinch council session, CAO/Clerk Karen Landry reported new information regarding previous requests of council asking for information from Stan Denhoed of Harden Environmental.
Earlier Landry sought clarification from council with respect to additional information sought on the Ontario action to take water.
Landry said after speaking with councillor Matt Bulmer, this appears to be a request for technical information regarding Ontario’s recent moratorium on new permits to take water.
“I was looking for clarification on what (Denhoed) is to prepare.”
Mayor Dennis Lever said what is available now are comments regarding the moratorium the province is putting into place – not on any particular permits to take water.
Bulmer said he was looking for an official technical response from the municipality.
While Lever agreed it can be technical – “there are not really any technical arguments at this point. We’d just be asking the province to consider certain items…”
Bulmer stated that in the EBR (Environmental Bill of Rights) posting, “they are looking for statements about what the moratorium or changes to the legislation will address in a technical sense.”
He stated, “bottled water represents a very limited amount in overall water taking … but somehow is different from other uses in that it is not returned to the watershed from which it is taken.”
Bulmer compared it to the way Guelph draws its water for commercial/industrial uses.
“It is being taken from deep bedrock aquifers that are under multiple watersheds and is dumping it as sewage (municipally treated wastewater) into the Speed River,” said Bulmer.
He saw what water bottlers do as being no different than those creating commercial products such as pop or beer, which end up in different watersheds.
Admitting to being a layperson, Bulmer suggested some of the claims being made about what the moratorium could achieve could be better answered by a technical expert – to determine which type of water taking is considered unique and why it needs to be subject to specific regulations.
Bulmer said other water uses may have similar results – but are not facing the same restrictions.
Lever asked if Denhoed was being asked to consider those other types of water use when drafting a response.
Bulmer said he wanted to know whether any of the provincial proposals would have any impact on the natural environment – or groundwater levels.
Councillor Susan Fielding concurred Bulmer’s questions were valid.
Councillor John Sepulis said that while he favoured the moratorium, he too saw the need to compare other water use as well.
Councillor Ken Roth agreed all water use should be taken into consideration … “although I don’t necessarily agree with the moratorium.”
Lever said he would also like to see something that establishes what goes along with the responsibility for water taking when one municipality is taking water from a neighbouring municipality.
“This is the situation we have here … and the impacts we have little or any control over,” he said.
Lever wanted to ensure the report voiced the concerns of Puslinch on the potential impacts to local residents, and potential future impacts.
Bulmer expressed concern that future decisions would be based on existing water budgets – yet the original water budget of the city of Guelph failed to recognize that half of its water supply originated in Puslinch.
Lever expressed concern that Guelph is forecasting an additional well in Puslinch as part of its projections to meeting its water budget.
“I think we need to object to that and have it removed from their calculations,” said Lever.
“I don’t see us supporting something that would severely impact us and not benefit us at all.”
Bulmer’s additional concern was that it appeared future watertaking would be shaped to accommodate growth, rather than having growth fit inside what is sustainable watertaking.
“I think that is an unusual position for the Ministry of Environment to take,” he said.
“If a municipality is 100% dependent on groundwater and cannot sustain its growth – then perhaps that growth needs to be moderated.”
Council subsequently requested that Denhoed and Harden Environmental provide a submission on behalf of the Township to the Ministry of the Environment (with respect to the Moratorium – Permit to Take Water for Water Bottling EBR Registry Number 012-8783) at a cost of $800.
