Councillors and staff here agree Nestlé Waters Canada “went above and beyond” in developing a well protection agreement with the town.
Nestlé’s director of corporate affairs John Challinor and supply chain director Michel McArthur visited council on June 16 to answer questions about the agreement, which was previously developed with Puslinch Township.
Nestlé has a licence to extract up to 1.1 million litres per day from its well in Hillsburgh. Last year the company extracted 25,310,150 U.S. gallons or about 95.8 million litres.
Erin council unanimously approved a motion to sign the well protection agreement, which among other things, establishes the formation of a well protection committee with members appointed by Nestlé, the town and local conservation authorities.
The agreement also states a private contractor, paid for by Nestlé, will:
– provide rapid responses to complaints by well owners within the “well protection area” to determine if well failure is related to hardware or a water level or quality issue;
– if it is a water quantity or quality issue, provide an alternative water supply and within five business days, after a scientific investigation, the well protection committee will determine if Nestle is responsible for the failure; and
– if Nestle is determined to be responsible for the failure, it will repair or replace the well at no cost to the owner.
“Hats off … This is the right thing to do and I congratulate you for doing it,” councillor John Brennan told the Nestlé delegation last week.
Town manager Lisa Hass said Erin’s lawyer reviewed the bylaw and was impressed with how Nestlé “went above and beyond” what was necessary in the agreement.
Mayor Rod Finnie said he is thankful for the effort of Puslinch Township, noting it was much easier for Erin as the second municipality to sign the agreement, which he called good News for everyone involved: Nestlé, the town and its residents.
Finnie noted council is never happy with commercial water taking, but the agreement is proof both sides can work together to address issues. He added Erin has thus far had a very good relationship with Nestlé.
109 Main Street
Challinor then confirmed more good News for council, in the form of a $30,000 donation to the town’s 109 Main Street park project in Erin village.
The company had previously promised the town $20,000 towards a possible skateboard park, but because that project likely will not proceed this year, the town and Nestlé agreed the money could be used on the 109 Main Street park.
The extra $10,000 was a commitment from Nestlé since the town no longer receives from the company its compensation fee of $0.50 for every thousand gallons extracted from the Hillsburgh site.
Later in the meeting, the town approved a quote of $33,350 from Drexler Construction for a driveway and curbs for the 109 Main Street project.
Councillor Ken Chapman said the town, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, will likely be very close to its original budget of about $75,000. Hass said the town has spent at least about $65,000 to date.
Also announced earlier in the meeting was a $5,000 donation to the project from the Erin Lions Club.
The town plans to host a grand opening for the project on July 1, from 11am to 3pm.
