It turns out the competing offer that prompted Nestlé Waters to purchase the Middlebrook well property came from Centre Wellington Township.
On Aug. 12, Nestlé Waters announced it has proceeded with the purchase of the Middlebrook Water Company’s five acre property on Middlebrook Road near Elora.
Nestlé had a conditional offer on the land for 18 months but decided to activate a clause to proceed with the purchase when the township’s offer was made.
“The township, with full support of council, pursued purchasing the Middlebrook property in an effort to guarantee that commercial water taking from this site would not impact our water supply,” Mayor Kelly Linton stated in an Aug. 22 press release.
“While this effort was not successful, we will continue to work hard with all parties to protect our water for future generations.”
Linton noted the attempt to purchase the well property was made possible because of a recent financial gift from the Jack R. MacDonald Trust.
Nestlé Waters is seeking an extension of the site’s current permit to draw 300 gallons of water per minute (1.6 million litres per day). It is waiting on a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Climate change (MOECC) for a pump test of the well.
Linton said the township will continue to work with the MOECC and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) “to ensure there is no long term effect on our water supply through a scientific analysis of water testing.”
The MOECC has authorized the GRCA to proceed with a Scoped Tier 3 Water Quantity Risk Assessment study for Centre Wellington to begin this fall with completion by December 2018.
The study will develop a refined numerical groundwater flow model and determine whether water quantity protection policies under the Grand River Watershed Source Water Protection Plan are required within Centre Wellington.
“Our goal is to ensure that this process achieves the best interest of present and future residents of Centre Wellington,” the mayor said.
