Brant and Brent County Water RisksBy Louisette Lanteigne

butterflybluelu@rogers.com

Water + Aggregates = AquifersThe gravel controls water flow rates, volumes,water quality and temperature.

Watersheds show how surface water gathersbut it has no regard for what's underneath.

Water systems can connect underground in spite of topographySediment studies showed the links.

(cross section of Waterloo Moraine)

Wells are like a big straw gathering all fluid around it. Contamination is drawn in regardless of topography.

Mike Stone re: Waterloo Moraine Chloride issues

Brant County Recharge AreasThe blue zones gather your water supply

Development is paving over recharge.More pavement = less groundwater

Gravel pits are digging up your water supply!

Brant's Groundwater

Groundwater withdrawn annually =

30 million litres/year

County of Brant Municipal Groundwater Study 2005

Brant's Groundwater Value: Municipal Use1% of the groundwater = 821.92 L per day1% of the groundwater = 821.92 L per day

Brant County makes money selling water at a rate of 1 cent to 3 cents per litre but, if Brant loses access to 1 to 10% of the current water

volumes this is how much money they stand to lose per day in potable water sales.

Volumes lost per day % of groundwater

Total volume lost per day in litres

Cost of water lost per day at 1 cent

Cost of water lost per day at 2 cents

Cost of water lost at per day at 3 cents

1% 821.92L $821.92 $1643.84 $2465.76

2% 1643.84L $1643.84 $3287.68 $4931.52

5% 4109.60L $4109.60 $8219.20 $12,328.80

10% 8219.20L $8219.20 $16,582.40 $24,801.60

Agricultural Industries needs water too!

Farm Cash Receipts for Main Commodities, Brant, 2009 (Total = $171.6 million)

20 businesses involved in food manufacturing jobs in 20 businesses involved in food manufacturing jobs in Brant/Brent County support around 2,300 jobs! Brant/Brent County support around 2,300 jobs!

Sources: 2006 Census of Agriculture and Strategic Policy Branch, OMAFRA Dec-2010

http://www.brantfordbrant.com/KeyIndustries/FoodManufacturing/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.brantfordbrant.com/KeyIndustries/FoodManufacturing/Pages/default.aspx

. In the past decade the following companies have

invested in the community

Food Packagers

Farming extends benefits to other sectors

Transportation Services

Tourism Restaurants

.Brantford·Brants Advantages

Transportation includes 400 series highways, two international airports, international border crossing at Niagara Falls and inter-modal facilities in western GTAProximity to Ontario and Northern US customer market and suppliersStrong labour force growth trendsProductive, skilled labour forceCompetitive wage levelsAccess to suppliers and competitively priced high quality raw materialsLow land and construction costs when compared to other Southern Ontario locationsLow cost electricity and telecommunication costsCost competitive business conditionsProximity to major consumer markets considered a major factor in attracting warehouse and distribution facilities

Another advantage: WATER

Mark Wales, President ofOntario Federation of Agriculture states:

“Canada is expected to be one of only six countries in the world to be

a net exporter of food.”

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/06/04/19836431.html

Here are the risks!

Phosphates stimulate the growth of plants, contributes to nitrate issues and the growth of toxic algae.

Nitrates can kill fish, result in dead zones in lakes and can cause blue baby syndrome. It also contributes to nitrite related cancers. It cannot be filtered out.

Ammonia causes corrosive damage to human body tissue where there is contact and it makes water more expensive to treat.

Contamination risks are created by partially treated sewage, farm runoff, legacy spills, landfills, pesticides, drought, climate change etc.

.Atrazine contaminated US water supplies.

Drought and depleted aquifers reduced groundwater to dilute.

US drought resulted in toxic feed

Cattle are being poisoned by cyanide-laced weeds in Arkansas. Across the Midwest water-soluble fertilizers are concentrating in soils and plants, making them harmful rather than productive. And in Missouri, samples suggest that more than half the corn crop isn't fit for human consumption, thanks to unusually high levels of nitrogen. There was not enough water for photosynthesis and high nitrate build up made the corn toxic.

http://current.com/10b70kc

Natural Wetlands can filter out nitrate and phosphate issues 80-90%

www.creditvalleyca.ca/wp.../01/ValuingWetlandsPhase1-final.pdf

Wetlands support Endangered SpeciesProtect them, protect your water quality

Brant has Endangered Blanding's Turtles

“Next to habitat loss, road mortality is one of the biggest threats to their remaining populations,” the GRCA released in a statement.

The area of concern is Highway 24, south of Cambridge, passing through Brant and Norfolk Counties on the way to Lake Erie, where Blanding’s turtles are the prevalent species at risk.

.Brant is home to many confirmed threatened

and endangered species. Source: GRCA

Lake Erie Pipeline

30 years ago, plans were set to dig up gravel in the Grand River Watershed to build a big city around Waterloo Region.

These plans relied on a pipeline to replace water volumes to allow our groundwater source areas to be dug up for gravel pits.

The plans were based on a false belief that Canada had plenty of water to spare. This was before climate change, food and water security became public issues.

Lake Erie Water Pipeline

- Cost: $1.2 billion (2008)

- no water treatment or transportation costs

- Does not include cost to upgrade intake facilities.

- Water delivered over 100 km uphill. Where will we get the energy?

- The Grand River would become “infrastructure” and lose heritage status.

Big Water Pipes Break!

The Lake Huron water pipe 6 to London Ontario broke twice in two years forcing half a million people to rely on the municipal reservoirs. It was the 4th time the pipe broke in 66 years. The first break was when the pipe was just 17 years old. London only has 3 days of water storage in their reservoir.

The Big Leak by Norman De Bono, The London Free Press May 24, 2012

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/05/23/19788776.html

REGARDING ENGINEERING FIRMSThere is no money in discovering bad geology...or is there?

Engineering firms often conduct environmental assessment for approval processes. Once they signed off, the liability risks transfers to the firm who purchased their data. If issues arise due to poor environmental studies, they are not held liable but they do stand to profit from remediation jobs if things go wrong!

)

When cities are sued, taxpayers pay!

Municipalities risk being held liable, criminally or civilly, for malfunctions of their sewer and water pipes despite statutory authority and immunity.

The courts are much more willing to impose liability on municipalities than they have been to impose similar liability on more senior governments.

OSWCA Paper to CWWA - 27 Feb 2007

http://ebookbrowse.com/oswca-paper-to-cwwa-27-feb-2007-final-pdf-d25588171

by Jackie Campbell, B.Sc. (Pharm.), LLB, Dianne Saxe, Ph.D. in Law, Certified Specialist in Environmental Law & Frank Zechner, B.A.Sc., P.Eng., LLB (Executive Director, Ontario Sewer and

Watermain Construction Association

Lake Erie:Under Stress

Toxic Algae Issues

Growing “Dead Zone”

Declining water volumes

Greater contamination risk

Climate Change

Invasive species

Water taking (CAN & US)

Bulk Water Shipments

Zebra Mussels in intake pipes

ar

August 31st to September 7 2012

The rotting fish carcasses as well as some dead birds lined the shore of Lake Erie for 40 kilometres.

Lack of Oxygen Killed Lake Erie Fish Test Show Richard J. Brennan, National Affairs Writer, Toronto Star

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1250979--tens-of-thousands-of-dead-fish-rotting-on-lake-erie-shore

Lake Erie March 12, 2012Will it even be drinkable?

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=77506

The Moraines have been providing drinking water for free for over 15,000 years. They need protection!

Conserve & Recycle Aggregates(Bricks made from human sludge!)

Protect our A1 Farmlands and source water areas for generations to come

Protect the function of Aggregates becauseAggregates = Water Supply

To view presentation online visit http://www.slideshare.net/Waterloomoriane/brantwater