Dear Editor:
It is with apprehension that many concerned citizens await the provincial government’s policy announcement concerning the moratorium on new permits to take water for bottling purposes. This is scheduled to end on Oct. 1 of this year.
Prior to the ending of the moratorium, Nestlé Waters Canada could begin the process of seeking a permit to take water at the Middlebrook well near Elora.
For five years, the community of Centre Wellington has worked to deny a permit to Nestlé to take 1.6 million litres of groundwater daily from Middlebrook.
For the four years the moratorium has been in place, both the previous and the current governments have studied Ontario’s groundwater resources and the rules and policies that govern the water bottling facilities that use this groundwater.
From an economical perspective, there are no benefits to Centre Wellington. In fact, taking this amount of water from the aquifer will actually threaten the township’s ability to attract new businesses. Removing this water will stress an already strained municipal water infrastructure. It will provide perhaps one part-time job within the community.
The government has repeatedly stated that it will “follow the science”. A Tier 3 Water Budget study, funded by the provincial government at a cost of close to $1 million dollars, has identified Centre Wellington at “significant risk”, the highest risk.
The Township of Centre Wellington has passed a resolution that it is “an unwilling host” to any new water bottling operation or the taking of water for that purpose under any circumstances.
There is a groundswell of opposition to the removal of 1.6 million litres of water on a daily basis from Middlebrook and hundreds of residents have written to the government voicing their opposition. In March, a petition of 3,500 signatures was presented to the Environment Minister at Queen’s Park.
Water taken for bottling is water that will leave the watershed. Agreeing to a permit for 1.6 million litres a day is reckless and short sighted in a community struggling with infrastructure issues.
If the government takes none of the economics, the science or the community opposition into account, then what will guide it in making this important decision? It is this question that needs to be answered to ease the apprehension of the community.
Mike Shackleford,
Save Our Water, Belwood
