The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) recently presented its draft 2016 budget and a local municipal levy of $52,263 to Wellington North council.
CAO Joe Farwell and secretary treasurer Keith Murch outlined the GRCA projects as well as a revenue breakdown for 2015 at the Dec. 21 council meeting.
The total 2016 budget is $30 million, explained Murch, up from $29.5 last year. Of that, $24.1 million is for operating costs such as watershed and conservation area management, while $2.7 million is for capital projects.
The GRCA is also putting around $400,000 into efforts to combat the emerald ash borer.
Murch explained the budget will go back to the board in January with final approval expected on Feb. 26 during the annual general meeting.
Murch said revenues were up due to the weather last summer.
“2015 was a record breaking year for us because of the great weather for camping and day use and so on; the year before was a bit of a bust for us, so you can’t count on that,” he said.
The $52,263 levy requested from Wellington North is a small percentage of the $10.8 million the GRCA is asking from the 22 municipalities. The rest of the budget will be funded by other sources of revenue.
“For the municipal levy of 36 per cent of our total revenues, we can leverage that by 46 per cent of our revenues coming from self-generated sources,” said Murch.
He added the provincial government grants are around 10%.
“(The province) froze the funding in the mid-90s and it would have been nice if they froze it – but they actually reduced it further. A couple of years ago they decided … the two largest authorities in Ontario bear another cut. So we lost another $85,000. We’re at about $871,000 in operating funding,” said Murch.
“I think our cut in the mid-90s was over 70 per cent.”
The GRCA is requesting the following levies from the other municipalities in Wellington County:
-$296,567 from Centre Wellington;
– $78,245 from Erin;
– $89,763 from Mapleton;
– $169,228 from Guelph-Eramosa; and
– $121,008 from Puslinch.
Watershed issues
Farwell explained the GRCA will be affected by three major issues: rapid growth, extensive agriculture and climate change. He said by 2051, “we expect another half million people in the watershed.”
Farwell added the working relationship between the farming community and the GRCA has been strong, with 70 percent of the land being farmed.
“Climate change is apt to have some significant impacts in the future. We see more extreme events, floods, very dry conditions,” said Farwell.
He added the GRCA is continuing to address these issues through the water management plan, which focuses on ensuring sustainable water supplies, reducing flood damage potential, improving water quality and building resiliency to address climate change water quality.
Farwell suggested that Wellington North action items include pursuing best practices for drain design and maintenance, as well as working with other townships to explore innovative drainage solutions.
Rural Water
Quality Program
One of the principal activities in the northern areas of the watershed is the Rural Water Quality Program, which is financed by the county and Guelph. The program provides financial assistance to landowners to implement best practices that improve water quality, explained Farwell.
“In 2015, there were 20 projects carried out (in Wellington North) and $65,000 went out to farmers for grants for their projects,” he said.
Wastewater
The GRCA has been working on a wastewater optimization program. Farwell explained the three-year pilot program, with funding from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, works to assess municipal treatment plants and identify performance issues.
Wellington North CAO Michael Givens said the program has been well received at the Arthur treatment plant.
