=On July 12, Erin Water Superintendent Frank Smedley provided councillors with an update on source water protection issues.
“The situation is that source water protection is coming and is going to affect us,” he said.
There is a lot of information on the internet sites for the Grand River and Credit Valley conservation authorities, and the two source water protection regions Erin lies within.
“What we have here is a set of rules coming that is being put together by source water committee members. But at this time, we do not know what those rules will be, the impact it will have on the Town of Erin, or the amount of staff time that it will require.”
“What we do know, is that we will need a risk management official and a risk management inspector.”
He did not know at this time whether Erin could contract that work out, or it could be joint position shared by a number of municipalities.
“There could be significant cost depending on the rules set out.”
He added the requirements will also have a big impact on the planning department, “as they expect us to revise our official plan as a result of source water protection rulings.”
Down the road, Smedley expects to see a focus on significant recharge areas large aquifers – which will affect both the northern and southern portions of the municipality.
Councillor Barb Tocher commented that much of that information is already known because of previous studies.
“We have a lot of that information – so we know what’s coming at us,” Tocher said.
Smedley agreed that both Erin and Wellington County have their own groundwater studies.
“There’s been an incredible amount of work done,” he agreed.
But at some point, there are going to be rulings which require the municipality to take certain actions. He promised to keep council updated.
However, he also did not expect to see much action until after the provincial election this fall.
“There’s a lot of very controversial possibilities,” Smedley told council.
