A 3-2 vote at the county’s roads committee was ratified by council here on June 2, leaving Erin with no further financial help with the Deer Pit storm water management pond.
At the committee meeting, councillors considered a report from engineer Gord Ough, who stated Erin council had asked for the county’s participation in the drain, but that Erin council saw no advantage to any of the parties if the work was done under the Municipal Drainage Act.
That act forces anyone who has a benefit from a municipal drain to pay a portion of the costs that are commensurate with the benefit.
The area is located at the north end of Erin, adjacent to the former railway line. Currently run-off comes from an industrial subdivision adjacent to the pit, a large tract of farmland to the north, west, and east, as well as off County Road 124.
After some studies going back to 1999, Erin council identified a solution that included building a storm water management facility in the Deer Pit, and a storm sewer outlet from the Deer Pit to the north tributary of the West Credit River, travelling along the former CNR right of way, with an outlet at the 10th Line.
All the engineering work has been completed, the approval process has been initiated and the town, having received a stimulus funding grant, is ready to proceed.
Studies though, demonstrated that a significant amount of water is being contributed to the area by County Road 124.
Ough told the roads committee he met with Dillon Consulting Limited, the firm involved in the design, approvals and project administration for the county and Erin when they jointly reconstructed Main Street in 2002.
Ough also consulted the Ministry of Transportation, “who have experience around the province with funding requests of this nature related to municipal storm water management projects.”
He said the ministry’s prime concern is to “treat each request for funding of this nature in a consistent and defendable manner, which the Drainage Act does.”
Ough noted the county has been involved in numerous drainage projects within the county, with the latest one being Carroll pond, in Puslinch Township.
Ough recommended the county become involved only if the Deer Pit drain is treated like a municipal drain.
The roads committee voted to take the position that its work in 2002 in the area to construct the current wetland outlet at a cost of $85,800 “fulfills the county’s obligations related to this issue.”
In a recorded vote at the committee meeting, Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj and councillors Bob Wilson and David Anderson were in favour, with roads committee chairman Rod Finnie and councillor Barb McKay opposed.
Councillor Lou Maieron asked if the county would have been more amenable to paying a share if the town had done the work using the Municipal Drainage Act. Ough told him the county had done all of its work in the area in 2002.
Council then approved the roads committee minutes and ratified the committee’s decision.
