Members of the Concerned Residents Coalition (CRC) have requested Guelph-Eramosa township complete an expanded fisheries survey of the Brydson Creek after an initial study suggested the proposed Rockwood quarry could be detrimental to fish ecosystems.
In a presentation to council on Jan. 19 CRC member Stephanie De Grandis explained bedrock blasting and excavation below the water table raises serious concerns about the future population of brook trout – currently in abundance – as well as with surface and ground water quality.
“We’re going to be worried as a group that this is a natural historic site that has a high potential for environmental damage: dust, overflow from operations and contamination from metals and chemicals,” said De Grandis.
“Also critical is the blasting itself and the vibrations that will migrate down into the particular system.”
The creek is a headwater tributary to the Blue Springs Creek and Eramosa River respectively, which eventually feeds the Grand River water system.
“The Blue Springs Creek is one of the highest quality cold-water habitats in the Grand River watershed with year-round active springs, ponds and wetlands,” De Grandis said. “It has to be protected.”
The proposed James Dick Construction quarry site is approximately 300 metres upstream of the Brydson Creek where, according to a recent study, brook trout were found to reside in abundance due to the ideal cold water habitat.
The study was funded by the CRC and conducted by Dr. K. Schiefer, who found significant habitat diversity and breeding depressions with all ages of brook trout caught and released within an hour of fishing. De Grandis said the trout have not been documented by the Grand River Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment or Ministry of Natural Resource, which all must be made aware of the habitat.
“This requires an additional population study of the aquatic ecosystem and fish population for at least two years, a monitoring plan discussed and peer reviewed, and stakeholders involved,” she said.
“This is a natural historic site and we have to inform GRCA again because they basically had no idea what was going on in this stream.”
Councillor David Wolk, who stressed he is “not diminishing the importance of what we’re studying here,” wondered what an additional study would cost the municipality.
De Grandis said she could not provide a cost estimate for the study.
“I’d have to go back and speak with the consultants and it depends on how far you want to go with these studies,” she explained. “I think it’s better statistically to do a longer study. Some do five years of study before it is published. I came up with the two years, but maybe we should do five.”
Council moved to refer the report to its engineering firm, R.J. Burnside and Associates.
