The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is holding the line on spending in 2015 with a budget that’s slightly less than last year’s.
Included in the budget are projects in Mapleton, and Centre Wellington.
The GRCA will spend about $29.5 million this year on programs that protect water quality, reduce flood damages, protect natural areas, support responsible development and provide outdoor recreation and environmental education. The budget is down about $256,000 from last year.
The budget was approved by the GRCA board on Feb. 27. The board is made up of 26 members appointed by the municipalities in the Grand River watershed.
Municipalities will contribute about $10.5 million to the GRCA this year, about 36 per cent of the total budget. That works out to about $10.39 per resident. The municipal levy is up about 2.5 per cent this year.
Government grants, primarily from the province, are worth about $3.9 million, representing about 13 per cent of the budget.
Finally, the GRCA generates about $13.8 million (about 47 per cent per cent) of its own revenue though an assortment of fees and revenue sources including camping fees, park admissions, hydro sales, property rentals, tree sales and donations raised by the Grand River Conservation Foundation.
Chair Jane Mitchell noted that even though the GRCA has contained its spending, senior staff are continuing to look for efficiencies and additional revenues. She noted that a number of retirements in the coming year will provide an opportunity to review operations. Some additional parks may open for winter activities, boosting revenues.
Budget highlights include: – Emerald ash borer: About $400,000 will be spent this year responding to damage inflicted by the invasive insect. Most of the money will go to remove hazardous trees in the areas where the infestation is the highest. Some money will also be spent on a continuing program to inoculate about 200 trees against the bug;
– Floodplain mapping – The GRCA has received a grant of about $170,000 from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to investigate new approaches to developing floodplain maps to take advantage of improved aerial and digital technology. Most existing floodplain maps across Ontario were developed decades ago and few have been digitized. The maps will give flood managers, municipalities and others better information about the potential extent of flooding and its impact on property. It will also assist with flood preparedness;
– Rural Water Quality Program – About $800,000 will be available to farmers to help them undertake projects to protect water quality on their land including tree planting, erection of fences along water courses, construction of manure storage tanks and other projects. The money comes from watershed municipalities while the GRCA manages the program;
– Large cover placement program – About $55,000 will be spent to change the contour of the riverbed in an area downstream of Elora. That will improve fish habitat and have the added benefit of reducing frazil ice production in this area during the winter. Frazil ice is a slushy type of ice that can build up in a location and result in ice jams and flooding;
– Wastewater Optimization Project – This is a three-year project financed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to help municipalities improve the operation of their wastewater (sewage) treatment plants. The result is cleaner effluent coming out of the plants which has a positive impact on the health of the river system and Lake Erie. Based on the outcome of the work in the Grand River watershed, the program may be expanded across the province. The total cost of the project is $363,000, of which $125,000 is allocated for 2015;
– Conestogo Lake tree planting: About 20,000 trees will be planted on 27 acres of land near Conestogo Lake reservoir in the second year of a two-year project to rehabilitate former farmland that was subject to heavy erosion that impaired water quality. This part of the project will cost about $20,000;
– Brantford dike work: About $200,000 will be spent on two dike projects. Some portions of the concrete dike wall along River Road will be rebuilt at a cost of $150,000. Another $50,000 will be spent to remove vegetation from earthen dikes in the city. Trees and bushes on a dike can weaken it and potentially lead to a failure.
– Drayton channel clearout: An estimated $200,000 will be spent to remove silt from the Conestogo River in the village of Drayton in Mapleton Township to increase the capacity of the river and lower the risk of flooding. The project is still subject to provincial approval, GRCA officials state;
– Laurel Creek Dam safety study: About $100,000 will be spent on a safety study of Laurel Creek Dam in Waterloo, which was built in 1968. The GRCA routinely carries out such studies to identify any areas where the dam has to be improved or modified to meet current safety standards;
– Caledonia Dam upgrades: About $115,000 will be spent install new stop logs and safety railings; and
– Shand Dam upgrades: New heaters will be installed on the gates of the dam near Fergus to ensure that ice can be cleared to allow operation during the winter. The cost is estimated at $200,000.
