Dear Editor:
The moratorium on new permits for the taking of water for bottling purposes ends on April 1. At around this same time, Nestlé Waters Canada will be selling its spring water holdings to two private American companies. No doubt this will create some concern as to how it will affect us here in Centre Wellington. What will be the plans for the Middlebrook well?
We are a community that has uncertainty about its future water supply. Centre Wellington, in fact, is officially identified at “significant risk” regarding water sources to provide sufficient water for its mandated growth. Under the Places to Grow legislation the township was targeted to double its urban population by 2041 and grow even more by 2051.
The moratorium initiated in 2016 has been effective in stopping any taking of water from the Nestlé-owned Middlebrook well, west of Elora, but that protection will cease in April. The well is situated in the most advantageous location within Centre Wellington for both quality and quantity of groundwater.
The Township’s Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP) has determined that four new municipal wells are needed to meet the expected population growth. As a general rule municipal wells are spaced at least two kilometres apart but because of the strategic location of the Middlebrook well and the possible issue of a permit to take water in the near future, some of these proposed new wells may have to be moved further afield to less prime locations.
A recent positive step taken by the provincial government was to legislate that a water bottling company seeking a permit to take water must have support of the local municipality council from where the water will be taken. However, this approval only applies to water taken which exceeds 379,000 litres per day.
Although 379,000 litres is a lot less than the 1.6 million litres per day that Nestlé had been seeking, it is still a considerable quantity of water and an amount a water-stressed community like Centre Wellington can ill-afford to lose. Allowing this amount to be taken might make sense in a water rich community but to create a “one size fits all rule” like this is foolhardy at best.
Unlike with Nestlé Waters Canada, there may be limited information coming from the two American companies that are proposing the purchase. Neither is currently directly involved in water bottling and we have no knowledge of their long-term plans. One is an equity firm while the other is a company that “leverages extensive industry knowledge, operational expertise and flexible capital to revive and re-imagine iconic brands”.
This uncertainty is worrisome. It will require a commitment on the part of all concerned citizens to remain diligent in safeguarding our groundwater for future generations. Centre Wellington has come a long way in protecting its water supply but the fight to do so has not ended.
Mike Shackleford,
Belwood