MARKING ITS OWN HOMEWORK
Last week, I shared the Region had promised new protections for the folks in Wilmot whose wells were running dry. This week, those promises got their first real test. Here's how it went.
Picture a fender bender. Someone backs into your car, and then that person gets to decide whose fault it was. You can guess how that turns out.
That's more or less what happened past week. More than 30 families in Wilmot previously reported trouble with their wells. The Region looked into every case. And decided that the Region’s water pumping was to blame in exactly none of them. Not one. That's the part hard to believe.
As more water is pumped out of the ground, the lower the underground water level sinks. Drop it far enough and it falls way below the bottom of people's private wells, and then those wells run dry. That's what dozens of Wilmot families have been living through. Yet the Region says its pumping had nothing to do with a single one of them reporting trouble.
Neighbours aren't buying it, asking a pretty fair question: why does the Region get to be the one who makes this assessment?
The good news is there's a better way on the table. Residents and Wilmot's mayor want an independent group to make these calls instead. Someone who isn't holding the pump.
But wait, didn't they just find more water?
You might see headlines that the Region found more water and building can start sooner. Remember the "little extra pumping from Wilmot" I mentioned last week? That's mostly what this is. Same water, dressed up with a nicer headline.
So the next time someone says they found more water, it's always worth asking: found it where? how?
What can we do?
The Region is holding a public meeting to receive feedback on this process (who should make assessments about water issues). If you think these assessments should be made fairly, that's the room to say so
Meeting details:
Tuesday, July 14, 4 to 7pm
Regional Headquarters, 150 Frederick Street, KitchenerKeep an eye out for sudden drops in water pressure, cloudy water, or grit in your taps. If something feels off, call the Region's 24/7 line at 519-575-4400. Then send a quick note to Citizens for Safe Groundwater at [email protected], so your story gets counted by the community too - it matters more than you think.
Sign a one-click letter that asks the province to give the Waterloo Moraine (our water source) the same protection as the Greenbelt, so our water source can't be signed away.
written with love by,
your friendly neighbourhood goose
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