The Wellington Water Watchers is a non-profit organization with over 800 members in Guelph and Wellington County dedicated to the protection, restoration and conservation of drinking water in Guelph and Wellington County.
The Wellington Water Watchers formed in 2007 in response to growing concerns about the increasing number of negative impacts on local watersheds and groundwater protection areas. We seek advice and input from our members in addition to experts in the field of hydrology and watershed management. During the past year we have closely evaluated many activities in our community and as a result we are announcing our “Naughty and Nice” List for 2009.
Nice List:
The City of Guelph. Guelph’s Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy has resulted in an overall water consumption decline of 17% since 1999 while the population has grown by 15%. Guelphites use an average of 230 litres of water per day while the national average is 335 litres. Through education and incentive plans like “The Royal Flush” and “Smart Wash” rebate programs, the City raises awareness and encourages citizens to purchase water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
Guelph Eramosa Township. Guelph Eramosa is the first township to declare that they will have 30 percent tree cover within 50 years, committing to a recommendation from Environment Canada for watersheds.
Gateway Drive Public School and Victoria Terrace Public School. These schools lead the way in water education and conservation. They led the way in providing reusable stainless steel water bottles to all students, and were early adopters of the goals of our Message in the Bottle project.
Naughty List:
Carson Reid Homes. Carson Reid’s subsidiary, River Valley Developments owns the DoLime Quarry which removed a little over 400,000 tons of gravel in 2009, mainly by mining the aquitard. This is a critical layer of rock that protects the aquifer from which Guelph draws its drinking water. City of Guelph personnel are fairly certain that Carson Reid’s company has now broken through the aquitard exposing drinking water to surface contamination. The quarry is now pumping thousands of litres per day out of the ground and discharging it into the Speed River to prevent flooding of the quarry. Despite several letters from the Mayor of Guelph, River Valley Developments refuses to halt the mining of the aquitard. Ultimately this will mean a much higher cost to Guelph residents if the ground water is contaminated because the groundwater will have to be treated under the same standards that apply to surface supplies. By the way, Carson Reid Homes is also the company that was fined for contravening the Migratory Birds Contravention Act by unlawfully clearcutting trees on their Victoria Road property.
Nestle Waters Canada. Nestle is irresponsibly promoting bottled water as a healthy product while environmental leaders such as David Suzuki condemn it as the highest carbon footprint product on the market. They take our water virtually for free and sell it across the country. Nestle’s recent presentation to the Upper Grand District School Board illustrates their commitment to creating the illusion that they care primarily about children’s health. Maintaining market share and revenues is the corporation’s commitment to the shareholders of this Swiss-based multinational.
(See the Wellington Water Watchers Year-End Video Greeting Card to Nestle on our website.)