Council Proceeds with Watershed Monitoring Initiative

Photo: KG - Millbrook Pond

Photo: KG – Millbrook Pond

Water quality and quantity has been on the minds of Council members and residents for many years. As new development comes on stream, there is growing concern about the sustainability of our water supply. In February 2015, staff was directed to explore the need for a watershed plan for the Baxter Creek area. While there is information already available from previous studies which is sometimes contradictory, at the suggestion of local Conservation Authority staff, township staff approached local resident Bob Betcher for assistance. A recently retired hydrogeologist and former member of the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Association, Betcher undertook a review of the existing information and in order to provide some guidance on this issue. Township staff sought his professional opinion on the sustainability of the current and planned rates of groundwater extraction and its impact on surface water bodies, and whether an official watershed plan was warranted.

Betcher offered a summary of his findings, suggesting that over the 40 year history of water use in the township there was no decline in water levels in the pumping wells, and in fact observations indicated that during this period the water levels had actually increased. He concluded that the evidence attested to the sustainability of the current municipal system at pumping rates much greater than the current monthly average rates.

This being said, Betcher suggested that given the expected increase in groundwater withdrawals in the coming years, more study would be advisable to establish a baseline level, as ultimately removals of groundwater from municipal wells must be balanced out by a reduction in the flow of local streams, with the most significant impact occurring in Baxter Creek. While not required, a monitoring program begun sooner than later will provide useful information to allow better assessment of the impact of increased withdrawal rates in the future. With increasing demand on the groundwater system and concerns expressed by local residents it was felt that more information would help improve the understanding of the systems at work.

With a current budget of $50,000 earmarked for this activity, Council directed staff to establish a plan to begin monitoring activities through the establishment of several water monitoring wells and to monitor groundwater levels distant from the well field and in the areas of surface water/groundwater interaction to identify primary recharge areas to the Millbrook aquifer and assess the long-term sustainability of the system. KG

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