InnisfilToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to 'Aggregate pit application to take water causes flood of concerns,' published Aug. 11.
Public comments on a local request for a Permit to Take Water are due by September 2, 2023, on Ontario’s Environmental Registry here.
For the purpose of washing aggregate, Sarjeant Company Ltd. is requesting a new permit to take water from one well in the Township of Oro-Medonte, Ontario, for a period of 10 years.
This water-taking request, categorized as a Category 3 Permit, is “anticipated to have the highest potential of causing unacceptable environmental impactor interference.”
Water is a precious resource. Contamination and disturbance of groundwater sources can be complex and costly. Protecting groundwater must be a top priority in Ontario.
Ontario could protect water resources by requiring this industry to install a system to collect, recycle and reuse aggregate washwater. The following link provides one example of a water recycling system for washing aggregate, “reducing the need for fresh water by 90%”
Since alternatives are available for washing aggregate, without disturbing precious water resources, this Category 3 Water-Taking Permit should be denied.
Ontario officials need to provide direction and leadership to encourage the industry to adopt sustainable solutions now.
Let provincial officials hear your concerns before Sept. 2, 2023.
K. Clune
Orillia