Citizens group claims latest water report should not be treated as a ‘clean bill of health’

By Lee Griffi

The confusion surrounding the water situation in Wilmot Township and the Region of Waterloo didn’t improve following the release of what’s called a centre well field groundwater monitoring results report.

Citizens for Safe Ground Water (CSGW) is calling on the region to treat it as an early warning signal, not as reassurance the aquifer is healthy.

“A review of the Burnside 2025 Biennial Groundwater Monitoring Report identifies a sustained downward trend in the AFB2 production aquifer beginning around 2019/2020, with late-2025 water levels reported approximately one metre below historical pre-2020 lows,” explained a press release.

It added the same aquifer is used by other municipal wells, making the decline relevant to the region’s drinking water supply and nearby private well users.

The release added the report confirms the region remained within its permitted annual taking volume but warns that “within permit” does not necessarily mean “sustainable.” While the report sounds confusing, CSGW treasurer Rory Farnan said it’s a pretty simple issue in some ways.

“The biannual Burnside report said water levels have declined. I get the impression (the region) doesn’t seem to believe there is a problem. The interesting thing is they knew this report was coming out. They decided to vote in increasing the pumping before it came out.”

Farnan said Mayor Natasha Salonen has been supportive of Wilmot on water issues at regional council, meeting with residents affected by the alleged water interference as well as members of CSGW. However, he noted that, at the end of the day, she is only one of 16 votes on regional council, alongside three other rural township mayors.

“Quite frankly, I think all of them should be speaking in unison. We should all be concerned because when they are done pumping Wilmot, where are they going next?” he said.     

He added he understood the development community needs to be assured it can continue to build, but at what expense is there for the rural well users?

“I think right now they are not being treated with the same amount of urgency and respect as developers are,” Farnan said.

The Wilmot Centre well field produced 3,761,142 cubic metres in 2024 and 4,161,928 cubic metres in 2025, an increase of over 400,000 cubic metres or 11 per cent, while nearby precipitation stations recorded below-average rainfall conditions.

“The report is not a clean bill of health. It’s identified a couple of things that have raised some alarm bells, one being the decline of the municipal production aquifer,” said Farnan. “The well is at a historical low, but what did the region do? Twice in the last 90 days, they have approved increases in the amount of pumping they are doing.”

He added when the region has increased pumping, the water table has dropped.

“To me, there’s an obvious connection. The report goes on to say they are pumping within their limit, but that does not equal sustainable pumping … especially over the hot summer we have experienced so far.”

CSGW is also warning the region’s dismissal of recent well-interference complaints and lack of complaints before 2026 should not be treated as proof that there are no impacts.

“Private well owners may not know that groundwater interference is occurring, may not know how to report it, or may experience gradual changes before a well failure becomes obvious. The report also notes historical mitigation related to a pond west of the well field, reinforcing that impacts connected to the well field have been serious enough in the past to require ongoing attention,” said Farnan.

The citizen’s group said the core issue is simple; the monitoring program should not only document deterioration after the fact. It should identify risks early enough to prevent harm to the shared groundwater resource, the municipal water supply and private well users.

“This report should be treated as a warning light on the dashboard,” Farnan said. “The right response is not to wait for private wells to fail or for aquifer levels to decline further. The region should act now with stronger monitoring, clearer public reporting and better protections for rural residents who depend on private wells.”

Farnan was scheduled to delegate at last (Wednesday) night’s Region of Waterloo regular meeting and said CSGW will continue to advocate for the people of Wilmot. He is hopeful the region gets its review of the well-interference complaint process right.

“We hope that come August, there will be a clearer framework that provides more fairness to the current situation.” 

CSGW is asking for a third-party investigative process as opposed to the current system where the region investigates itself.

The region is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, July 14, at the region’s cafeteria at 150 Frederick St. in Kitchener.