Waterloo regional chair confident changes to system will keep water flowing

By Lee Griffi

“The quality of our water is not in question. It is a specified capacity issue at the Mannheim water treatment plant.”

That was the first sentence when the Gazette asked Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman what her message was to residents about the water shortage in the area.

“Development can happen in a large swath of Cambridge, in North Dumfries, Wellesley, part of Wilmot and Woolwich. We are determined, and this is job one, to figure out and navigate this capacity issue to make sure we can continue forward,” she added.

“We will get through this, and (developers) have my word we will get through this. It is a focus and a priority,” Redman said.

The region owns the water system in partnership with lower-tier municipalities such as Wilmot Township. The region is also working closely with the province to navigate ways to address the capacity constraint.

“We are working with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and have gone to them and said when 80 per cent of our potable water comes from groundwater isn’t as accurate as we think it should be. We have a third-party consultant come, and they have validated our findings that we need to measure average capacity instead of maximum capacity.”

Redman said MECP officials have been working with region staff since the problem was identified when a company called Agile confirmed the water measurement methodology.

“We are working with the province on large ticket items and in some ways, it’s a perfect storm. The components involve increased water processing capacity. We have two water treatment plants that are 100 years old. We are not taking as much water as we are allowed to process from the Grand River, and we have about 100 wells in the aquifer. All of these things need to be updated.”

Redman said the region needs help from the province as well as expedited environmental assessments in the short, medium and long term to help with the capacity issue.

“It’s isolated to the Mannheim service area. It’s important to point out that all other areas of the region remain unaffected and development remains unchanged in those areas,” she said.

Redman said the region is making the issue a top priority, demonstrated by the hiring of a new water commissioner and increased collaboration with the development community.

The region has hired a new water commissioner on a six-month contract. Kenneth Brothers is an internationally recognized expert in water utility management and is a fellow of the International Water Association. He is a professional engineer and has held senior leadership positions in multiple Ontario municipalities related to water services and infrastructure.

In his role with the Region of Waterloo, Brothers will work with local municipalities, developers and the provincial government to strengthen operational resiliency, accelerate repairs and maintenance, and plan infrastructure investments to increase water capacity.

“He’s an expert in the field and we are lucky to have him. We have expert water staff, and we have been working with the University of Waterloo as well as developers and other experts,” said Redman, who added other groups are working on technological issues.

“They are looking at how we can coordinate with area municipalities to make sure we get the best results possible as quickly as possible.”

Another addition to the region’s array of water weapons is a mobile water treatment plant. One is being purchased at a cost of $15 million, and more could follow if it is proven effective.

“It will be attached to the Mannheim water treatment plant and we’re looking at several litres per second. That will help build up the resiliency,” Redman explained.

That resilience, she continued, is what the region needs to maintain water pressure, which guarantees fire suppression systems and allows development to continue.

“Construction continues for anyone who has building permits and draft approvals, even in the Mannheim area.”

One member of regional council wants the region to take a deep dive into how the water situation came about.

Cambridge regional Coun. Doug Craig has filed a notice of motion calling for the appointment of an independent investigator to make public the causes of the water-supply crisis. The motion will be debated during a meeting on March 10.