Wilmot residents finally get a water win
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Lee Griffi
It will take some time, but staff at the Region of Waterloo will bring a report back to council on what a well-interference committee could look like.
Well interference is the term used when private wells of people living in rural areas dry up or become disrupted because of actions taken by others, and is the accusation being made by 31 households in Wilmot Township in recent months.
Mayor Natasha Salonen brought the motion forward, and it was passed unanimously. She said despite all of the talk at staff and council levels, the region really isn’t any closer to finding a solution to its water woes.
“A lot of actions, words and meetings have happened, but apart from materially taking the extra water from Wilmot, nothing else has advanced the water capacity problem at this point,” she said.
When it comes to the well-interference complaints by Wilmot residents, Salonen said it needs to be looked at closely.
“Not to say all of them are necessarily due to regional pumping, however, there is more than enough correlation that we need to thoroughly explore what’s happening and make sure residents have access to water.”
Each of the 31 affected households is currently required to utilize the current interference process, something Salonen said doesn’t appear to be consistently enforced.
“If you have an issue you believe is caused by regional pumping, you reach out to the region, file your complaint and they send out somebody to investigate your well. I’ll be honest as to what that looks like. I am hearing dramatically different stories of what it actually entails.”
If the region decides there was interference, a maximum of $4,000 is paid to the property owner, but a waiver must be signed saying there will be no further action taken. An appeal process is available, which is delivered by staff only.
“My motion requested staff to bring back a new appeal process and explore a new well-interference committee to give residents the opportunity, if they aren’t satisfied with the first answer given to them, they have a third-party with external expertise who can weigh in on the appeal process.”
Residents are required to prove incidents of interference are caused by the region, something Salonen explained is very difficult to prove.
“I would love to see a shift to the region, so they need to prove they weren’t the cause.”
A frustrated Salonen said a report is expected back during an August meeting of regional council after staff initially requested an October deadline.
“We’re talking about some residents who right now are making choices between doing laundry and having a shower. That’s a problem, and if it's due to the region’s pumping, that’s an even bigger problem. We know the region has already stated Wilmot is where they are going to be seeking new sources of water.”
She added if that is the direction the region decides to pursue, there is a duty to take care of the people whose water is being taken away.
“If we are having any negative impacts on residents, we need to make them whole and ensure they have reliable access to safe water.”
Samantha Lernout from the group, Citizens for Safe Groundwater, presented to council to support Salonen’s motion and began her delegation with a question and brought two jars of cloudy water with her.
“Does a rural resident in Wilmot have the same right to clean, secure drinking water as someone in an urban centre? This is water that came out of my water heater after a slug of orange and black coffee filters came through after a 15-minute total loss of water.”
She added she and her fellow township residents are facing a real and escalating crisis.
“Residents are reporting wells going dry for days or weeks; pressure drops and sediment-filled water; seniors hauling water into their homes; family gatherings cancelled or planned at motels due to a lack of water; geothermal heating failing in the dead of winter; residents limited to water for dishes and flushing toilets. This is not theoretical. It is happening now,” Salonen said.
During the discussion on her motion at last week’s meeting, Salonen said at the end of the day, the issue comes down to transparency and trust.
“Residents need confidence that groundwater concerns are being reviewed through a process that is evidence-based, transparent and arm’s length.”
Lernout encourages anyone experiencing issues to report potential well interference immediately to the Region of Waterloo’s 24-hour hotline at 519-575-4400.
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