Citing a quote from the late Wallaceburg Councillor Chip Gordon, “when all is said and done, there’s more said than done”, Water Wells First (WWF) says the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is “running scared” when it comes to the wind turbine and water well issue in the community.
The local group says the motion put forward by Wallaceburg Coun. Jeff Wesley and carried at Monday night’s council meeting is “the Municipality’s attempt to deflect civil lawsuits away from itself.
“They’re running scared. WWF members asked, ‘who made this problem?’ The C-K Municipality made this mess they find themselves in. At no time has the C-K Municipality acted in preventing this environmental train wreck from unfolding. We, who live with this construction around us, feel we are living day-to-day, moment-to-moment not knowing when we’ll face the hardships of not having water. When is the moment that will strike, when our reliable safe well will become contaminated,” the group said in a statement released to the media.
In a motion made to council, Wesley called for a moratorium on wind turbine construction in Chatham-Kent until the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change can conduct a proper investigation into the water well issue in Chatham-Kent.
“I have been through a lot with (Water Wells First) but never lost my desire to help the individual well owners,” Wesley told the Sydenham Current.
Water Wells First says they’ve seen this happen before.
“We’ve seen motions made, promises made at council meetings before, that in the end didn’t amount to a hill of beans,” the group said.
“That point is well raised, regarding the North Kent Wind project and the Municipality. A year ago on August 22, 2016, Councillor Jeff Wesley made a successful motion to task Chief Legal Counsel John Norton ‘to take all steps necessary to preserve and protect water wells in Chatham-Kent.’ What came of that? It’s (an) important question for every tax payer in Chatham-Kent whether they are rural, town or city tax payers.”
A motion for a moratorium on wind construction in Chatham-Kent by Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy was defeated last August. Read more, here.
In his motion this week, Wesley cited the following reasons for requesting the stoppage:
– An “increasing concern” among water well owners
– A slow response time to well owners by the Ministry
– Vibration monitoring taking place at ground level, and not at the bedrock where the aquifer and well water intakes are located
– Wind turbine construction being suspected as the cause for the water well issues, but not completely determined
– Testing being paid for by the wind turbine company
“This is all about helping those that are experiencing well problems to determine what is taking place, why and how does it get fixed,” Wesley told the Sydenham Current earlier this week.
“The MOECC and the wind turbine company have to step up and do a better job.”
Just last week, Mayor Hope penned a letter to the MOECC seeking an “immediate intervention” on the issue of well water quality as it regards to the North Kent One wind project.
“Since pile-driving for the turbines began earlier this month, a number of residents have come forward with complaints of turbidity, discolouration and sediment from wells on their property which had previously been base-tested and found to be within acceptable limits,” Hope wrote.
“Conflicting information in tests completed by the firm hired by the developer, those of residents and those the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change have created fear and concern among residents who use the wells as their primary source for drinking water. That concern has grown due to lack of public statements and investigation by MOECC officials… the ministry cannot remain silent on this very important issue.”
Read Hope’s full letter, here.
Mark Smith, area supervisor at the MOECC office in Windsor, told the Chatham Voice the ministry takes concerns about groundwater quality very seriously.
“We have taken a cautious, science-based approach when setting standards for renewable energy projects to protect the people of Ontario,” Smith said.
“As part of the ministry’s science-based approach, the proponent of the project (North Kent Wind) was required to conduct well water quality testing. Results of the well water quality testing prior to construction showed that the turbid water is associated with naturally occurring groundwater.”
Read more from the Voice story, here.
After a press conference held on Brook Line, where a family blamed pile driving activities for clogging their well pump with sediment and leaving them with no water, a spokesperson with the North Kent Wind Farm project responded with a statement issued to the local media.
“The MOECC received a complaint about water quality from a landowner… and relayed it to us,” stated Jody Law, senior manager of development for the North Kent Wind Project.
“We immediately scheduled a site visit by Aecom staff, which included licensed well contractors, to sample the water and have it tested.”
Law said there was evidence of an issue.
“The preliminary update from Aecom’s field staff is that, with no remedial work required, they were able to run a faucet continuously with no issues,” Law said.
“The sample was visually clear and colorless with no visible sediment. We have requested expedited analysis from the lab but, at this point, there is no empirical evidence of an issue.”
Despite the motion approved by council and the letter by Hope, WWF says civil lawsuits against the Municipality are likely.
“The only way to see that avoided is to halt North Kent Wind immediately, but as this press statement is being written, pile hammer strikes continue on the next concession,” WWF said.
The group says they plan on continuing “civil disobedience actions” with the Council of Canadians to raise awareness about the issue.
Watch for more on this story.
– Photo credit: Mary Beth Corcoran
