The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) told a local family that North Kent Wind is not at fault for damage caused to their water well.
The Water Wells First group does not agree.
Kevin Jakubec, spokesperson for the group says Paul and Jessica Brooks received a letter from the MOECC recently, saying North Kent Wind, Samsung and Pattern Energy are not responsible for causing well interference at their 9597 Brook Line home.
“The Brooks family and Water Wells First have reviewed the MOECC report and utterly reject the MOECC findings,” Jakubec said.
“Since the start of Samsung turbine construction for the North Kent Wind project, at least 14 water wells have become seriously polluted. 14 water wells that had provided high quality drinking water for decades suddenly turned black and choked out with Black Shale following the start of construction. Wells that were proven to be good through extensive baseline testing. The Ministry of Environment pretends that this has nothing to do with Samsung construction activities based on studies provided by Samsung.”
Jakubec added: “The MOECC seems incapable of admitting they made a mistake and are unwilling to correct that mistake. Who does the Ministry work for? It is unethical for a Ministry to allow a polluter to self police itself when human health is at stake. It is devastating to our community’s families to be asked by this government to return to drinking water that is visibly polluted with Black Shale.”
In a letter sent to the Brook’s family, and provided to the media by Water Wells First, the MOECC says ministry hydrogeologists and staff with vibration monitoring expertise reviewed water test and vibration monitoring results on the Brooks’ well.
“Upon reviewing reports and test results, the ministry concludes that any pile-driving-induced vibrations that may have reached your well would have been less than other common daily sources, and would not have caused the water quality issues you are experiencing,” Mike Moroney, district manager for the Sarnia/Windsor district for the MOECC, wrote in the letter.
Moroney said in the letter that ministry staff have heard the concerns of residents regarding potential risks to human health from “rock particles in well water that are believed to have originated from the Kettle Point formation
shale.
“Wells that draw water from this underground aquifer may contain particles from the shale. Water containing fine particles could appear cloudy – or turbid. Turbid water can also be caused by bacterial contamination or harbour bacterial contamination. Turbid water is certainly unappealing, but according to the Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health, in the absence of bacterial contamination there is no health hazard from undissolved particles in water. The local health unit recommends that bacterial testing of well water be undertaken three times per year. Sampling instructions and bottles are available from the Chatham-Kent Health Unit, at no cost.”
Read the full letter sent to the Brooks’, here. You can also read a Technical Memorandum sent to the Brooks’ as well, here.
The MOECC told the Brooks’ that North Kent Wind will be contacting them to provide them with the most recent version of their technical memorandum of their complaint.
The company has advised the ministry that they are committed to working with the Brooks’ to provide clarity on any questions they may have and to discuss next steps, the MOECC said in their letter.
Watch for more on this story.
– Photo credit: Water Wells First
