REGIONAL & PROVINCIAL DRINKING WATER DISGRACES (Fecal Bacteria)

Talk about liars and talk about slamming the gate after the horse has bolted. Yesterday I posted about the Bait & Switch deal being pulled by the Region of Waterloo, on West Montrose residents. They were told that their system primarily had quantity problems and if pushed they would mention iron and manganese treatment issues. Zero comment about them having the highest detections of Total Coliforms and E.Coli throughout Waterloo Region in their raw water. Then they were told that Conestogo has ample quantity of high quality drinking water available if they the West Montrose residents would agree to a pipeline over to Conestogo. The latest story is that we the Region are expanding our options list to now include a hookup to the Regional IUS (Integrated Urban System) as well.

I surmised correctly that the source of fecal bacteria to the West Montrose wells was the approximately fifty or more upgradient septic tanks and tile beds. That would be upgradient and in the same aquifer by the way. On-line is a report called the Grand River Source Protection Area Approved Assessment Report. Page 9-488 and Map 9-294 is titled West Montrose Well Supply Wellhead Protection Area. Page 9-491 and Map 9-297 is titled West Montrose Well Supply Transport Pathways. The second map shows that water in the four West Montrose wells (WM1, WM2, WM3, WM4) draws from shallow groundwater running directly under the septic sysytems of the entire subdivision. The originator of this water supply system was a developer. The Region of Waterloo took over in 1994 and have struggled ever since trying to avoid a repeat of the Walkerton disaster by chlorinating the daylights out of this polluted water whether directly from the septic systems or as they prefer to claim from the nearby Grand River.

The Conestogo Plains water system I have recently learned also have problems with fecal bacteria and total Coliforms. This surprised me at first as I expected problems from the Golf Course water system. It like the West Montrose system has at least one of its' wells being influenced by the Grand River. It is conceivable however that the one well is both deeper and farther away from the river than the four West Montrose wells. The same report as above on page 9-358, Map 9-198 is titled Conestogo Well Supply Transport Pathways. It tells the tale as to why well C-4 has had bacterial problems. Both it and well C-3 are drawing water from below the Conestoga Plains subdivision's septic systems. I would estimate that the map shows more like 60-70 septic systems discharging into the ground. There is good reason why well C-4 has had less dramatic detections of bacteria than the West Montrose wells. Firstly it and C-3 are deeper and there may be a more or less continuous aquitard slowing contaminant migration between the two aquifers. Secondly well C-4 has been on standby while well C-3 does the lion's share of water production for the community.

The bottom line is that one community (Conestogo) are at risk and the other (West Montrose) have been long at risk due to bacteria and the toxic by-products of heavy disinfection for decades. Only now are the Region and the Province (M.O.E.) doing something appropriate about it and they are both lying like dogs to hide their negligence and culpability.