A review on the economic importance of Brant Ontario's water supply and the risks posed by Quarry Pits to food and food production sectors.

1. Brant-Brent County Economy
& Associated Risks of Gravel Pits
By Louisette Lanteigne
butterflybluelu@rogers.com

2. Aquifers are the key to the economic systems
in Brant County
... but what is an aquifer?

3. Water + Aggregates = Aquifers
Controls water flow rates & volumes, water temperature and water quality.

4. Along coastal areas, geological layout is relatively consistent
and “predictable”. Water heads to the nearest lake.

5. We sit in an area of Complex Geology
The Waterloo and Paris
Galt Moraines are located
in the middle of multiple
glacial lobes.
As glaciers melted, The
water flowed to different
lakes moving sand and
aggregates all over
making our geology less
predictable.

6. Recent sediment studies reveals the Paris Galt
Moraine is more complex and harder to classify.
Existing studies have shown that end moraines characterized
by hummocky topography like the Paris moraine are difficult
to classify geomorphologically. Processes such as meltwater,
sediment gravity flows, deformation by ice and ponding are all
important in the development of ice marginal moraines and these
processes lead to a wide variety of materials and an equally wide
variety of moraine types.*
* A Sedimentological and Geomorphological Investigation of the Paris Moraine in the
Guelph Area in the Guelph Area, Ontario, Canada By Michael McGill. A Thesis presented to
the University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of
Science in Land Resource Science Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Michael McGill, August,
2012

7. People believed all watersheds were defined by
topography only.

8. Sediment studies reveal below ground water connectivity
proving that topography alone is not enough to prevent risks.
(cross section of Waterloo Moraine)

9. Contamination goes to wells in spite of topography!
Mike Stone re: Waterloo Moraine Chloride issues

10. Brant County Recharge Areas

11. Development is encroaching on recharge!

12. Gravel pits encroaching on recharge!

13. What is at risk?

14. Grand River's contribution to GDP
- The Grand River supports the same gross national revenue as
the province of Nova Scotia. (State of the Grand River
Watershed, GRCA)
- Natural Heritage River contains 51% of Canada's native fish
including threatened and endangered species
- River and tributaries support commercial fishing, tourism,
birding, boating, trails and recreational use
- Recharges Lake Erie and supports the Canadian and US
economy with fisheries, beaches and Great Lakes shipping
routes. If a boat have to lighten their load to not run aground it
increases the costs for goods and. Manufacturing and hurts the
GDP.

15. Brant's Groundwater revenues for municipal use
Groundwater withdrawn annually is
30,000m³ = 30,000,000 litres annually
County of Brant Municipal Groundwater Study 2005
1% of the groundwater volumes
1% of the groundwater volumes
= 300,000 litres per year = 821.92 L per day.
= 300,000 litres per year = 821.92 L per day.

16. Brant's Groundwater Value: municipal use
Annual groundwater volumes pumped: 30,000,000 L/year
1% of that volume = 300,000L/year or 821.92 L per day
If water treatment costs are valued at 1 cent to 3 cents, these are the
municipal revenues Brant County risks losing based on losses of 1 to 10%
of the current water volumes.
Volumes lost
per day % of
groundwater
Total volume
lost per day in
litres
Cost of water
lost per day at
1 cent
Cost of water
lost per day at
2 cents
Cost of water
lost at per day
at 3 cents
1% 821.92L $821.92 $1643.84 $2465.76
2% 1643.84L $1643.84 $3287.68 $4931.52
5% 4109.60L $4109.60 $8219.20 $12,328.80
10% 8219.20L $8219.20 $16,582.40 $24,801.60

17. Water contributes to Agricultural Industries

18. Farm Cash Receipts for Main Commodities,
Brant, 2009 (Total = $171.6 million)
Sources: 2006 Census of Agriculture and Strategic Policy Branch, OMAFRA
Dec-2010

19. Brant has a wide diversity of agricultural
products dependent on water supplies

20. Farming is just the first step
Although direct employment numbers on the farm
may seem small, the impact across the entire
food industry, from processing to end users is
significant.

21. There are currently 20 businesses involved in
There are currently 20 businesses involved in
food products manufacturing in Brantford -
food products manufacturing in Brantford -
Brant contributing to approximately 2,300 jobs
Brant contributing to approximately 2,300 jobs
in the region.
in the region.
http://www.brantfordbrant.com/KeyIndustries/FoodManufacturing/Pages/default.aspx:
http://www.brantfordbrant.com/KeyIndustries/FoodManufacturing/Pages/default.aspx:

22. In the past decade the following companies have
invested in the community

23. Food vs. Aggregates: Jobs
Source:Liberal MP Leeanna Pendergast press release titled
“Lets put pits in their place”, June 21, 2011.
Aggregates employ
35,000 people directly
and indirectly
including 3.2 billion
GDP and 1.8 million in
Labour income.
Canadian Agriculture
and Agri-food sectors
(2008) employ 2.2
million jobs. (one in 8
jobs in Canada.) and
generates 99 Billion
GDP. 8.1% of
Canada's total GDP.

24. Food Packagers
Farming extends benefits to other sectors
Transportation Services
Tourism Restaurants

25. Brantford·Brant's Advantages
Transportation options that include superior access to 400 series highways, two international
airports, international border crossing at Niagara Falls and inter-modal facilities in western GTA
Proximity to Ontario and Northern US customer market and suppliers
Strong labour force growth trends
Productive, skilled labour force
Competitive wage levels
Access to suppliers and competitively priced high quality raw materials
Low land and construction costs when compared to other Southern Ontario locations
Low cost electricity and telecommunication costs
Cost competitive business conditions
Proximity to major consumer markets considered a major factor in attracting warehouse and
distribution facilities

26. Another advantage: WATER

27. Global water & food crisis due to declining aquifers
from Over-withdrawal, Impervious Surfaces & Climate Change
World's largest aquifer going dry
The Ogallala aquifer is the world's largest
underground water system, irrigating one-
third of the US corn crops and providing
drinking water to Colorado, Kansas,
Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. It’s one of
the fastest-disappearing aquifers in the
world and the water is not coming back.
( Associated Press)
China's north that produces food for 400
million people is running out of water
because they are depleting the
underground aquifers.
Thomas Fingar, chairman and deputy director
US National IntelligenceCouncil and
The failure of governments to limit pumping to
the sustainable yield of aquifers means that
water tables are now falling in countries that
contain more than half the world's people,
including the big three grain producers--China,
India, and the United States.
Lester R. Brown,Earth Policy Institute, Washington D.C.

28. Agricultural lands WITH WATER are in high demand.
• Countries such as China, Korea and the United Arab Emirates are buying or leasing agricultural land to help
meet their own food needs.
The International Food Policy Research Institute
• The World Bank estimates that demand for food will
rise by 50 percent by 2030.
The National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2025
• Global Economist project that agricultural lands will surpass the value of development lands in the near
future due to rising oil production costs, population increases, higher standard of living, water shortages climate
change and drought.
First photo: China, Second Photo: The US Third: Waterloo Ontario

29. Mark Wales, President of
Ontario Federation of Agriculture states:
“Canada is expected to be one of
only six countries in the world to be
a net exporter of food.”
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/06/04/19836431.html

30. One solution to pollution is dilution
...but it takes water to do it.

31. Contamination Issues

Effluent: 29 waste water plants drain effluent into the Grand
River resulting in endocrine disruptors, nitrate. phosphate
issues and ammonia issues.

Animal wastes: 290,000 cows in the Grand River Watershed
produce waste = five million people. (Source: GRCA) This
contributes to of fecal contamination issues such as ecoli and
nitrate and phosphates and amonia.

Legacy spills : contamination risks associated with industrial
wastes, old dumps, illegal dumping and accidental spills.

Roadsalt risks: Chloride issues in water supplies pose health
risks to individuals and can close wells. Salt water is bad for
crops.

Pesticides: Less groundwater to dilute can result in higher
levels showing up in municipal well systems posing health
risks.
.

32. Problem issues
Phosphates stimulate the growth of plants, contributes to
nitrate issues and the growth of toxic algae.
Nitrate in excess can kill fish, result in dead zones in lakes
and can cause blue baby syndrome. It also contributes to
nitrite related cancers. It cannot be filtered out.
Ammonia causes corrosive damage to human body tissue
where there is contact and it makes water more expensive
to treat.

33. Regarding Atrazine
• Atrazine is a pesticide used to kill broad leafed weeds. It was banned by the European Union
in 2003 for it’s endocrine disrupting properties.
• International studies link Atrazine to human breast and prostate cancers and is proven to
deform frogs and change the sex of fish. It was banned by the European Union back in
2004.
• Atrazine is the most common pesticides in Canada used over top corn and soy crops.
How much Atrazine is used in Brant County and the
adjacent farming areas?

34. Less water = higher contamination risks
• On September 11, 2007 a report from the Natural Resources Defense
Council, confirms high levels of Atrazine in Midwest drinking water
supplies.
• The U.S. EPA, data shows raised Atrazine levels in 94 of 136 water
systems tested at the source.
http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=4797&codi=19443&lr=1
What impact will the landfill have in augmenting existing water levels
currently diluting concentration of pesticides in Brant County and
adjacent farming communities?

35. Syngenta paid $105 million to settle class-action lawsuit with
Water Utilities after Atrazine contaminated US water supplies.

36. Wetlands support Endangered Species

37. The Endangered Species act 2009
revision specifically identifies Jefferson
Salamander habitats in the City of
Hamilton, the counties of Brant,
Dufferin, Elgin, Grey, Haldimand, Norfolk
and Wellington and the regional
municipalities of Halton, Niagara, Peel,
Waterloo and York,
Jefferson Salamander are listed as
Endangered by COSWIC. They are a
key indicator species for identifying
areas of primary recharge due to the
fact they require moist habitats to
survive. Many of their remaining habitats
in Canada are currently being destroyed
for aggregate extraction, development
and roads.
Brant has Endangered Jefferson Salamanders
In 2009, the Endangered Species Act revision states:

38. Brant has Endangered Blanding's Turtles
“Next to habitat loss, road
mortality is one of the biggest
threats to their remaining
populations,” the GRCA
released in a statement.
The area of concern is Highway
24, south of Cambridge, passing
through Brant and Norfolk
Counties on the way to Lake
Erie, where Blanding’s turtles
are the prevalent species at risk.

39. Brant's threatened and endangered species.
Source: GRCA

40. All projects must comply to most current version
of the Ontario Endangered Species Act 2007.
The Endangered Species Act 2007 applies to any activity
that poses an immediate threat to threatened or
endangered species and their habitats. Projects cannot
be “grandfathered” to avoid it and the most current version
of the law stands.
Source: Senior MNR policy adviser Gail Jackson on October 6, 2011
via telephone conversation with Louisette Lanteigne.

41. If a “kill” permit is sought
The Endangered Species Act demands that there must be a net benefit for
the species. If one is killed, they must be replaced by two or more
live specimens per kill and they must expand on the delineated
protected habitat area to assure the improved survival rates of the
remaining specimens in the area.
A single application can take up to 7 years before a permit is issued. It must
be signed three times by various review agencies including MNR staff, the
deputy minister, the MNR ministers and others. Prior to the issuance of permit
the request be posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry for public
comment. ALL alternative designs submitted by city planners, developers and
the public can be reviewed at this phase and the decision that best balances
needs of the threatened/endangered species and planning needs can
be implemented. If there is no reasonable way to secure a net benefit of
the species, the request will be denied.

42. Court Case favours conservation
Recent court cases regarding the need to protect killer whales in BC secured a ruling
that confirmed the fate of rare species should “not be left to the discretion of
politicians” that threatened and endangered animals must be protected by law.
They need spaces to feed, breed and raise their young if their populations are going to
survive and recovery.

43. The Key to protection is the public!
Democracy Works for Endangered Species
Act, Study Finds; Citizen Involvement Key in
Protecting and Saving Threatened Species
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120816141533.htm

44. Natural Wetlands can filter out nitrate and
phosphate issues 80-90%
www.creditvalleyca.ca/wp.../01/ValuingWetlandsPhase1-final.pdf

45. Lake Erie Pipeline or Pipedream?

46. Lake Erie Water Pipeline
- Cost: $1.2 billion (2008)
- no water treatment or
transportation costs
estimates
- Does not include cost to
upgrade intake facilities.
- Water delivered over 100
km uphill. Where will we
get the energy?
- The Grand River would
be “infrastructure” and
lose heritage status.

47. Further Issues re: Pipeline

Minimum wage has increased

Cost of steel has gone up 66%

There is a global shortage of tires, asphalt,
cement and steel*

80% of Canada's infrastructure currently needs
replacing*

88% of existing infrastructure is over 40 years old*
*Based on 2007 FCM-McGill. Municipal Infrastructure Survey

48. Pipeline Questions
To purchase the base materials we must compete
with the growing resource demands of
municipalities and oil sand companies &
Canadian manufacturers.
What economic impacts would this project have
on our local, provincial and federal economy?

49. The lessons of Pipe 6 in London
More than 500,000 people in the London area are being
urged to conserve water following the second Lake Huron
pipeline water main break in two years forcing
municipalities to rely on reservoirs.
The Big Leak by Norman De Bono, The London Free Press May 24, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/05/23/19788776.html

50. Pipe 6 broke 4 times in 66 years
2012: Mount Carmel (pipe 66 years)
2010: 1km north of the 2012 break (pipe 54 years)
1988 break in the Shipka area. (pipe: 22 years old)
1983: break in the Shipka area (pipe was 17 years old)

51. London Water Supply Facts
London uses 140 million litres of water a day
Pipe 6 is 47 kilometres long from Lake Huron to Arva . It is
a 1.2 metres in diameter concrete pressure pipe with 200
psi water pressure that moves 2,000 litres of water per
second at a rate of 170 million litres of water a day
Total Reservoir capacity for City of London is 441 million
litres of water. (Springbrook, Arva & St. Thomas reservoirs
combined). London only has 3.15 normal use water
days stored in their reservoir at maximum capacity.

52. REGARDING ENGINEERING FIRMS
There is no money in discovering bad geology...or is there?

53. Problems With Engineering Firms
Engineering firms often conduct environmental assessment for
approval processes. Once they signed off, the liability risks transfers
to the firm who purchased their data.
If issues arise due to poor environmental studies, they are not held
liable for any of the the work they did but they do stand to profit from
remediation jobs if things go wrong.
Rubber Stamps from engineers are not enough.
Approvals based on completion rather than quality of data is risky!
Hold a check worth the value of the Engineering Service and if
things fail due to their poor initial EA data: Cash it.
It's a good incentive to assure quality work.

54. Municipal Liability for Sewer and Water Pipe
Failures ... Despite Statutory Authority and Immunity
In some provinces such as Ontario, municipalities benefit
from both statutory authority and statutory immunity. Yet
despite these twin defences, municipalities still risk
being held liable, criminally or civilly, for malfunctions
of their sewer and water pipes.
The courts are much more willing to impose liability on
municipalities than they have been to impose similar
liability on more senior governments.
OSWCA Paper to CWWA - 27 Feb 2007
http://ebookbrowse.com/oswca-paper-to-cwwa-27-feb-2007-final-pdf-d25588171
by Jackie Campbell, B.Sc. (Pharm.), LLB, Dianne Saxe, Ph.D. in Law, Certified Specialist in
Environmental Law & Frank Zechner, B.A.Sc., P.Eng., LLB (Executive Director, Ontario
Sewer and Watermain Construction Association)

55. Lake Erie:Under Stress
Toxic Algae Issues
Growing “Dead Zone”
Declining water volumes
Greater contamination risk
Climate Change
Invasive species
Water taking (CAN & US)
Bulk Water Shipments

56. Zebra Mussels in intake pipes
ar

57. Lake Erie March 12, 2012
Will it even be drinkable?
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=77506

58. International Joint Commission
biennial report on the state of the Great Lakes
Calling Lake Erie the "poster child" for eutrophication,
the commission's U.S. co-chair, Lana Pollack, said
much of the lake is back to being coated with slimy
green algal blooms in the summer, as it was in the
1960s and early '70s.
Great Lakes Phospherous Levels Rising Report Warns By Sharon Oosthoek
CBC News, Mar 9, 2011
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2011/03/09/tech-ijc-great-lakes.html

59. August 31st to September 7 2012
The rotting fish carcasses as well as some dead birds lined
the shore of Lake Erie for 40 kilometres.
Lack of Oxygen Killed Lake Erie Fish Test Show Richard J. Brennan, National Affairs
Writer, Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1250979--tens-of-thousands-of-dead-fish-rotting-on-lake-erie-shore

60. International Joint Commission
It is clear that human and ecosystem health in the
Great Lakes basin cannot be protected without
protecting ground-water resources.
http://www.ijc.org/rel/news/2011/110308_e.htm

61. The Moraines have been providing water for
free for over 15,000 years!

62. Conserve & Recycle and Aggregates
(Bricks made from human sludge!)

63. Protect our A1 Farmlands and source
water areas for generations to come

64. Protect the function of Aggregates because
Aggregates = Water Supply