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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-08-02, Page 1fcThe Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 16 No. 31 Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2000 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) Brussels mural unveiledPg. 2 Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Pg. 18 Pg. 19 Course puts propane drivers in hot seat New business comes to Londesboro Behind the scenes of ‘Stolen Lives’ Festival's ‘Drawer Boy' an opening night hit Bloom judges arrive By Janice Becker Citizen staff In spite of grey skies Monday morning, the Blyth Communities in Bloom committee was ready to show off the village when the judges arrived. Marc Proulx an parks manager for Villes de Sept-Iles, PQ, and Ken Anderson, an amateur gardener from St. Peters Bay, PEI. began their tour of the village early.in.the morning with stops at the village buildings and past Howsons before viewing private gardens. Unfortunately, misty skies forced the judges into a car instead of the planned ride on Grant Sparling's antique fire truck. The morning drive also included a trip to the water treatment plant arena, soccer field and campgrounds, ball diamonds, landfill site, compost area and cemetery and a tour of The Old Mill before stopping at the Lions park for a picnic lunch. Lions Bev Blair was on hand to show the pair around the park, explaining all the projects in which the Lions are involved, as well as works planned for the future. Aboard for a horse and buggy ride as the skies cleared in the afternoon, the judges were taken to the Siertsema farm, along the Greenway Trail, past the public school’s Earth Friendly garden, and on more private home visits. Both Proulx and Anderson said they enjoyed judging in the smallest class, under I,()()() population because of the interaction with the community and the volunteers who actually did the work. In larger centres, it is all professionals, they said. Proulx has been involved in Communities in Bloom judging at the provincial level for seven years and this was his first step onto the national stage. He said it was a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to Continued on page 3 Local municipalities continue efforts to protect the local water sources By Janice Becker Citizen staff Local municipalities are doing everything necessary to ensure water supplies to residents are safe. Following reports in the Toronto Star (hat Walkerton homes were serviced by undersized and clogged watermains, Brussels Clerk- Treasurer Donna White expressed frustration at the media’s lack of attention on the work other communities are doing to comply Learning about the Lions Park Blyth Lions member Bev Blair led Communities in Bloom judges Ken Anderson of PEI, centre, and Marc Proulx of Quebec on a tour of the Blyth Lions Park Monday afternoon. Blair explained the many projects in which the Lions participate, including the summer Santa Ride for the Christmas Bureau, youth exchanges, providing children’s playground equipment, offering a dinner for seniors, sponsoring tree trunk carvings as well as fundraising for many other uses. The national awards for the Communities in Bloom competition will be announced in Edmonton, Sept. 30. with all Ministry of Environment requests. “We are breaking our necks” trying to ensure safety, she said. Late last week, the Ministry of Environment issued a list of communities asked to do more chemical sampling. Included on that list were: Blyth; Brussels; Belgrave Community well, Belgrave; McCrae well system, Belgrave; Wingham and the Ontario Clean Water Agency’s Lake Huron area- wide services. Brussels was listed for not having a chlorinator on the back-up well. Blyth, the two well systems in Belgrave and four waterworks in Goderich Twp. were noted for not having a certified operator looking after the systems. Though Brussels’ water tested clean, the ministry requested more sampling including tests for pesticides. White said the tests were ordered before the inspectors left and all the results were clean. Asked to install a chlorinator on the back-up well. White said pricing has been obtained and the village is trying to determine how to provide the 15-minute contact time with chlorination as the back-up well has no reservoir. For the Belgrave wells Morris Twp. Clerk-Treasurer Nancy Michie said all conditions have been addressed. The township has entered into an agreement with Wingham PUC, as East Wawanosh Twp. did some time ago, to provide a certified operator. Road Superintendent Lloyd Michie is also registered in a training class. Michie said Maitland Engineering Services of Wingham has been engaged to examine the municipal water supply systems with a consultant's report to go to the ministry by Oct. 1 and a turbidity (muddiness) report submitted Sept. 1. Michie noted that the ministry inspector who audited and reported on the wells this June was unaware of a review filed with the MOE in 1997. To meet ministry requests, Blyth has entered into an agreement with Wingham PUC as well and the operator began work in the village Aug. 1. White said she would be pleased if a follow-up report would be issued detailing the work done and the communities on earlier lists which are now confirmed as having clean water supplies. In response to the discovery that Walkerton had large sections of the community serviced by pipes smaller than one inch. White said she is unaware of any such pipes in Brussels. Brussels attempts to do one major watermain replacement each year to maintain the infrastructure. PLIC Foreman Don Crawford said the six- inch pipe is basically what Brussels has except for a couple areas which serve few residents. Since 1990, watermains have been replaced with PVC pipe and Crawford has seen no problem with build-up. Blyth Clerk-Treasurer John Stewart said that the village also flushes the system twice a year, in the spring and the fall and has not been made aware of any clogging or closing in of the watermains when replacements have been installed. With the standard watermain size of six inches, Stewart said there are some areas with four-inch pipes due to less demand for water and eight­ inch lines in other places. The only incident of small watermains was along Drummond Street where a one-inch pipe caused a problem with low water pressure when there was increased usage. "There was never a problem with water quality,” Stewart added. “That line was dug up last year and replaced with a six-inch main,” he said. White said. "Other than doing more sampling, it is generally business as usual in Brussels. We have a good system in place." None of the above matters reflect on the quality of water in the municipalities.