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News
Environmental assessment
invites input on two welts
From Page 1 •
both the quantity and quality Yneeded for the
town.
An environmental assessment, being com-
pleted by B.M. Ross and Associates, will give
surrounding landowners a chance to express
any concerns they have about impacts on
their properties and is expected to be finished
by Feb. 2.
"They could possibly have an effect on the
supply of existing private wells," says environ-
mental planner Kelly Vader, of B.M. Ross and
Associates.
Vader says the assessment will also consult
various public agencies such as the Ministry
of the Environment and Ministry of Natural
Resources, the Huron County Health Unit,
local fire departments, conservation authori
ties and the county planning department.
Residents within 200 to 300 metres will be
mailed a notice of the assessment and given a
30 -day period to express their concerns.
And, while regulations surrounding well-
head protection legislation have not been
made public, Vadersays the assessment will
look into possible
restrictions and
impacts to sur-
rounding farms.
"We'll look at
potential contam-
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ination sources and protection measures
around it (the well). We're not sure what the
impacts might be but we want to figure out
what farmers may need to do," she says.
Potential sources of contamination could be
gas stations, manure and chemical fertilizer
and pesticides.
As well, Vader says the assessment will
include a look at capture zones surrounding
the potential new wells and soil quality, deter-
mining how fast any contaminants might
travel to a well.
"We already- have a capture zone for the
Welsh Street well but the lines need to be
redrawn, depending on the pumping capaci-
ties of the new wells," she says.
No dates have yet been set for public meet-
ings that will be held during the environmen-
tal assessment and after it .is completed.
If the environmental assessment goes well,
Vader says the new wellscould be built in the
spring or summer.
"Council is very committed to moving for-
ward with this," she •says.
Huron East gets inquiries
about tax deferral plan
Susan Hundertmark
Huron East has received inquiries
from two municipalities outside of
Huron County about its move to
defer property tax on municipal
farmland until the fall for the sec-
ond year.
Halton Hills and a municipality in
the Woodstock area have called
Deputy -Clerk Brad Knight looking
for more information about how to
go about giving farmers a break
with their farmland tax.
"Some of the questions have
reflected the logistics of not billing
taxes," said Knight, adding that the
fact that farmers are struggling
financially is a "generally accepted
fact."
He said the councillors from the
two municipalities have picked up
the news from various publications
and are looking at following Huron
East's lead in helping out farmers.
"The municipality should be
happy with that," he says, adding
that he's happy with the way the
media has helped spread the word.
Nearby, Bluewater Mayor Bill
Dowson was expected to broach the
subject with his council on Monday
night.
"Most of the arguments will be
that we have other businesses in
difficulty too. And, the cottages
along the shoreline are struggling to
pay their taxes," he said Friday dur-
ing a phone interview.
Dowson said that while he's a
farmer and acknowledges that "you
need assistance in agriculture to
survive," he's "torn both ways" about
the need to defer farmland tax.
He says Bluewater is already eas-
ing all taxpayers' burdens by allow-
ing monthly instead of quarterly
payments of property taxes.
Bert Dykstra, reeve of Central
Huron, said Friday his council will
also be discussing Huron East's idea
to defer farmland taxes Monday.
"We haven't really heard from any
farmers about it. Most figure they're
going to have to pay their taxes
sometime anyway," he said.
At least one Huron County munic-
ipality will not be supporting Huron
East's plan to temporarily relieve
farmers' tax burden.
South Huron's Deputy Reeve Dave
Urlin told Huron East Mayor Joe
Seili that their council could not
endorse a proposal to postpone farm
taxes as it created an unfair playing
board in the municipality.
"We think it's a bad way to do it,"
Urlin said during the Jan. 7 county
council meeting.
"There is a lot of people who did
use it, who did take advantage of it,"
Seili reported. "It's not much but it
is a help."
with files from Mark Nonkes