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Clinton News-Record, 1986-04-23, Page 32Page 6A—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1986 -unfavorable c continue: submissions are fro hearings o t By Alan Rivett CLINTON - The Hydro hearings resumed on April 18 with seven submissions to the Consolidated Hearing Board against the proposed hydro route through Huron County. The hearings commenced in Clinton on April 15 with the first three days devoted to testimony from the members of the Hydro system planning team who outlined the route selection, environmental and agricultural considerations, and route com- parisons. Later in day three of the hearings (April 17) the Foodland Hydro Committee, con- sisting of landowners in Huron, Bruce and Middlesex Counties opposed to the 500 kv transmission lines through prime farmland, began giving submissions to the hearing board Jim Love submitted a brief to the board on behalf of 48 landowners in Hay Township connected with the Foodland Hydro Com- mittee and Hay Township Council. He ex- pressed his concern about the destruction of bushland in Hay Township, especially in the area of the Hay Swamp which provides a windbreak for farmland. "The land in Hay Swamp is primarily sand and muck and violent storms in the past have caused zero visibility along Highway 84... and many crops have been destroyed due to drifting sand. Removing the bushland and replacing it with monstrous hydro lines would only provoke the problem," said Mr. Love in his submis- sion brief. The farmland in Hay Township is 90 per, cent drained and if it's uprooted during con- struction the affected areas would have to be re -drained, noted Mr. Love. Difficulty with moving large equipment around the hydro towers would also be a big problem for farmers. "Four-wheel drive tractors and 50 foot cultivators make manoeuvering around these towers virtual- ly impossible," said Mr. Love, recommen- ding any towers built on Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 land should be narrow -based towers. Mr. Love also questioned Hydro's need for the power with the Bruce Nuclear Power Development (BNPD) already producing at 80 per cent capacity, and further magnified by Hydro's current $25 -billion debt. In a personal submission to the board, Mr. Love made a •plea to the Hydro represen- tatives to consider any alternatives, to the route from the BNPD to London including new technologies being developed to put 500 kv lines underground. -If you had one ounce of compassion for your fellow man, you would go back to Toronto and draw up some acceptable alter- natives," he said. Evert Ridder, the owner of hog and cash crop operation in Goderich Township, represented the township's 120 members of the Foodland Hydro Committee at the hear- ing. He suggested to Hydro to place more emphasis on power conservation rather than expansion. As an example, he has cut the power requirement in his barns by 30 per cent by using a lower wattage florescent lightbulb. Farmers could be placed in a bad situa- tion durine harvestine season if an accident occurred with the hydro towers, he said. A delay in getting parts could cause a farmer to lose all or part of his crop. To avoid ac- cidents with towels, he asked hydro if florescent reflectors on the towers visible to farmers working at night. As for compensation for establishing towers on farmland, he recommended Hydro lease the land on a yearly basis using a formula tied to inflation which also takes into account time loss and other inconve- niences with working around the towers. He provided Hydro with a detailed cost breakdown for farmers using land with hydro towers. He also recommended if the Hydro line was established, an independent arbitration body should be set up to deal with any unfor- seen problems in the fields when erecting the towers. Mr Ridder, like Mr. Love, was opposed to Hydro's proposal to use towers. narrow -based towers only when diagonally "The power lines will discourage the use traversing farmland. He suggested that of the best liquid manure systems and will narrow -based towers should also be used on cost the farmer in the long run," said Mr. fencelineswhich would lessen the effect of Lobb. weeds and the chances of overlapping when spraying herbicides which could con- There is also safety factors to consider taminate the soil. when custom applicating with the Ter - Fred Lobb of H. Lobb and Sons of Clinton ragator or manure irrigation equipment. He gave a submission to the board regarding said when putting down piping for irrigation his custom manure applicating business and there's always a chance of arcing from the the potential effect of Hydro towers on the high voltage power lines. There's also the business. hazzardous situation of the liquid manure stream touching the live wires. The costs for custom applicating of manure and sludge on farmland with hydro Gerald Dustow, representing the Colborne towers would go up significantly, said Mr. Township Foodland Hydro Committee; Lobb. After questioning from board Hugh Feagan and Glenn Ribey of Colborne member R. Ward Rodman, Mr. Lobb sug- Township; and Laurie Cox, representing gested his costs might rise 25 to 40 per cent Goderich Township Council, also gave sub - when using the equipment around hydro missions to the board. Day five �Lnslx. 19 submissions against .Hy ro route • CLINTON - A total of 11 submissions were farmland. A line here would also bring "Hydro must drop any thoughts that the asked if it was wise to go ahead with furthur heard by the Consolidated Hearings Board power to the larger centres and could con- benefit of building on cleared land rather expansion. on day five (April 21) of the hearings. nect with the Darlington nuclear plant. than on forested land will accrue to them. "If Ontario Hydro ever comes to its senses The hearings, which started in Clinton on In a joint submission by Stanley Township This land was not cleared and drained for already generated it will realize it is more heapeeffic user to electricityly thanto April 15, have focussed on the proposed farmers Gordon Hill and Philip Durand of the benefit of Ontario Hydro," saic1'Mr. Hill. Hydro corridorfrom the Bruce Nuclear the Foodland Hydro Committee, said the Other testimony during the April 21 hear build more power plants and transmission Power Development to London through proposed hydro corridor through Huron ing was devoted to the problems of soil colines," said Mr. Jeffray. m Huron County. County's farmland would promote in- paction, damage to drainage tile, aerial ap- Peter Schuettel, a Colborne Township dustrialization in the county, adding to the plication of herbicides, and the effects of agriculture, Mr. Jeffray said energy re - farmer formerly of Switzerland, gave the pollution problem. already causing problems animal i alprod production nconnectedwiththehydro decreases under Chefor r urrentms ltrend l tinue to hearing board some insight into the Euro -with crops. Day Six r. fewer and more cost efficient farms. pean style of hydro line planning. Mr. Durand cited a report which claims a With the use of slides, he showed a hydro high concentration of air pollution has The Consolidated Hearings Board board Farmers are moving towards naturally ventillatryd barns instead of using large route in Switzerland which runs along the reduced yields up to 50 per cent in many of heard eight more submissions against the ro osed BNPD to London hydro route dui fans. Bulk milk tanks are increasingly main highway from Zurich to Bern. He the crops growing in Southwestern Ontario. iii da six of the hearings on April 22. water cooled instead of air cooled resulting pointed out that 250 to 300 foot hydro towers White beans, he says, are especially suscep-Laurence Taylor, a Hullett Township in energy saving. In heated buildings such were used to go overtop of forest land. tible to pollution with the yield of white y as pig nurseries, heat exchangers can There, forests are not allowed to be cut beans crops in Kent and Essex Counties farmer, gave an accounht of htowers on his is experiences reclaim 50 per cent or more of the heat, down to erect a hydro line. declining to the point were it is no longer whillands As a igresult of arounthe dr initial tower noted Mr. Jeffray. R. Ward Rodman, of the hearings board, economical to grow. con- struction, the drain tile developed drain Three submissions to the hearings board asked the hydro representatives to arrange "Pollution from the United States and cracks and have continued to deteriorate were given by residents of Usborne for someone from Ontario Hydro to give from Sarnia, Detroit, Windsor, and every year since. Township which lies in the alternate route of evidence regarding these types of towers Chatham areas cause sufficient pollution by The placement of these towers on the land the BNPD to London transmission corridor. which could span the top of woodlots. Hydro ozone to reach the threshold of what our has caused continual problems, says Mr. Tom Heatherington of RR3 Exeter, the lawyer Bruce Campbell said a hydro official crops can absorb. Any additional placing of will be aranged to testify before the end of energy or industrial development can only Taylor. He says the towers were placed 35 Huron Produce Ltd. of Exeter and Pat Down the Clinton hearings. serve to increase this pollution and thus feet from a creek making field spraying of RR1, on behalf of the Foodland Hydro Mr. Schuettel also suggested Hydro place decrease crop yield, and we believe this is with 60 to 80 foot boom impossible for this Committee members in Usborne Township, swathe of land. presented briefs. their transmission route along Highway 401 morallyindefensible,"said Mr. Durand in A milkweed problem has also developed In addition to the ascetic distractions the where it would affect the least amount of the brief. on his farm because of the hydro towers, hydro towers would cause and the problems said Mr. Taylor. Beneath the towers, dense of farming around them, Mr. Down also milkweed patches have developed which commented on the impact woodlot destruc- have spread to other areas of the farm by tion would cause in the township. He said the hydro towers would result in seeding and through underground root systems. the clearing of parts of 33 woodlots in the township. Since the township only has 4.5 Also, he said he is unable to reach per cent woodlot cover remaining, they homebase with FM communications when working on this farm. should be untouched by the hydro towers. "We cannot afford to lose any more of our Brian Jeffray, energy committee chair man for the Ontario Federation of valuable woodlot cover. It is the thin green Agriculture's land use and energy commit= line that protects our lands from soil ero- tees, questioned the necessity of the lines in sion. Therefore our members consensus is a brief to the hearing board, With the recent that a corridor should run at the edge of the problems and shut -downs at the BNPD, he FOR Mother's Day •Collectable Plates from $8.95 •6 Different Designs to choose from CARL OPEN EVENINGS & SUNDAYS EXETER 235-2202 GODERICH KINCARDINE 524-6901 396-7012 Gordon Hill, representing Hill and Hill Farms of Varna, also gave a brief to the hearing board. He expressed concern over the removal of trees to accommodate the hydro lines. He said trees not only, serve to reduce erosion, but also to use as fuel. He recommended that Hydro pay for the energy value of the trees cut down if the transmission lines are built. He also said he resented the fact that Hydro prefers to build on open farm land rather than through bush as costs would be increased by $50,000 per km in construction costs. woodlots," said Mr. Down. 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