Loading...
The Citizen, 2003-07-09, Page 1The Citizen __ _____ Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County____ Volume 19 No. 27 Wednesday, July 9, 2003 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) NH INORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC? Inside this week n« Z Man gets MARC of ro’ w Excellence pft <7 Locals among *8* ' Madill Scholars Pg. 10 Blyth teen golfer begins tour Pg. 11 BSE woes continue Classic play Pg. 19 second Festival offering BIG hires advisor Backed by a grant from the Huron Business Development Corporation, the group trying to revitalize Blyth’s main street has hired a part-time consultant to assist with recruiting new businesses. Steven Sparling, chair of the Blyth Idea Group (BIG) announced that. Lynne Ternosky of Lynmar Consulting Canada5 a Stratford­ based consultant with extensive international community economic development experience, has been hired to do research into possible additions to Blyth’s main street and sources of funding to help with village revitalization. Ternosky has already explored several options as part of BIG’s business recruitment strategy. She will also talk to some businesses that potentially might locate in Blyth to see what criteria they have for choosing a new location. As part of the recruitment process, an ambassador program headed by Don Scrimgeour, making use of enthusiastic local residents to promote the village, is being planned. BIG is also exploring how to contact former residents of Blyth to make them aware of potential business opportunities that would allow them to come back to the village. As well as business recruitment, the group wants to provide ongoing support for new businesses which choose to locate in the village. BIG is also looking at a comprehensive signing scheme that would easily identify all important features of the village while at the same time adding to the village’s image. Ternosky’s hiring was made possible through a $3,000 grant from the Huron Business Development Corporation but the BIG committee feels that in order to achieve its goals, more professional help is required so part of her goal will be finding new sources of funding for the program. Exercising the muscles As part of the Stewardship Rangers program, Denise Carnochan of Seaforth, left, Ellen de Koning of Clinton, Megan Carnochan and Mandi De Block of the Bornholm area, worked in the hot sun last Friday helping to improve the appearance of the butterfly garden along Blyth’s Greenway Trail. The team will be working on several environmental projects in Huron and Perth over the next eight weeks. (Janice Becker photo) Brussels, ------------------------------------ By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher Blyth and Brussels are on a list of seven Huron County communities that should have priority for implementation of a groundwater management strategy. A study presented to Huron County council July 3 names the two communities along with Benmiller, Clinton, Seaforth, Wingham and Hensall as communities that should be the initial focus of efforts to protect municipal wells from possible contamination. Both Brussels and Blyth are identified as being highly susceptible to contamination with potential sources of contamination near the wells. The “near” designation is defined in the study by B. M. Ross and Associates and International Water Consultants as the area in which a drop of water could travel through the aquifer to the well within two years. Since the movement of water through the aquifer is east to west, generally this “capture zone” is to the east of a municipal well. Blyth and Brussels were among areas of the county that were judged susceptible to groundwater contamination either because the depth of soil over the bedrock, or the type of porous soil between the Blyth wells listed susceptible surface and the aquifer. The situation in Brussels (as well as in other areas of Huron East) is complicated by the presence of sinkholes which might allow contaminants to enter the underground water system. The study also draws attention to the problem of an unknown number of abandoned water wells in the county that could allow contamination into groundwater. It notes there are more than 6,000 recorded wells in the county, some of which might need upgrading, but there could be many others that lie forgotten. Part of the wellhead protection area strategy would include finding out about abandoned wells and having them properly plugged. The susceptibility of some municipal wells needs to be taken into account with landuse planning in the capture area of the well, explained Matt Pearson of B. M. Ross and Associates. The areas of highest susceptibility require the most care and that might include purchase of property by the municipality, he said. Areas farther from the wellhead might simply require policies to protect the water. Municipalities need to establish relationships with landowners in the capture area, Pearson said. Best management practices need to be encouraged, not just among farmers who have been the focus of such efforts, but also among other businesses. Currently, however, there is no money for municipalities to carry out wellhead protection. While South Huron councillor Joe Hogan wondered about provincial grants, Mike Fairbanks of International Water consultants said he considered protecting water sources as a type of water treatment and money could be raised from water charges. The consultants recommended that some kind of organizational structure be created to oversee implementation and continuity of groundwater protection and to obtain co-operation between area municipalities. They also told councillors they need to investigate the feasibility of a county-wide inspection and pump­ out program for septic systems, noting these can pollute the groundwater if not properly maintained. A large percentage are more than 25 years old, they noted. “You have the power under the municipal act to require septic tank inspection and pumping out,” said Pearson. While admitting it would be a tough political choice, he noted that people in urban areas do not have the right not to be connected to HU forms WNV group By Sarah Mann Citizen staff Municipalities, conservation authorities, and provincial ministries have composed a committee to look at the issue of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Huron County. The Huron County West Nile Advisory Committee is made up of six out of the nine municipalities in Huron County, the local Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, and the ministries of natural resources, environment, and transportation. Although every municipality in Huron County has received an invitation, some are finding conflicting schedules to be a problem, said Pam Scharfe, public health manager for the Huron County Health Unit. The committee is currently monitoring 26 towns, villages, and hamlets across the county with one adult mosquito trap in each of the towns and is also looking at the possibility of a standing water bylaw. The committee has also hired a company to assist with larval dipping, and catchbasins to ID types of mosquito larvae. “We want to make sure we have scientific evidence to justify larviciding,” said Scharfe. “We’re not at a point to make the decision as to where to larvicide because we need to know where they are and what types of mosquitoes they are. You don’t want to kill' off all Continued on page 6 a sewage treatment system so why should people be able to continue to use faulty septic tanks. But Ben Van Diepenbeek of Ashfield-Col borne-Wawanosh wondered what would happen if municipalities forced inspection and 20-30 per cent of the tanks failed. Many people might not have the money to fix their system, he said, noting some people who got grants through the Healthy Future Program were no able to come up with the rest of the money to install a new system. “I agree it’s a political nightmare,” Pearson said, suggesting some sort of loan program similar to tile drain loans might be instituted. Bill Dowson of Bluewater, .who originally suggested such a loan plan, said the province had agreed it sounded like a good idea but nothing has happened. Noting there has been a change of environment minister he wondered if it was time to raise the issue again. The consultants noted that between municipal wells and private wells in rural areas, 75 per cent of county residents get their water from groundwater sources. Most of these wells are bedrock wells with only southern areas of the county having municipal wells that are only into the overburden above the bedrock.