Community groups raise concerns about Region of Waterloo’s water capacity

Two community groups are calling for immediate action to protect Region of Waterloo’s water supply.

It has been a little more than a week since the Region of Waterloo revealed there is a water capacity issue in the Mannheim service area, which is made up of wells and pipes that service most of Kitchener, Waterloo, Woolwich Township and part of Wilmot Township.

The region said the Mannheim area doesn’t have enough water to support the community’s growth as the population is expected to swell to one million people by 2051.

“There’s no concern for residents today,” Mathieu Goetzke, Region of Waterloo’s acting CAO, said at the time. “There’s no issue with the water quality. This is really strictly a quantity issue and looking at the growth.”

One group said they were not surprised by the announcement.

“This is very much what we’ve been warning about for you,” Kevin Thomason, vice-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, said.

Thomason believes changes need to happen now to prevent more problems down the line.

“We don’t have the water capacity or water supply in the places where it is needed the most. That’s a big concern,” he explained.

Waterloo Region’s water system draws from 100 wells, as well as surface water from the Grand River. Groundwater makes up 75 to 80 per cent of the area’s drinking water, while 20 to 25 per cent is taken from the Grand River.

“Already we’ve seen several of our wells had to be shut down in recent years because the water is saltier than seawater, because the amount of road salt going down on the roads. So salination is an issue,” Thomason told CTV News on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Citizens for Safe Ground Water, another community group, stressed the importance of taking this seriously.

“Taking action today is not optional,” Rory Farnan from Citizens for Safe Ground Water said. “We are suggesting that regional council adopt a motion calling on the province to establish this blue belt in our region, to ensure that the Waterloo Moraine, which is our primary aquifer for drinking water, is provincially recognized as being permanently protected.”

Both groups said they want immediate, stricter controls on the kinds of developments that are approved in order to protect groundwater aquifers.

“I think the region needs to back off on things like this absolutely absurd Wilmot Land Assembly that’s happening. Where we see a 778-acre site larger than Disneyland, California, being targeted for mega industrial use,” said Thomason.

A spokesperson for the Region of Waterloo said Waterloo Region’s water system is comprehensive and complex.

“The Region is working to expedite timelines to address the issue, and a third-party review is ongoing,” said a regional spokesperson. “Results of the third-party review will be published when complete and the region is committed to sharing more information with residents once available.”

During a regional council meeting on Tuesday, Kitchener Mayor Vrbanovic mentioned the water capacity issue briefly.

“We’re constantly getting new information on different things, even as recently as last week, in terms of the water issue, as an example. That’s an issue we don’t have answers for yet, but one that we know we’re going to need to deal with as well in the future,” he said.

With reporting from Colton Wiens.