June 12, 2013
By Bob Burtt Special to the Chronicle
Plans to build a controversial multi-billion dollar Great Lakes pipeline to Lake Erie within the next 15 or 20 years won’t be needed after all.
That’s one of a number of preliminary conclusions that have been made as part of a comprehensive review of the region’s long-term water supply strategy, said Jorge Cavalcante, Waterloo Region’s manager of engineering and planning for water services.
Cavalcante was speaking at a Water Symposium — To Conserve and Protect —organized by rare Charitable Research Reserve, The Grand River Environmental Network and Great Lakes United last Saturday.
Cavalcante said the region concluded the pipeline could be deferred after watching the demand for water plummet during the past decade.
While the new master plan hasn’t been completed, Cavalcante said preliminary conclusions indicate the region’s need for water can be met by optimizing existing sources and continuing with water efficiency efforts.
Cavalcante attributed the lower water demands to the region’s water conservation efforts, a reduction in the number of big water using industries, more efficient appliances and a more water conscious public.
Steve Gombos, manager of water efficiency for the region, said per capita water use has dropped from 238 litres per day in 2003 to 207 in 2011, and the target is to cut use to 150 litres per day.
Cavalcante’s assurances were welcomed by Susan Bryant, a member of the Grand River Environmental Alliance, an outspoken critic of the pipeline plan and one of the speakers at the event.
“The idea of building a pipeline to a troubled lake is an example of a community living beyond its means,” said Bryant. “Times have changed and we see an opportunity for the region to grow and prosper without using any more water than it does to day.”
She said the goal of getting down to 150 litres per day was achievable without hardship or depravation and it has been accomplished in Europe and some Australian communities.
Derek Satnik, managing director at Mindscape Innovations in Kitchener, said the North American culture works against conservation and suggests there is always more water to bring in.
There are many opportunities to save and there are a lot of better ways to spend a billion dollars, he said. “You could build a couple hospitals, several schools or you could write a cheque for $2,000 to every resident.”
Mary Connolly, a delegate at the symposium, said the pipeline should be cancelled forever, not simply deferred.
The Waterloo resident said the exorbitant cost and the questionable quality of Lake Erie water made the plan a bad idea.