HALTON REGION IS CONSIDERING SWITCHING SOME MILTON HOMES SERVED BY WELL WATER TO LAKE WATER

Halton Region recently presented 3 options for water management within the Region and specifically in the Town of Milton.  The issue at hand is that due to "Places to Grow" requirements the region has to intensify growth in various areas.  Downtown Milton has been so designated.

Well water comes from wells at Walker's line and Kelso.  10% of well water comes from Walkers line which, if kept running, requires several Millions of $ to upgrade (deteriorating infrastructure).  This well will likely be closed.  The Kelso well will be upgraded and improved and the desire is to keep ground water as a viable source to as many homes as possible in Milton.

However, due to the intensification, the existing system will be insufficient.  Their preferred concept is to initially switch homes in roughly the Timberlea part of town from well water to Lake water within 5 years or so.  (the area is roughly bound by Nippissing to Derry and Thompson to 16 Mile creek).  Dorset Park is next in line to be switched should there be a need.

Information can be found at: http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=37516#docs   Go to the slide set titled "Slides 1 - 29 Oakville and Burlington Water and Wastewater Servicing Concepts and Preliminary Preferred Alternatives" .  Then look at slide # 16.  It is hard to see but it shows the Timberlea part and also Dorset Park area (N of Main to Steeles and Ontario to Thompson) as the next in line to be switched should water supply still be insufficient.
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Commentary: Many of us are "attached" to our well water.  

Water analysis reports indicate that there are only slight differences in quality which are well within recommendations. See these at: http://www.halton.ca/cms/one.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=14097#Reports  Look at the "Milton Annual report for 2009" and, perhaps, compare this to the Oakville report (there is an averages comparison table there too but it doesn't go into as much detail). 

 Some of us still feel groundwater is safer and cleaner than lake source water which is downstream from such cities as Hamilton, Chicago, Detroit, the Love Canal and so on..  

Regional Councilor, Colin Best said today in an email outlining ways to minimize this: " I believe that with the above recommended commerical, industrial, employment and institutional switchovers from well to lake based systems that the proposed residential conversions made at the PIC will not be necessary for a long time." 


 Take some time to review the materials to understand where they are coming from and provide balanced feedback  to either:
Mr. David Simpson at david.simpson@halton.ca ; tel: 905-825-6000 ext. 7601; fax: 905-825-8822
OR
Mr. Chris Hamel at chris.hamel@aecom.com; tel: 905-747-7562; fax: 905-886-9494

Petitions are circulating email us if you are interested.  They are also at the Vitamin Shoppe in Laurier Plaza and at Bousfield's farm on Derry Road.

Finally:  it pays to attend Halton Region's Public Information Centres!  They are very informative and the staff are very willing to help the public to understand the posters and the situations at hand.