STORMWATER POND OUTLET INTO WOOLWICH RESERVOIR COMPLETED

Well it took them long enough. And our so called public Conservation Authority, the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), should be ashamed of their public relations. Also they should be ashamed of their lack of transparency in their attempts to hide from accountability. Finally they should be ashamed of their willful abuse of Ontario legislation by hiding behind our Freedom of Information laws in order to avoid answering very simple and straightforward questions from not just one local concerned citizen but from many who had verbally expressed concerns with the lack of a proper outlet from the new storm water pond behind the Floradale Feed Mill that was discharging into the Woolwich Reservoir via overland flow of rainwater and mud.

Yesterday I was again at the scene albeit for the first time in two weeks. Not so much as an update or even an estimated time of construction had been provided to me after I had sent several e-mails to both the MOE (MECP) and the GRCA. They also had refused to provide me a copy of the permit (presumably with drawings included) that would have shown the intended construction of a proper outlet to the reservoir. I had indicated in those e-mails that other users of the trail had expressed serious concerns with the scenario of having the storm water pond built, including gravity flow channel directly to the trail overlooking the perhaps eight foot embankment down to the reservoir. At that point both during the spring rainy season and afterwards the rainwater and mud was either running down the trail (northwards) or over the embankment directly into the Woolwich Reservoir.

Do these bureaucrats actually believe that these are matters of national security? Do they believe that terrorists might somehow learn something that could undermine the stability and security of the Woolwich Dam? Why is it so important to them to keep secret the date of construction of a concrete outlet from a storm water pond into the Woolwich Reservoir? Do they think that responding to open, legitimate information requests from the public somehow weakens their power and authority in all matters pertaining to surface water in the Grand River valley? Or are they perhaps even more scared of increased observation and accountability, not from fellow political travellors, but from the unbiased general public?

Last question: Are they so petty and jealous of their authority that their biggest priority is to avoid the public ever learning that the squeaky wheel gets the grease?

Last comment: I'm not an engineer but the concrete outlet looks impressive and professional. Presumably the felt type material covering the inlet on the east side of the trail is to filter out the mud and sediments accompanying the storm water flow. Also presumably when that felt type covering becomes clogged it will be either cleaned or replaced. The outlet then goes underneath the trail and emerges on the face of the embankment (west side of the trail) above the level of the water in the reservoir whereupon it discharges into the reservoir.