Water crisis growing more serious, Mayor explains
by Brandon Mayer
In a video shared to the Township of North Dundas Facebook page on August 22, Mayor Tony Fraser provided some insight into the water supply crisis currently facing the Township.
“As we all know, we’ve been in the midst of a drought, a drought that I do not recall ever seeing anything like this in my life,” the Mayor said on camera. “So the efforts that the Township is making, the efforts that the community is making, the residents and the businesses are making is so important. The brown lawns indicate to me that people are conserving. I appreciate that.”
Fraser then went on to explain that the local water table has dropped by 20 cm over the last 3 weeks. He explained that while this may not seem significant, it “truly affects the amount of water available for our municipal system”. The Mayor then stated that the most recent drop in water levels recorded was 2.5 cm. “Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is,” he said. “It indicates that we’re losing ground on the level of water in our aquifer”.
At the time of the August 22 video release, South Nation Conservation’s low water status meter indicated a level 2 low water condition. Fraser explained that further action would commence if the condition reached level 3, which it did a few days later. This prompted a second video which was posted on August 28. In the second video, Mayor Fraser explains that in light of the more severe drought level declaration, Township staff as well as staff from the Ontario Clean Water Agency are actively working to find ways to further conserve water. The Township's two public pools were shut down early for the season, and the two local car washes in Winchester were asked to cease operations. These are unprecedented steps that speak to the severity of the crisis, though there is little the Township can do in the short term to secure more sustainable water, putting the focus on conservation instead. The Mayor explained that the Township's esker wells recharge more quickly than its bedrock wells, so he was optimistic about recent rain, mentioning local weather reporter Connor Mockett's forecasts.
The Mayor added on August 22: “I appreciate the efforts that all the residents are making, and our industries are making.”