HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-08 MinutesCLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008
MEMBERS PRESENT
: Tom Barrie
Gary Jeffery
Donald Rickard
Henk Mulders
Orwin Bandstra
Mary Ann Found
Eric Bowman
Brenda Metcalf
Councillor Gord Robinson
STAFF
: Faye Langmaid
REGRETS:
Ross McMaster
Jennifer Knox
Mark Bragg
Ted Watson
GUESTS:
Dan McLean, Well Wise Centre
Chair called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Adoption of Agenda
08-12
Moved by Donald Rickard, seconded by Eric Bowman
”That the Agenda for May 8, 2008 be adopted”
Approval of Minutes
08-13
Moved by Orwin Bandstra, seconded by Brenda Metcalf
“That the minutes of the April 10, 2008 meeting be approved.”
Guests: Dan McLean, Well Wise Centre
Dan McLean from the Well Wise Centre in Orono provided Committee with a presentation on
Caring for Private Wells. Management of private wells in Ontario has not been proactive.
Regular testing of water, maintenance and repair of private wells is not usually undertaken until
a problem is suspected. Many wells that have not been used for years remain open,
deteriorating and potentially are the biggest concerns for sustainable wells in Ontario impacting
the local aquifer; these wells should be decommissioned. There are and estimated ½ million
abandoned wells in Ontario;
Status of wells in Ontario
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750 000 registered wells and an estimate of an additional 1.5 million unregistered
and likely deteriorating
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89% of private wells need a repair
20% of non-farm well owners have an additional well needing to be
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decommissioned
Common problems with wells:
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Saturated soils causing top of the well to become submerged
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Faulty/incorrectly installed seals
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Difficultly for servicing
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Hazard of livestock/humans falling into poorly maintained lids
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Often, with older wells, not much thought was put into purification
Location of the well can also be a determining factor for the overall health of the well. Wells
should not be beside a pasture/pen for livestock, near road, house or driveway nor should they
be located within or under structures.
Dug wells require 10 ft from the top down be sealed and must have proper vermin proof lids
Drilled wells required 20 ft depth of sealant.
Well Wise has a soil and water testing program in place to assist residents with the testing.
This is a province wide program, endorsed by Ontario Federation of Agriculture. There are five
(5) different water tests that you can obtain, six (6) for soil testing. Well wise provided advise
over the internet and will do site visits; plus they put well-owners in contact with funding
programs for decommissioning, etc.
Decommissioning is necessary at the end of the life cycle of wells. Failure to properly
decommission a well could lead to contamination of the new well. Decommissioning should be
done by a professional.
Business Arising from Minutes
Clarington will be required to include provisions for the Clean Water Act as part of the Official
Plan Review process. A map from Durham Region showing the high aquifer vulnerability in
Clarington was provided for information. The policies related to this issue will come from the
Source Protection Committees that have been set up province-wide and will be reporting over
the next few years.
Council approved the Site Alteration By-law.
The public meetings on the Sign By-law Review have been held. There was a good turn out
from the agricultural community at these meetings.
Correspondence:
N/A
Reports from Committees
DAAC
Committee has tweaked their motion to MPAC relating to assessment information.
AACC May 8, 2008
Mayor Pearce of Scugog gave a presentation on GTA Agricultural Community. They want to
promote more of the “Ontario Grown” idea. Attempts will be made to get the Food Terminal to
have an area dedicated to Ontario grown products.
Federation of Agriculture
OFA is not supporting a total ban and have concerns with the public interpretation of “cosmetic”
on pesticides. They are especially worried about how this may affect typical farm operations.
OFA has developed criteria or changes to the Greenbelt Act and sent them into the Ministry.
Other Business
A copy of the presentation to Council by the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of
Agriculture on Non-Agricultural Source Materials and the proposed changes to the Nutrient
Management Act and C of A’s for BioSolids will be included in the next committee mail out for
your information.
The manager of the Newcastle Farmers Market and CBOT would like to see continued
involvement from the Ag Advisory Committee with the market. Faye, Gord and Brenda will
follow-up on the overall governance structure and report back.
The Official Plan Review documents are now available for viewing on the Clarington web site.
www.clarington.net
Future Agendas
June Dan O’Connor, Farm Tec Ethanol
Motion to Adjourn, Orwin Carried
AACC May 8, 2008