Citizen scientists needed for healthy soil project

The Soil Health Coalition chapter in Erin is recruiting citizen scientists and local farmers to help measure key attributes of local soil, as part of a campaign to promote regenerative agriculture and reverse climate change.

After two years of work, including Our Common Ground events last spring and $2,500 from the town for a feasibility study, the coalition has received a $70,000 grant from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation for a soil health project.

The funding was announced at a March 28 film night at the Erin Legion. Mayor Allan Alls was on hand, congratulating the group and offering to promote the project on the town website.  

On March 29 the coalition hosted a farmer-to-farmer networking day at Hillsburgh Baptist Church. Members include representatives from organic farms in Erin, Transition Erin, the Climate Change Action Group and Credit Valley Conservation.

Co-leading the effort is agronomist Ruth Knight. She said the testing would compare the characteristics of actively managed farmland with unmanaged land in marginal, unplowed areas. 

Instead of focusing on nutrients, teams including citizen volunteers will measure the levels of carbon (organic and inorganic) in soils, and their ability to hold and filter water. 

The project will build up an “adaptive network” of farmers who can share methods of building soil health and improving water quality. The goal is to produce healthier crops, stabilize farm incomes, and leave good soils to future generations.

For more information or to get involved, go to soilhealthcoalition.ca, or email Knight at soilregen@gmail.com.

Environmental groups see regenerative agriculture, which builds up soil by allowing it to capture and retain more carbon from the atmosphere, as one of the most important ways of reversing climate change. The coalition says it’s something Erin could be proud to champion.

“How does a town define itself?” asked Brent Klassen of Heartwood Farm and Cidery.

“We’ve kind of been about horses, and kind of been about something that’s vaguely Irish. It seems to me that we’re on the cusp of being able to really lay claim to something that’s really interesting, really engaging, something that’s really vibrant, that has everything to do with the food we eat, and everything to do with the ways we manage the land that we so fortunately find ourselves on. 

“It would enhance our own lives and make us irresistible to people who want to come and visit.”

Quality soil with high organic content not only provides nutrition, but growing plants also make soil one of the most effective carbon sinks – drawing it out of the atmosphere and storing it. 

Plowing and tilling release carbon from the soil, and conventional methods such as growing a single type of crop and managing it with irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pesticides tends to degrade soil and make crops more vulnerable to disease and drought.

“Regenerative agriculture is very good for farmers, as it increases the productivity and sustainability of their soils,” said activist Liz Armstrong.

“Our project in Erin will focus on measuring the state of the soil of at least 20 local farmers, then re-measuring after action has been taken to improve the water holding capacity of their soils (good especially for reducing the impacts of flooding and drought) and increasing the amount of carbon in their soils - the more carbon sequestered in the soil, the less carbon there is in the atmosphere that causes global warming.”

Major expansion planned at Cheltenham Badlands

A long-term plan to expand trails and parking facilities at the Cheltenham Badlands could allow a high volume of tourists to safely view the dramatic landscape on Olde Baseline Road.

The final site concept was presented at the Caledon East Community Complex on April 5, the last of four public meetings in a Master Plan process. About 50 people attended.

The Badlands were closed to the public three years ago due to safety concerns caused by heavy visitor traffic. A parking lot for 33 cars and two school buses has been completed, along with a new sidewalk leading to a 200-foot viewing boardwalk on the east side of the attraction, but the site is not expected to re-open until August.

People will not be allowed to walk on the Queenston Shale hummocks, featuring red iron oxide with greenish banding. The area was exposed due to erosion caused by tree clearing and poor farming practices.

The site will be managed by Credit Valley Conservation, to eventually be open during daylight hours from April until the end of October. Parking fees are planned.

Located north of Cheltenham, about 2 km east of Winston Churchill Blvd., the property was very popular with tourists – especially during the fall colours season. It remains blocked by a security fence, and that section of Olde Baseline Road is a No Stopping – Tow Away zone.

Some area residents opposed construction of the parking lot, saying it would make the road more hazardous, but their appeal was rejected by the Niagara Escarpment Commission.

The Master Plan still needs approval by the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT), which has owned the block of land containing the Badlands since 2002. 

OHT received about $1.2 million for the recent site improvements. The Region of Peel financed the parking lot, a Canada 150 grant helped with the accessible viewing boardwalk and TD Friends of the Environment contributed to signage that directs visitors and explains the history and geology of the Badlands. 

This year, a temporary trail will create a loop that links the existing Bruce Trail with the viewing area and the parking lot. More funding and donations are needed to build washrooms and a new wheelchair-accessible trail from the parking lot as part of Phase 1.

No timing has been set for Phase 2, which includes a trail of limestone screenings on the south side of the Main Badlands, and along the side of a Secondary Badlands feature running south. Staircase-style boardwalks will be built over narrow sections of the shale, and additional loops will be created using the west side, and the main and side trail routes of the Bruce Trail.

Phase 3, which is not expected for about 10 years, features a second parking lot in the far south corner of the property, on Creditview Road. It would accommodate 50 cars and could allow for a shuttle bus service “to be developed by external stakeholders as part of area-wide economic development and tourism opportunities”, according to a display at the public meeting.

 “The Trust will need to raise funds to support the implementation of each phase of the plan,” said OHT representative Catrina Colme.

Natural erosion of the hummocks will continue even without human foot traffic. The feature will gradually flatten out over many decades, according to Joe Desloges, professor of Geology and Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto. 

Drone surveying shows the height of the hummocks declining about 2.5 cm per year, and the gullies filling in with about half that amount.

Changes urged for Erin pit proposal

With town council expected to decide soon on whether to support expansion of the Halton Crushed Stone (HCS) gravel pit just south of Erin village, community members are renewing objections and proposing changes to the project.

A second public meeting was held March 6, with James Parkin of MHBC Planning providing an update on behalf of HCS.

“There has been a good consultation process,” said Parkin, noting that there are no outstanding objections from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Credit Valley Conservation, or the consultants who have peer reviewed HCS studies of hydrogeology, noise, traffic and visual impact.

“The proposal has withstood scrutiny, and we have made changes that are responsive to the community,” he said.

The existing pit west of Tenth Line is 300 metres from the road, but the expansion could bring it to within 30 metres. HCS says it plans a setback of 60 metres in Phase 1, in a radius from the corner closest to the McCullogh subdivision.

Other changes include increased berm heights, tree and shrub plantings along County Road 52, a noise audit, stockpile height limitations, a dust management plan and an annual water level data report to the town.

Residents Sharon Cranstone and Roy Val are urging a setback of 300 metres in the northwest corner. This is not a legal requirement, since the land is already zoned from extraction, but the County Official Plan does specify a 300-metre “yellow ribbon” setback for new zoning around urban areas.

They want the setback increased to 60 metres for the whole length of the pit along County Road 52, an increase of berm height and more extensive tree planting and landscaping. They want HCS to pave the first 300 metres of Tenth Line to reduce dust, and a setback of extraction near the Tenth Line.

They either want extraction in the northwest corner delayed until the final phase of the pit lifespan, to allow the trees to grow into a screen, or to have extraction in that area done first and completed in 18 months.

Cranstone and Val are also concerned about the environmental impact of asphalt being recycled and stored on the site. They want leachate testing and a limit on the volume equal to 10 per cent of exported gravel. HCS says asphalt is not a significant risk.

They also want to know why various provisions in the 1976 Ontario Municipal Board ruling that approved the original pit, and the development agreement that followed, were never enforced.

These include requirements that the pit owner pave a section of Tenth Line; create turning lanes where the Winston Churchill Blvd. haul route meets both County Road 52 and County Road 124, and reconstruct/maintain Winston Churchill to county standards.

David and Caitlin Piva, who live close to the existing pit, said there is a problem with gravel trucks parking on the Tenth Line and using their back-up beepers prior to 6 a.m. They are also concerned about rocks that fall onto the road from loaded trucks, and say that with high stockpiles of gravel in the pit, existing berms are not adequate.

Even though Credit Valley Conservation is predicting the expansion will not affect groundwater, they are still concerned about their well water.

Resident Karen Maxwell said dust from the pit on local properties remains an ongoing problem. She also reminded council that the 1976 OMB ruling approved the original pit with an assumption that extraction would take place prior to construction of a nearby subdivision.

Councillor Matt Sammut did not attend the meeting, and has declared a conflict of interest since his residence is in that subdivision.

Funding sought for electric vehicle charging station

The Town of Erin is applying for funding to get a high speed charging station for electric vehicles at Centre 2000.

Wellington County already has plans to install a charging station at the new Hillsburgh Library, which is expected to open this spring.

Erin town council is hoping for 50 per cent funding from the federal government, and that the Upper Grand District School Board will cover half of the remaining cost, since the station would be a benefit to Erin District High School.

The fast charging (Level 3) stations cost about $85,000 each. If the federal and school board funding comes through, the town would pay the balance up to $25,000 out of the 2017 Nestlé voluntary levy. The water bottling company makes payments to the town based on the volume of water pumped at its Hillsburgh well.

Natural Resources Canada has a funding program designed to create a Canadian network of Level 3 stations. These can charge two electric vehicles (EVs) to 80 per cent of battery capacity in about 30 minutes, with a travel range of about 250 km per hour of charging.

These are expected to be common in public places and along major highways. Users would pay about 28 cents per Kw or $12 per hour pro-rated by the minute, with a $2.50 flat fee per session.

The non-profit group Plug’n Drive says less expensive Level 2 stations are expected to be installed by many employers and commercial building owners, taking four to six hours for an 80 per cent charge, with a range of about 30 km per hour of charging.

EVs can also be charged at Level 1 through a regular wall socket, providing only about 8 km of travel range per hour of charging.

Town looks at contracting out water services

Erin is inviting companies to submit proposals to take over operation of the town’s drinking water systems, even though town council has not made a decision to proceed with such a change.

“This will answer once and for all – do we do it the most economical way?” said Mayor Al Alls. “I thought it was a good idea.”

CAO Nathan Hyde took the initiative in consultation with the mayor, but did not bring the matter before town council. There is no cost to the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and no commitment to actually contract out the functions of the water department.

Bidders must submit proposals by Feb. 28, with a full public report to be provided for town council in April. If council accepts a proposal, the transition could start immediately.

 “It is an opportunity for council to review all options for operating the water systems in an efficient and effective manner, so that rate payers are satisfied that they are getting value for the services being provided,” says an information sheet published with the RFP at erin.ca.

“Council and the public have previously raised questions relating to the cost of water services, and it is staff’s job to ensure that we are delivering these services at an optimum price, while planning for future infrastructure replacement costs.”

The RFP will help the town decide whether to keep the water system in-house or negotiate an external partnership. The water infrastructure would continue to be publicly owned.

The mayor said that an external provider could potentially be involved in providing or securing funding for water infrastructure, and could be considered for management of the wastewater system once it is built.

 “Cost is an important factor in this competition but it will not be the sole determining factor,” says the RFP.

In 2015, council set the water rate at $3.99 per cubic metre, for a five-year period. This was a reduction from the previous rate of $4.29, but it is still considered high, the result of five earlier years of 20 per cent annual increases (2009-2013).

The Town of Erin has four main wells, 33 km of watermain, 194 fire hydrants and 1,300 services, plus a water tower and other reservoirs. There are two main drinking water systems serving Erin village and part of Hillsburgh, plus small systems for the Municipal Office, Ballinafad Hall, Barbour Field and the Hillsburgh Fire Hall.

An outside company would have to provide 24/7 operational coverage, including full compliance with government regulations, emergency response, water meter and valve inspections, and all equipment repairs and maintenance. The RFP proposes a five-year contract. The company would become the project manager for capital projects.

Information from the 2018 budget process shows the annual operating expenditures of the water department at $1.5 million, with capital projects this year expected to cost $123,000. Reserves total about $2.2 million, intended for upkeep of the system. The department is funded by the actual water users in Hillsburgh and Erin village.

The town is currently conducting an Environmental Assessment, attempting to find suitable locations for new wells that would back up existing sources and provide support for new growth.

Skeptical crowd reviews wastewater plan

Many Erin residents are not convinced that a wastewater system costing $118 million is the best course of action for the town, and they vented their doubts loudly at a public meeting on Feb. 2.

There was a presentation by Ainley Group, the consultants hired to complete the final phases of an Environmental Assessment (EA). The current plan estimates a cost of $50-$60 million to service the existing 4,500 residents in Hillsburgh and Erin village. The balance would be paid by developers as the urban population increases by about 10,000 over 20-30 years.

Limits on the town’s debt capacity mean the project would only be feasible with substantial senior government funding. One resident noted that if the town uses up most of its debt capacity for wastewater, it would not be available to support other important infrastructure projects.

Another received applause after suggesting there be a referendum on whether to proceed with sewers. Several also expressed doubt about the chances of the project being completed on budget.

Some residents are satisfied with the current set-up of private septic systems, saying that problems with aging systems do not constitute an emergency.

“Why should we be excited about spending all this money when we’ve got what we need in our back yard?” said one speaker. “Just leave us alone.”

Another said many people moved to Erin for the low housing density, and that a sewer system would allow developers such as Solmar to “get rich” building denser neighbourhoods.

“We’re going to spend 50 to 60 million so Solmar can build houses and destroy our community?” he said.

One resident reminded the crowd that the reason residential tax bills are so high is the lack of a substantial commercial and industrial tax base. Wastewater service could help correct that imbalance.

Some were concerned about impact on the West Credit River, but were told that the effluent would be treated to such a high level that the discharge would be well within Ministry of the Environment limits. No storm water will be allowed in the sanitary sewers, eliminating the possibility of waste bypassing the treatment plant during a storm.

Ainley President Joe Mullan said the preferred option of a traditional gravity sewer system would provide the “lowest operating cost in the long term”.

He said if the projected cost per household of $20,000-$25,000 (based on full build-out) is offset by two-thirds grant funding, homeowners would pay $6,700-$8,300. This could be spread over many years as a low-interest loan.

In addition, they would have to pay for the connection from their houses to the road, now estimated at an average of $6,000. Hook-up would be mandatory in serviced areas, though it could be delayed.

There would also be ongoing wastewater bills, similar to water bills, averaging $400-$500 annually. Mullan noted that provision of sewers normally causes property values to rise.

Full details of the Ainley presentation can be downloaded from the wastewater section of the town website, erin.ca.

Mayor Al Alls had previously voiced his personal opinion that all taxpayers, including rural residents who would never hook up to sewage treatment, should pay a share of system construction. They are already helping pay for the EA process. In a recent interview, however, Alls conceded that urban residents would pay construction costs (offset by government grants and developers’ contributions).

He reminded residents that all members of the current town council were elected in 2014 after promising to support moderate growth, with wastewater as a key element. The next municipal election is Oct. 22 this year.

“We need sewage capacity,” he said. “The status quo can only lead to further decline.”

He read an appeal from public school trustee Kathryn Cooper, who urged residents to support wastewater service as a means of increasing the number of families with school-age children. A meeting about declining enrolment and potential school closures will be held Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Erin Public School gym.

The EA remains in a public consultation stage, and comments are invited before the end of February. After that, Ainley will work with the town and the Public Liaison Committee to prepare an Environmental Study Report, which will be subject to an official 30-day public review period.

If accepted by council, the EA could be complete by late spring, though the results could be appealed to the Minister of the Environment with “Part II Order” requests. The completed EA is needed to apply for federal and provincial funding.

Comments can be sent to Project Coordinator Christine Furlong of Triton Engineering, cfurlong@triton.on.ca; or to Ainley President Joe Mullan, erin.urban.classea@ainleygroup.com.

Station Street project gets green light

The Town of Erin has received approval to reconstruct the Station Street bridge, rehabilitate the dam and preserve the Hillsburgh millpond.

Chris Ballard, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, announced the decision on Feb. 2, more than a year after the project was put on hold. Credit Valley Conservation and several residents had appealed the results of an Environmental Assessment, claiming the town followed a “flawed process”.

Wellington County owns the water control structure in the 

Hillsburgh millpond dam, while the Town of Erin owns the 

earthen berm that supports Station Street.

The minister dismissed all of the objections, but did order the town to monitor and mitigate the impact on local groundwater and wildlife. The town must ensure the bridge can withstand a major regional storm and make contingency plans for extreme weather events.

 “I am pleased that the minister agreed with the town’s position,” said Mayor Al Alls. “This structure is important to the successful movement of people. The added benefit of the province allowing the pond to stay is that we will continue to maintain an important cultural amenity that is a landmark of our community.”

Gooderham and Worts built the dam that created the Hillsburgh 

millpond in the early 1850s, with a new mill that shipped 

grain to what is now Toronto’s Distillery District. 

The Station Street bridge was built in 1917.

The $2.5 million project will now proceed, but will not be complete before the early summer opening of the new Hillsburgh Library next to the pond. Draining the pond would have cost an extra $700,000.

Credit Valley Conservation had wanted full consideration of decommissioning the dam and possibly creating a smaller “off-line” pond next to the river, to improve fish habitat. The town said it could not consider those options since Wellington County owns the pond and is committed to preserving it.

The minister said the town had “no obligation to carry forward alternatives that are not reasonable, practical or implementable”.

The 101-year-old bridge was first identified in 1971 as being in need of replacement. The road on the dam was closed in 2011 after a section subsided due to a failing outlet pipe. Temporary work was done in 2012 to make the road safe for traffic, and steel reinforcements installed to protect the earthen berm that holds back the water.

Erin rejects wastewater cost cuts

The possibility of cutting back the capacity of Erin’s proposed wastewater system, with a savings of $8.8 million, was rejected unanimously by town council at a special meeting Jan. 26.

The possibility of scaling down the system was discussed previously, and council had asked Environmental Assessment consultant Ainley Group for a report. They wanted to deal with the issue before this week’s Public Information Centre – on Friday, Feb. 2 at Centre 2000, 6-9 p.m.

A treatment system with capacity beyond what is needed even for current population projections will give Erin flexibility for several future revisions of the Official Plan, said Ainley President Joe Mullan.

“The trunk sewer system and the treatment plant infrastructure will service the community for many decades,” he said, noting that some components could operate for 100 years.

 “It was the prudent course of action, ensuring capacity for commercial and industrial expansion,” said Coun. Jeff Duncan, who had pushed for the analysis.

Had council ordered a lowering of the sewage flow rate, Ainley would have charged $40,000 to revise five of its technical reports.

A key factor in designing a wastewater system is the maximum amount of liquid that a treatment plant could handle. This is based partly on average water consumption in the community, which from 2013 to 2015 was 195 litres per person, per day (L/p/d).

A factor of 2.8 persons per home is used in the projections, which is currently set for an urban population growing from the current 4,500 to about 14,600 over 20-30 years.

Ainley has added a “safety factor” of about 50 per cent to the water flow allowance, resulting in a rating of 290 L/p/d. Then, as required by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), they added an extra 90 L/d/p for infiltration (water that typically leaks into sewer pipes, increasing flow to the plant).

This has resulted in a proposed flow rate of 380 L/p/d. This was criticized as too high at a public meeting last June, even though it is lower than the flow rate of used by consultant B.M. Ross when they completed the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan in 2014.

It would mean a sewage treatment plant large enough to handle an average flow of 7,172 cubic metres of liquid, or 7.2 megalitres per day (MLD). No estimate has been provided of how large an urban population this could support, but it is beyond 14,600.

These numbers were used for the cost estimate of $118 million for full build-out of the whole system, including a treatment plant costing $61.1 million.

Ainley analyzed the possibility of cutting the safety factor down to 15 per cent, effectively reducing the total flow rate to 315 L/p/d, or 6.23 MLD.

That would reduce the cost of the plant to $54.3 million. There would be additional savings on pumping stations and sewer mains of about $2 million, for a total savings of $8.8 million. A portion of the savings would go to developers helping to pay for the system.

Mullan noted in his report that both the flow rate recommended for Erin, and the allowance for water infiltration are both lower than the levels used in the City of Guelph and the Regions of Peel and Waterloo including their member municipalities.

Other factors cited for building extra capacity include the fact that current water usage may be at a “conserved” low level, and could increase once residents are not concerned about septic systems in their yards.

The development of secondary suites on existing properties is expected to increase wastewater flows.