Proposed gravel pit in Wilmot is a risk to groundwater

“I am groundwater, and I’m worth protecting.”

This is the Region of Waterloo’s slogan in its latest marketing campaign promoting our reliance on groundwater, and our need to protect it.

You hear it on radio, see it on transit buses, and read it on social media. I would revise this slogan to “I am groundwater. I’m what you drink, and I’m worth protecting.”

But is the region really protecting our groundwater, and how far is it willing to go to protect it?

Aquifers are the source of the water we drink. Rain or melted snow soaks into the ground, moving through layers of sand, gravel, and rock, which act as natural filtration before making its way to the aquifer.

When this filter is removed, the risk of water contamination rises.

In Wilmot Township, there is a gravel pit application that proposes to operate near Shingletown within a regional wellhead protection area, source water protection area and sensitive recharge area, leaving an inadequate buffer between the pit floor and the aquifer that feeds drinking water wells.

Region of Waterloo staff are providing comments to the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources and the township. If the region isn’t willing to protect our groundwater at its source from possible contamination, then what is it really protecting?