Comment from a member of the public regarding the Erin WTPP Designation Request Reference No: 81434

Dear Minister Wilkinson,

I grew up and currently live on the West Credit River. Needless to say, I've seen a lot of changes made to the surrounding area, particularly in Belfountain where I live. But the West Credit River has remained fairly healthy amidst all the growth and aggregate extraction.

I write Southern Ontario hiking guides for a living so am keenly aware of our need for more green space, more hiking and other outdoor pursuits. These things make people better citizens, healthier and generally more productive.

At some point in time we need to stop destroying the Greater Toronto Area, of which Belfountain is part and the village of Erin is a next door neighbour. We are not only taking away wildlife habitat, but also human recreational areas and healthy human habitat. We all don't need to live in the GTA , especially when other parts of the province are dying due to lack of population.

Help us help protect the West Credit.

For these and other reasons, I am writing to express my strong support of the Coalition for the West Credit River in its request for the Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant to be designated as a Project under subsection 9(a) of the Impact Assessment Act.

The West Credit River has some of the most productive Brook Trout spawning reaches and the longest contiguous habitat in the Credit River watershed. Brook trout are a sentinel species signaling cool pristine waters and natural wild spaces. Brook Trout are a highly sensitive coldwater species and their survival relies on stream temperatures no greater than 19 °C to 20 °C for any sustained period of time.

I am opposed to this Project because Erin Council’s sewage plant will place Brook Trout and Redside Dace in the West Credit River in peril by destroying their coldwater habitat.

• Brook trout will not survive for long with over 7 million liters of sewage effluent dumped daily into their West Credit River coldwater habitat.
• Brook Trout and Redside Dace are highly sensitive species that will be subject to warmer stream temperatures, chronic exposures to elevated chloride, and possibly unionized ammonia and pharmaceuticals.
• Cumulative effects in the Environmental Study Report did not address any past, present and planned projects in the subwatershed on the environment, but instead only emphasized the benefits of the Project in replacing leaking septic systems in the community.

I urge you to approve the Coalition’s Designation Request and ensure a full federal review under the Impact Assessment Act. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Nicola Ross
<Email address removed>

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