Resident Disappointed in Huron-Kinloss Council

 

Letter

(continued)

To: Mayor Twolan and Huron-Kinloss Council,

I am very disappointed by your passing of the proposed development on Lake Range Road. I only have the news report of Liz Dadson to inform me of what happened at the meeting.

I really find the Township's response to the Rocky's development proposal, as reported by Liz Dadson, totally unbelievable. She reported "The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) wants further information about a revised lot grading plan to address the adjusted setback from the bluff and significant woodlands, and a preliminary storm water management plan." It appears that you ignored this request as you gave the plan "conditional approval and will leave it in the hands of the county." You are either passing the buck or indicating no objections to the plan. Also in Liz Dadson's report we find that "Councillor Anne Eadie saw the proposal as simple infilling of residential lots along the lakeshore. "It's a relatively simple thing and they are large lots," she said." And she is concerned about the environment?

(next column)

06/05/2009 02:47 PM

 Meanwhile Brad Pryde, the engineer representing the developers, said "the applicant plans to split the drainage for this project, with half of the water draining to the east into the ditch and the other half draining over the hill to the lake." Over the hill to the lake? Does he not realize there is a road and cottages in the way? Even the water directed into the ditch will only carry more nutrients into the lake to feed the algae. Presently the land in question is relatively flat and most storm water would sit on the land to either infiltrate the soil down to the aquifer, or evapourate. With several new homes with their beautifully manicured lawns, that are well fed with fertilizers, and are sloped so the water won't pool and will instead run freely into the ditches to flow into the nearby creek to increase its total volume, and then directly into the lake. There needs to be a proper stormwater management plan in place. Huron-Kinloss Township is one of very few municipalities left in Ontario that doesn't require stormwater management ponds be built with every new development. There is plenty of land there, a small pond to clean the nutrients from the water would take very little space and would not cost the developer very much compared to the profit of the entire development.

And then there are the trees. Drive further along the same road north and you will find that most land owners have made sure that they can clearly see the lake. According to the Saugeen Conservation Authority the Pine River Watershed has a forest cover of 7.8% and that "Environment Canada suggests that 30% forest cover is the minimum needed to support healthy wildlife habitat." These trees deserve to be protected for this reason and to protect the hillside they are growing on. Yet we find no mention of protection in Liz Dadson's article.

Sincerely,

Brian MacEachern
for world news, books, sports, movies ...