ANNEX on Drainage

Annex

The consultants to MTO have minimized the role of drainage in the development of various corridor options and almost completely ignored the Municipal responsibility for drainage. This is a major missing factor in the Class EA assessment as undertaken to date.


It is imperative to all tax-payers that the effective movement of rain-water and snow melt be a major component of any environmental assessment. At present, it is not. In the background report, prepared by MTO consultants - Report F (Part 1) Environmental Conditions and Constraints - watersheds, creeks and drains are placed under the heading Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems. They are given only passing attention in a brief one page description (p.31) about surface water movement into the Grand and the Thames. Water drainage is also missing as an element of municipal infrastructure and public service (p. 46 ).


Municipal drains are an important element of municipal infrastructure requiring constant care and attention to avoid liability disputes. They are a community resource requiring long-term stewardship. Good municipal drains are essential for discretionary private drainage decisions, and both have an enormous impact on land use and its valuations.


In recent years, heavy storm water management as well as the movement of snow-melt during successive winter thaws have become prominent features of regional weather. There are always up and downstream implications, often covering many jurisdictions. Any newly paved corridor, but particularly a four lane paved highway, will have significant drainage requirements and will affect both agricultural drainage patterns and municipal drainage infrastructure in villages and towns. Four lane paved highways always produce escalating volumes of surface water and increase flash flood loads.


Municipal drainage maps indicate the existing 7/8 corridor from New Hamburg to Sebringville, as well as the recently proposed corridor just south of the railway line, require highway corridor water to move east, west, north and south. Seven watersheds are affected; the Nith River, Horner Creek, North Woodstock, Trout Creek, Avon River, Black Creek and the North Thames Branch. Countless municipal and private drains are included in these proposed corridor areas some being headwaters to the seven watersheds, and, therefore, at the top of the flow.


The local experience of agricultural business operators with farm drainage and expanded highway development has not been uniformly positive. Often an increase in highway surface water flow involves surprising turns of events and hidden costs that can take years to resolve.

. Private drains may become overloaded or crushed or cut off from their outlets and ditches;
. Sub-mains and extensions may need to be developed across large cultivated fields;
. The recharge of deep wells may be affected; and
. The availability of water in shallow wells and stock ponds may be affected.


It is our understanding that under common law surface water generated by large infrastructure projects, such as highway construction, has no natural right of drainage. The key factors under consideration then are the concept of ‘sufficient outlet’, as referred to in Section 15 of the Drainage Act and ‘subsequent connection’ to drainage works which is affected by a change in land use as noted in Section 66 of the Act.

The main points noted in this annex will be utilized in a second brief to MTO being prepared by the Agricultural Business Community for submission by February 8th. The Reeve and Council are invited to use any of the text or information provided above for purposes of their correspondence with MTO.