In a twist worthy of a mystery novel, the technological advance that is supposed to be saving Ontarians from the evils of carbon emissions may be ruining the very water beneath our feet.
Disturbing allegations concerning the number of wells in Dover Township that have been damaged by construction and operation of wind turbines should be raising issues locally and provincially.
Whispers that formerly clean wells have been filling up with silt have been circulating for years.
Whether it was the confidentiality agreements turbine landowners must sign or their belief that it was only one or two wells, the story (and residents) remained largely ignored.
Citizens’ advocacy groups have formed and believe as many as 20 wells may be affected. Those groups, however, lack the resources to be on any sort of level playing field with turbine companies or the province.
Local and provincial politicians are trying to seek answers but as in any mystery novel, the question becomes whom do you trust?
The Renewal Energy Act, under which wind power is incredibly over subsidized, doesn’t offer much hope when it states that landowners with affected wells are entitled to bottled water until the problem is sorted out.
That section appears to have been prepared by someone whose life experience doesn’t extend outside of the GTA.
While those who have turbines and water problems have at least an appearance of remediation, what of the neighbouring landowners without turbines whose wells are damaged?
And since water (at least as far as most are concerned) is a shared resource, what are the rights of the community as a whole?
Since Chatham-Kent has been a welcome host to turbines, has it forfeited its right to raise questions?
We agree with councillor Michael Bondy who will ask council to seek a moratorium on projects until answers are provided by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
Delaying projects, if it comes to that, is a small price to pay for the assurance that our groundwater will be safe for future generations.
Well said