As an active member of…

As an active member of Citizens For Safe Groundwater, I adamantly oppose this proposal. We fought hard for years to not allow this gravel pit into our vibrant farming community. We fought hard to protect our water. Wilmot council at the time supported our decision and stood with the community. However, the newly elected officials, even after promising to uphold this decision and stand with the us, turned their backs and allowed the pit to come into operation. We did extensive research into the effects of what would happen when this pit became a reality and the damage it would cause to the land, the water, wildlife and humans. We had the best experts. But none of that mattered. The application was approved. And now our warning and the experts warnings are becoming reality. Already wells are drying up, the wetland has disappeared, land that could have been used to grow food is gone and the landscape as we once knew it is a pile of dirt. Esbaugh cares nothing for the land or the water or the people that live in the community. He has just been warned by the Ministry of Natural Resources to stop trucking in contaminated snow and dumping it on a sensitive recharge area. The fact that he wants to pump 225 liters per second of water out of the lower aquifer to wash gravel when there is a real and present crisis around our water supply just shows that there is no caring or caution on his part to protect. It's all about money. We have more than enough gravel already. But do we have enough water? We need to protect or most precious resource at all costs. The priorities should be drinking water for humans and livestock. Water for household use and water for farmers to grow food. Not for washing gravel. If the water warning is not taken seriously I am truly afraid for this region. Please do the right thing and stop this application.