|
Golf plan could 'suck river dry'
Opponents fear Riverbend proposal jeopardizes Jock
Dave Rogers
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, October 11, 2002
|
A plan to remove up to 1.1 million litres of water
daily from the shallow Jock River to irrigate the Riverbend Golf
and Country Club west of Richmond would "suck the river dry,"
according to a conservation group.
Niel Barrington, president of Friends of the Jock
River, said the golf club's permit to take 227,300 litres daily
from the river expires in April 2004. The proposed new water
removal rate could periodically exceed the river's flow.
|
|
The flow was measured at 691,200 litres daily two
weeks ago by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
Mr. Barrington said he was shocked by the plan to
use so much water to irrigate the golf course.
"The Jock River already suffers greatly from
extremely low flows in summer, a condition that appears to be
worsening yearly as our summers get longer, hotter and drier," Mr.
Barrington said."In fact, many stretches of the river completely
dry up, leaving only a few deep pools to sustain the river's
inhabitants until the fall rains come. There's no way the river
can afford to lose this much water. This permit, if approved, will
be a death blow to the river."
Mr. Barrington said the irrigation plan is a
"water grab" that would endanger snails, minnows, game fish such
as muskellunge, great blue herons, mink and other animals.
He said the proposed rate of water removal
parallels the controversy over OMYA Canada Inc.'s plan to remove
up to 4.5 million litres daily from the Tay River near Perth.
The province's Environmental Review Tribunal has
limited the company to 1.5 million litres a day. OMYA has appealed
the decision to Ontario Environment Minister Chris Stockwell and
to an Ottawa court.
The Jock River originates near Franktown and flows
into the Rideau River near Manotick. The Tay and the Jock are the
two largest tributaries of the Rideau River.
|
|
 |
| |
Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen
Niel Barrington fears a plan to take up to
1.1 million litres a day from the Jock River will endanger
mammals and aquatic life that call the river home
|
|
|
|
|
Ken McRae, a member of Friends of the Jock River,
said the golf course's current permit is already harming the Jock
because of drought conditions during three of the last four
summers.
"The Jock River has dried up in sections above the
golf course," Mr. McRae said.
"Last August, we carried out a fish rescue in a
pool just above the golf course where a number of fish were
trapped.
The Ottawa Citizen |
|