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I am a concerned resident of Richmond, and an adamantly opposed to the pipeline. I would like to see an on-site solution for Munster, and eventually one for Richmond.

I have e-mailed Janet Stavinga a number of times. I have also e-mailed Environment Canada, the Mayor of Ottawa, Rick Chiarelli, the Ottawa Citizen, and yesterday the Ontario Environmental commissioner.

I participated in the latest petition efforts, and have told many neighbours about the potential hazards.

I have also posted a homemade sign on my lawn.

I spoke to a co-worker (once I realized he was from Richmond) and he did not seem that well informed. I sent him the RVA site, the Sewergate site, and told him about the monthly RVA meetings. I am afraid there are many many more just like him.

I can't for the life of me understand why this is happening and what seems so clear to me isn't to the city and its employees, and that is the insanity of this pipeline.

Another area that may not be well represented in this fiasco is the great deal of elderly people, who aren't able to attend meetings and haven't had their say.

I have spoken to a 90-year-old neighbour of mine, born and raised in Richmond, and if she could, she would speak out against it. When I told her what was going on, her words to me were.... "Why don't they take that pipeline right down the 6th line, why would they come down two miles to go back two miles". She signed the petition, and when she received a personally addressed letter from Janet Stavinga, it was apparent to me that she felt singled out and intimidated.

I am anxious to hear about the meeting that was held with the Ontario Environmental Commissioner. Let's hope the old adage "You can't fight city hall" isn't true this time.

Carol Wilson

Richmond
(October 10, 2003)

INTRANSIGENCE
(Letter to the Editor - The Ottawa Citizen - November 16, 2003)

Re: Anger over sewage pipeline not enough to defeat Stavinga, Nov.11.

Your reporter is quite correct in sensing the anger of Richmond residents over the sewage pipeline being forced upon us. However, under the anger is another far more potent emotion. Fear.

We, in Richmond, have had sewage leaks in the far past as well as in the recent past. We will have sewage leaks in the future. Pipelines always break. We fear that the added stress of the Munster pipeline to our already burdened system will cause many more breakdowns.

Already we in Richmond have had far too many coliform and E. coli contaminations of our wells. Our water is not chlorinated. It comes directly from the ground to our household taps, untreated. Already some of us have become ill from unknowingly drinking contaminated water.

We fear more sickness. We fear someday there will be a death. E. coli does not respect safe well practices once it invades our groundwater.

We cannot understand the intransigence that places us all at such risk.

Rosemary MacArthur,
Richmond
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Richmond ignored

The Ottawa Citizen
Monday, November 29, 2004

Re: Residents win latest round in landfill battle, Nov. 24.

Richmond residents can only shake their heads about their experiences with the Munster Hamlet wastewater forcemain that passes through the aquifer serving Richmond's wells on its way to the Richmond pumping station. It appears that positions and facts that were ignored or dismissed in the anti-forcemain campaign have now been accepted in the Trail Road situation. For example, city staff support the Trail Road pipeline principally because of its lower cost; in our case, they supported the forcemain even though its installation costs were twice those of an on-site solution and operational costs over a 90-year-life cycle were similar.

A councillor argued that an on-site facility for Trail Road was more environmentally friendly; if city staff had been forthright in their forcemain presentation, they'd have said the same is true for the Munster forcemain crossing an environmentally sensitive area containing the Richmond aquifer.

The Trail Road leachate pollution is progressing at a rate of three metres a year; a forcemain rupture into the aquifer would traverse that distance in seconds. The leachate pipeline was scrapped when residents strongly objected; a large majority of Richmond people also objected to the forcemain.

So I guess if Richmond had been more politically significant or had more well-connected residents, we also might have had a similar outcome? Or does it have more to do with Barrhaven-Nepean having a councillor champion their cause?

Doug Arnold,
(Richmond)

Poor representative

The Ottawa Citizen
January 3, 2005

Re: Residents win latest round in landfill battle, Nov. 24.

Congratulations to Councillor Jan Harder for doing what she was elected to do -- represent the people of her ward.

Due to her support, residents of Barrhaven and Stonebridge were able to stop a pipeline carrying toxic waste from running through their neighbourhoods. It was Ms. Harder, working with residents, who managed to convince other councillors to approve an on-site treatment facility at Trail Road rather than the pipeline. This is the kind of thing a councillor can do when motivated by her conscience and the people she represents.

I wish I could say we have the same support from Councillor Janet Stavinga. Unfortunately, I cannot. In my view, Ms. Stavinga has ignored the residents of Richmond and our concerns about the contamination of our water supply. We are worried that we could be facing a threat when the Munster-to-Richmond pipeline is operational.

Our shallow wells are seriously at risk, as is our health. Ms. Stavinga needs to recognize Richmond's concerns, articulated in a petition that was presented to council when we tried to convince councillors not to vote for the pipeline.

Jane Campbell,
(Richmond)

(More comments and letters from Richmond and area residents on Page 5)