Both sides of water levels debate given at forum

Laura Hendrick
Local News - Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Updated @ 1:11:40 PM

The pews were packed at last Wednesday’s community forum at Minden United Church as landowners were shown both sides of the water levels debate.

Bonnie Fleischaker, founder and president of the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow, started the night off with progress report on her campaign.

After requesting financial support from county lake associations to the tune of $5 per member, the coalition has seen close to 100 per cent participation from lake associations on reservoir lakes and 50 per cent participation for flow-through lakes.

“This may well be our ticket to environmental and economic stability,” Fleischaker said when describing the coalition’s recent surge in support. The money raised will be used to obtain advice from a planner and lawyer who can help the county best represent itself in a Trent-Severn Waterway review.

The coalition is fighting to give area landowners more control over drastically fluctuating water levels. The management of TSW dams often leaves docks and boats stranded in yards of mud by the end of summer.

But Fleischaker’s hopes to regulate water levels were all but dashed by a broader picture painted by Dave Ness, water flow engineer for the Trent-Severn Waterway. He said that a mandate to keep the waterway safe for navigation inevitably requires that Haliburton’s lakes compensate for Mother Nature’s highs and lows.

“You can help somebody but you’re hurting somebody else,” he said to the crowd. Having presented his case at several lake association meetings, he seemed exhausted by the argument. “Trust me, I am all too aware of the problems that come with changing water levels.”

Even with the voice of upset landowners growing louder and more united, Ness suggested that Haliburton County’s lakes would always service the needs of the waterway before its landowners’.

“The reservoir lakes are there for us to use for the Trent Severn Waterway,” he said, adding, “the Kawartha Lakes people sure do love their water levels.”

This comment, along with the revelation that some lakes in the Kawarthas are allowed to fluctuate no more than three centimeters, ignited anger in the audience.

“We love them too!” several people shouted from the crowd.

When Ness presented the TSW’s list of priorities, the root of the problem was made evident. Waterfront landowners in Haliburton County hold remarkably different values than those responsible for their water levels.

The top priority for the TSW is to ensure public health and safety along the waterway, followed by waterway navigation, which demands a consistent six-foot drag along the canal. Sitting fifth and last on the list was water levels for other users, falling behind both hydro and wildlife protection. Ness did not deny that the TSW puts others interests before those of Highland lakefront property owners, but he maintained that the perspective of each stakeholder is important.

The issue of drastically changing water levels was repeatedly presented as an unfortunate side effect of an impossible balancing act. “If we can’t get the rainfall to fill those lakes, we’re going to be pulling water.”

Isabelle Heaven of Horseshoe Lake was not satisfied with this approach. “I’m very worried because you treat the Trent-Severn lakes like they’re more important than ours.”

“It’s our mandate,” replied Ness.

Many people raised questions in search of common ground between the TSW and local landowners, but little resolution could be found. Ness said it would take “pretty wild political action” for officials to put Haliburton lakes before those of the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The audience appeared to grow inpatient with the unbending position taken by TSW. During a ten-minute question window, a low battery warning that appeared on the PowerPoint screen filled the room with snickers.

It may have been the only indication of vulnerability on behalf of the TSW.

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