Well Monitoring Program

As you may know, St Marys applied to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) for a Permit to Take Water (PTTW). The permit would allow St Marys to carry out a pumping test on its property located on Concession Road 11. The application for the PTTW pumping tests has undergone considerable review by the MOE and the City of Hamilton, including the Public Health Services. We understand that these agencies are satisfied that the application is complete and their issues/concerns have been addressed.

Many of our neighbours and people in the broader community have expressed their concerns about the pumping test. We wish to assure you that numerous safeguards are in place to minimize the effects of the testing beyond St Marys' property. These include the installation of numerous monitoring wells both internal to the property and along the property boundary, and the installation of electronic data loggers in many of the wells, which provide 'real time' measurement of water level response to testing. We have also agreed to compile the water level data collected in charts that show water level response with time. The charts will be reviewed on a daily basis by the MOE and City of Hamilton, allowing for appropriate actions to be taken in a timely manner, if necessary. Copies of the charts will also be posted to St Marys' web site (www.stmaryscement.com) and will be available for public review. Provisions have also been established for St Marys to provide an alternative supply of potable water, in the remote chance that any of our neighbours experience problems with their well(s) related to the testing.

Even though the monitoring program is comprehensive, and the well network provides full coverage of the site and is more than adequate for the proposed testing program, St Marys is also offering to include wells on neighbouring properties in the monitoring program. This program is strictly voluntary and is designed to provide you with a record of your well's operation and water quality both prior to the test and after the test. This will allow you to make your own determination as to whether the testing had an effect on your well. It will also provide a useful record of the condition of your well, which might benefit you in the future should you experience problems with the well.

We invite you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We would also encourage you to contact the City of Hamilton Public Works and Public Health Service as well as the Ministry of the Environment to answer any questions you may have about the proposed test or the monitoring program.