By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—Living rurally comes with a great many benefits, and a few extra headaches that urban residents don’t have to contend with. High on that list is private wells. For a Hagersville resident living on Fourth Line who wishes to remain anonymous due to the nature of her job, maintaining reliable access to water in her home has been a recurring problem since 2016.
“I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. I was newer at the time,” said the resident of the first time experiencing issues with her well, having only lived in the home a few years by then.
At the time, her water levels had dropped so significantly that nothing was coming out of the taps in her home: “When I found it went dry, I instantly got someone to come and put another one in, but in that time frame I started hearing about three other wells that went dry and there seemed to be a direct connection to CGC (Canadian Gypsum Company).”
The resident noted that at the time of her issues, CGC was mining underneath Third Line in close proximity to her home. She said that initially the company told her they had nothing to do with her well issues, but she wasn’t convinced and reached out to former MPP Toby Barrett, which led to CGC sending an assessor to take a look.
“After about two months they did take ownership for what happened to my well. They paid out the amount I had spent on my new well, around $6,500,” said the resident, who added that for the next several years she did not have any further issues.
That was until recently, when she started to notice a decrease in the water pressure of her taps and faucets. A month prior, she said she had heard from a personal contact, who also lives nearby on Third Line, that one of their wells had gone dry.
“I started hearing that other wells in the area were going dry again and that CGC had been contacted and was providing water to some of these farms because it was related to (CGC and its mining operations),” said the resident. “I’ll be honest, I was livid. PTSD was kicking in again. I have a family…. I remember how I went with no water for about two weeks the first time it happened, and it was a nightmare.”
With her water pressure decreasing on a regular basis again, the resident reached out to CGC, who has performed regular inspections on her well since taking responsibility for the issue back in 2016.
She said CGC informed her at the time that her water levels had been normal as of their most recent inspection, but they would address her concerns during their next scheduled inspection.
Not willing to wait for results, the resident contacted a local contractor for an emergency check. While the contractor identified a pump issue that was impacting her water pressure, he noted that the issue likely derived from a drastic dip in water levels feeding the well.
“When I dug it, it was reading at 36 feet. CGC said it was running at 26 feet last month…. The guy who put in the pump said I have about 8 feet of water left,” said the resident, who noted that the contractor extended her pipe down further, at a cost of $2,000, and warned her that if the levels continue to drop, she would end up without water again.
She said the contractor told her that although her pump was on its last legs, it was working “harder than it should have been” due to the decreased levels.
“It was still working, there was still water because my pump was running at a higher amp than it should. He said it could have completely blown at any time,” she explained. “I was lucky to catch it as early as I did because I remembered what happened the first time, with how my water pressure started affecting my washing machine and the shower pressure and all that.”
She continued, “Because this isn’t the first time, people are angry. I’m angry because it’s a crappy time of year – the ground’s frozen. If anything happens, digging into the ground is not as easy.”
CGC’s Head of Corporate Communications Kathleen Prause provided a statement to The Press on the issue.
“CGC has addressed well water concerns raised by area residents to their satisfaction and will continue to do so for any new water level concerns brought to our attention,” she said. “Our priority is to work with the landowners to investigate and address any issues as quickly as possible. In the instances where third-party investigators have found us responsible for the decreased water supply, we act quickly to support our neighbours with short-term and long-term resolutions to the water issues.”
She noted how the issue is a “very local situation, limited to approximately 3km around our plant, where there has been a general decrease in water supply. We proactively monitor water levels and conditions across our geographic footprint on a regular basis. This includes measuring groundwater at dozens of locations using data monitoring systems. In addition, we work with third-party consultants to investigate the situation.”
She said that the resident’s current issue or other similar ones may simply come down to a lack of rain in the area: “Data shows that rainfall has been below normal this year, which usually has an impact on water levels in the county. It is our general observation that in years with less rainfall, we receive more inquiries regarding water supply than in wet years.“
The resident said that, despite CGC’s statement, dealing with them on well issues has proven challenging. She added, “When you deal with them … the first thing they say is there is no relation between the work they are doing and our systems. As you dig in a little more and people contact them again, you end up hearing they’re writing cheques for people’s stuff.”
She said that while they may “dance around it a little bit,” CGC do end up coming through in the end: “They send their own investigator to come look at your well, to assess it, to ask questions.”
Prause outlined CGC’s approach to resident inquiries.
“Our priority is to act quickly to ensure our neighbours have appropriate water supply. However, the approach varies depending on each situation, from the condition of the well, background data, and any information provided from third-party consultants,” said Prause, noting that local plant leaders will make decisions based on those variables. “Previous remedies include installing a cistern, drilling new water wells, or sharing costs with the landowner to remedy the situation.”
The resident said that her ongoing issues highlight the influence CGC has on water tables in the area, asserting, “We have the creek that runs through here, there’s been times when they’re mining underneath and the house shakes. You can hear them mining underneath the road. It’s crazy.”
Prause said that CGC will continue to regularly monitor groundwater levels across CGC’s geographic footprint, including in Hagersville: “If you believe our operations are impacting your well and are located within the 3km of our plant, we would like to work with you to find a resolution. Please contact us at 905-768-2000.”
She concluded, “We have a significant presence in Canada and are committed to being a responsible member in every community where we operate. This means operating in a sustainable manner, and doing what is best for our people, our communities, and our planet.”
