PRESENT:
Members: Kevin Buis (chair), Walter Konik (vice-chair), Rob Enns, Michael Kauzlaric, Kai Wiens, Kurt Neumann
Councillor: Erwin Wiens
REGRETS:
Councillor John Wiens
STAFF:
Brett Ruck Drainage and Irrigation Superintendent
Brandon Enns Environmental Services Technician
OTHERS:Hugh Fraser Regional Irrigation Committee Consultant
Rebecca Shortt OMAFRA
Dr. William Rapley
1. Call to Order
Chair Kevin Buis called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.
2. Adoption of Agenda
Councillor Erwin Wiens moved to accept the agenda.
3. Conflict of Interest
There were no conflicts of interest at this time.
4. Previous Minutes
Kurt Neumann moved to adopt the previous minutes. Seconded by Kai Wiens.
5. Presentations
There were no presentations at this time.
6. Announcements
6.1 Brett Ruck
Brett Ruck announced to the Committee that Brandon Enns has accepted the position of Drainage and Irrigation Superintendent.
7. Correspondence
There was no new correspondence at this time.
8. Business
8.1 Irrigation Billing
Brett Ruck explained to the committee that the Town was experiencing issues with the software used to generate the irrigation invoices. The calculations were incorrect after the new rates were entered into the software. For that reason, the irrigation invoices went out much later this year than expected, however all had been mailed out prior to this meeting.
8.2 Regional Irrigation Committee Meeting
Chair Kevin Buis explained that he and Kai Wiens along with Brett Ruck and Lord Mayor Betty Disero attended that last Regional Irrigation Committee Meeting.
The Regional Committee has been discussing at length the possibility of a piped irrigation system to service much of the Niagara Region. The piped system would not apply to Niagara-on-the-Lake as we already have infrastructure in place that largely consists of open ditches.
Professors from Brock University and Ryerson University are holding a workshop in the near future to discuss which model (Regional, Municipal or Private) could be used for a Regional Irrigation System.
8.3 ABL Update - Eastchester Flow Monitoring
Brett explained that we are limited by the amount of water the pipe can convey, as it will not be able to handle an additional pump. Associated Engineering is preparing a report on the options going forward with adding additional irrigation waters to the ABL system. Brett Ruck still thinks there is an opportunity to add an additional pump to Eastchester, however we may need to twin the pipe that runs from the pump and down the hill onto Eastchester Road. Associated Engineering still has to produce the final report which will detail the ditching needed, pipe increases and culvert upgrades downstream from the pump.
Brett mentioned that we could use the Region’s help in order to increase the capacity of the cross culvert going under Highway 55. This is a perfect opportunity to bring this item up at an upcoming Regional Irrigation Meeting.
8.4 Virgil Ponds Update
Chair Kevin Buis was concerned that despite all of the publicity that the Virgil Ponds are receiving, none of those news articles mentioned that the ponds are supplemented with irrigation water and were intended to collect water for irrigation purposes.
Brett explained that the Town is working on installing structures that will make vandalism much more difficult.
Councillor Erwin Wiens agrees that it might be useful to inform the public that the primary use of the ponds is for agricultural irrigation.
Chair Kevin Buis also mentioned that because the ponds are so silted in, they really don’t hold much water for irrigation purposes and essentially act as a glorified stream. This also may be a topic brought up to the Regional Irrigation Committee.
Councillor Erwin Wiens added that adding habitat and recreational value to the ponds is a great idea, but it should always be primarily used as an irrigation facility. The operational and capital costs for improvements will likely always come from the irrigators.
The topic of extending the Four Mile Creek Municipal Drain upstream was then discussed at length. Brett Ruck explained that the Region and the City of Niagara Falls are unwilling to sign a petition for municipal drainage which would be necessary to extend the drain upstream. Extending it upstream is necessary to determine the exact watershed of the headwaters in order to better understand the amount of water entering the system. This will allow the Town to better engineer the system to handle the increased amount of water entering the system.
8.5 MTO/Alternate Water Sources
This topic was discussed under previous agenda items. It has been determined that this topic should be discussed at the Regional level at upcoming Regional Irrigation Committee Meetings.
9. New Business
9.1 Queenston Quarry
Queenston Quarry approached the Town about storing irrigation water from the OPG Siphon on their property in order to release it slowly into the Four Mile Creek or Harrison System. However, there are concerns surrounding the water chemistry leaving the quarry site. It may be high in Boron or salt content which may not be desirable for irrigation water. Further discussion and research should be completed at subsequent meetings. The Committee agreed that this should be considered seriously as this could replace irrigation waters obtained from Whirlpool, should that pipe fail in the future.
9.2 OPG Siphon
Brett Ruck explained to the Committee that the Site Access Agreement presented to the Town by OPG may conflict with a present agreement. As such, the Site Access Agreement has been sent off for legal council.
9.3 Bluetooth Irrigation Meters
Brett Ruck explained to the Committee that the majority of Irrigation Users have not been recording and presenting their water taking volumes to the Town. This information is prudent in order for the Town to renew its permits to take water from the various sources.
The possibility of implementing irrigation meters is still being considered, however funding appears to still be an issue. A grant application was produced for the Green Belt Fund but was not submitted after subsequent conversations with the grant committee revealed that bluetooth irrigation meters would not make for a strong application. Alternatively, a more affordable option would be an on/off vibration meter. These meters would have to be returned to the Town offices in order for Staff to download the data and enter it into the provided software. The Committee has requested that correspondence be sent out to the Irrigation Community reminding growers of the importance of submitting their water taking and that the Committee is moving towards mandatory metering and feedback is welcome on the preferred metering device.
10. Next Meeting Date
January 5, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
11. Adjournment
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