The municipality of Hinchinbrooke has confirmed that a hydrogeological study linked to a controversial water extraction project within its territory has been completed.
The company behind the water bottling facility, which is registered to Lac-Simon resident Germain Turpin, promised during the February 2 municipal council meeting to complete the hydrogeological study to evaluate groundwater availability at the site. The company was in the process of applying for a building permit for their property located on Montée Powerscourt, when their project was met with strong opposition from concerned residents.
The municipality accorded the permit later that month, with reassurances from Turpin that a hydrogeological report was forthcoming. Hinchinbrooke’s director general, Adam Antonopoulos, explained that a communication summarizing the results of the report was received from the promoter. “The study has been supplied to the municipality for our records and will not be made public,” he stated.
The letter, which is dated May 6, acknowledges the commitment made by the company on February 2 to complete an updated assessment and to “share the general conclusions of this study with the public.”
The document notes that the study was conducted by an independent and qualified firm in accordance with requirements and guidelines set out by the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte Contre les Changements Climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP). The results, according to the company, confirm the framework under which a ten-year groundwater capture permit was renewed by the MELCCFP last summer. The Commission de Protection du Territoire Agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) has also authorized water extraction activities on the property.
The letter points out that Hinchinbrooke’s mayor, Mark Wallace, has reviewed the study’s summary findings, as well as Antonoloulos, municipal inspector Darren Casement, and the members of the municipal council. All have acknowledged the results, which demonstrate “that the water withdrawal, as authorized under the current provincial permits, is sustainable and compliant with applicable regulatory standards.”
Based on the conclusions presented, the company states that the aquifer “demonstrates stable recharge conditions under the currently authorized withdrawal level,” and that “no significant or measurable impacts on surrounding wells or on the environment are anticipated.”
The study concludes that the “hydrogeological context provides natural protection against surface contamination, and the water quality “meets applicable standards for drinking water and bottled water.”
According to the company, the full report constitutes a technical document containing specialized data that “is not intended for public interpretation without appropriate expertise.” The analyses and supporting data are, as a result, subject to legal access and disclosure regulations.
For Bethany Lee, the founder and spokesperson for the Protect our Water Source action group, the company’s decision to withhold the full contents of the updated study is “disheartening.”
The water-bottling plant is expected to produce specialized water packs for distribution outside the region to catering businesses serving air and rail carriers. The promoters were originally hoping for the project to be operational by this summer.
In light of the public’s response and concerns raised by councillors, the municipal council adopted a zoning bylaw on March 2 to restrict the number of industrial water extraction projects possible within its territory.
The bylaw will allow the municipality to expand an agroforestry zone into an area that is currently zoned for agriculture and natural resource extraction to significantly limit where such activities can take place.
A final version of the bylaw was adopted by the council in May and sent to the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent with no objections from the public. “Once we receive final approval from the MRC, this bylaw will be in effect,” said Antonopolous.
The MRC has confirmed that the bylaw is on the agenda to be discussed during the June 17 regional council meeting in Huntingdon.