Background Information
On May 6, 2019, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) received a request from the City of Port Colborne’s Planning Department, to review and comment on the Site Alteration Permit report for Port Colborne Quarries at 1937 2nd Concession Road.
The NPCA is only able to provide commentary under the following legislations and the City’s Official Plan (Section 4.1.3.1)
NPCA’s role as per the Conservation Authorities Act
The NPCA regulates watercourses, wetlands, hazardous lands (unstable soils/karst), flood plains, valleylands and Great Lakes shorelines through the Conservation Authorities Act, and more specifically, Ontario Regulation 155/06.
The Port Colborne Quarry contains a basin of water resulting from previous extraction below the water table. This body of water is not a regulated feature as defined by the Conservation Authorities Act and associated regulations. While the NPCA’s screening map shows part of Pit 1 as containing a potential area regulated by the NPCA, it must be stressed that the screening map is only an approximate estimation of regulated areas.
NPCA staff have carefully reviewed this site and conclude that there are no regulated features on the Pit 1 site. As such, with regards to Ontario Regulation 155/06 made pursuant to the Conservation Authorities Act, the NPCA has no comments in relation to the placing of fill within Pit 1.
Based on the information above, the NPCA provides the following response:
The NPCA administers the Source Water Protection Program, pursuant to the Clean Water Act, which applies only to municipally owned drinking water systems and their associated vulnerable areas.
Currently, Port Colborne only has one municipal drinking water system, which draws its water from the Welland Canal (just north of Clarence Street). The associated vulnerable area for the Port Colborne drinking water intake is deemed to be an Intake Protection Zone which prohibits and mitigates certain significant drinking water threat activities within this zone.
The Intake Protection Zone for Port Colborne does not encompass Pit 1 at Port Colborne Quarries. As such, all regulations and policies pursuant to the Source Water Protection Program are not applicable to Pit 1.
In Conclusion:
The NPCA agrees with the City of Port Colborne’s decision to retain a licensed professional to review the Site Alteration Permit and the Soil Management Plan. As per the City of Port Colborne Official Plan (noted above), Section 4.1.3.1 (e), the NPCA Hydrogeologist will provide comment on the assessment, if requested by the City of Port Colborne.
For questions relating to this statement, please contact:
Darren MacKenzie, C.Tech., rcsi
Director, Watershed Management
dmackenzie@npca.ca
905-788-3135 ext. 229