Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I wanted to clarify the proposed 375 acre reservoir/storage dam that TC Energy is proposing to build above my neighbourhood.
Amelia Williams, Public Affairs – Canada East for TC Energy, states via Facebook on August 28th…“I wanted to confirm that the reservoir will be excavated relatively deep into the underlying bedrock to establish foundations that will ensure dam integrity and follow best practices in Ontario and Canada. The reservoir will be surrounded by an embankment dam design that is expected to be approximately 20m above grade. The footprint of the reservoir is expected to be approximately 375 acres.”
I had asked John Mikkelsen of TC Energy to provide an example of a ‘like’ project in my last letter to the editor. He uses Sir Adam Beck as his example. The Meaford PSP proposal sits 150 meters (492 feet) atop a segment of the Niagara Escarpment within the military base property. The closest home is approximately 0.67 meters below (not near, others on grade are closer) the reservoir/embankment dam. The Meaford PSP will co-exist within an active military base. These are not the conditions at Sir Adam Beck.
According to the Canadian Dam Association (CDA), a 375-acre reservoir/dam of this magnitude has not been built over an existing neighbourhood nor on an active military base. The CDA also states that there have been 27 hydroelectric pumped storage facility failures of varying degrees.
To clarify, this is not a ‘pond’ excavated below grade like those used at the local ski hills (Osler for example) for making snow. This will be a 66-foot-high embankment dam (above grade) towing (sic) 492 feet above people. If there were a catastrophic failure how much time will we have to evacuate? What are the consequences to the hundreds of people who live here? TC Energy knows the answer to these questions.
John Mikkelsen states, “…safety is our number one value at TC Energy”. According to the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER), incidents and why they happened (search TransCanada Keystone Pipeline GL Ltd & TransCanada Pipeline Ltd) the top 4 categories were 1. Engineering & Planning, 2. Maintenance, 3. Human Factors, and 4. Tools & Equipment.
I have been called NIMBY. I do appreciate the devastation this will cause to the escarpment and the bay and our lovely humble little town of Meaford but I will own it. I am happy to wear the t-shirt but it should read NAMBY, Not Above My Back Yard. For those who say NIMBY, it’s because it’s NOT in YOUR back yard.
Joanne Devaney
Resident ‘IMPACT ZONE’
Meaford
