Concerned about water resources and trees?
Please consider attending the final Public Information Centre for the proposed Update of Guelph’s Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy on February 4 from 6.30 – 8.00 p.m. in Cooperators Hall at the River Run Centre, Woolwich Street, Downtown Guelph.
Your input is vital to making the changes we need for our sustainable future in Guelph.
The last public information session in December 2008 did not include any reference to our urban forest. The information on new toilets, rainbarrels, etc. was well presented but the maintenance and enhancement of mature urban forest canopy is very important to water resources.
In creating the update, city staff were asked to consider setting a fixed target for the annual amount of water taken by the city. The proposed target would be the 2008 amount and would be fixed for 15 years. Any new requirements for water would be met by added efficiency and conservation measures by current users.
Having the city adopt such a fixed-amount target would be an enormous step forward toward a sustainability approach to all resource use by the city and would be highly complementary to the community energy plan since water treatment, distribution and wastewater treatment are the largest energy use by the city.
For 11 yrs (1997-2007), with increasing education and awareness, Guelph citizens have decreased their water taking. We have very good prospects of increasing our conservation and efficiencies through continuing educational awareness. Many people in Guelph understand the need to take this major step toward sustainability. However, there is some concern that city staff will not recommend this approach to council.
A missing component of the water conservation strategy is the urgent need for a protective tree by-law. Everything is connected. Water, energy demand and trees.
“The sustainability of the water resources are linked inextricably with watershed forests, whether they are urban or in the landscape surrounding the urban area” (GRCA Watershed Forest Plan. Chapter 3.2 Urban Forests.)
Please take a few minutes to attend and register your support for the fixed target approach and protection and maintenance of our urban forest canopy.
When: 6.30 p.m., February 4, 2009
Where: Cooperators Hall, River Run Centre, Woolwich St., Downtown Guelph
More information about this is on the City website, www.guelph.ca under the ‘quick links’ to ‘water conservation’ .
Visit us at www.guffguelph.ca.
