Concerned Citizens of King…

Concerned Citizens of King Township
www.cckt.ca
Box 875, King City, ON. L7B 1A9

Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
5th Floor, 777 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2J3

RE: ERO 019-9146
According to the posting,
This proposal is for a new Permit to Take Water for St. Rita at Marylake Long Term Care Home.Water will be taken from one well for foundation drainage purposes at 13760 Keele Street in King City, Ontario.

Concerned Citizens of King Township (CCKT) objects to the granting of a Permit to Take Water (PTTW) on this site for the permanent taking of water for foundation drainage.

The development proposal for St. Rita at Marylake Long Term Care Home, is to construct a large institutional building of over 13,000 sq. metres on a narrow ridge of land between a relatively large kettle lake (Mary Lake) and a provincially significant wetland complex. The kettle lake and wetland complex are located on the Oak Ridges Moraine in Natural Core Area, outside of the settlement area boundary of King City.

We understand that the water from the foundation drainage is to be discharged into a stormwater management system, and in turn released into the ground within 30 metres of Mary Lake. We also understand that the foundation drainage water will be mixed with the stormwater runoff from a large parking lot and roadway network including stormwater with salt content in the winter months.
As is well-documented salt water is harmful to aquatic species, including fish and aquatic plants. The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan does not allow the discharge of stormwater into a kettle lake

MNR reports from studies conducted about 25 years ago, documented ten different fish species in Mary Lake and its tributaries. With the current proposed project, there has not been an aquatic study completed to determine the number of fish species present, nor a plan for monitoring any impacts.
We note that this PTTW is classified as Category 3: water takings are anticipated to have the highest potential of causing unacceptable environmental impactor interference.

As an organization advocating for the long term health and sustainability of the Oak Ridges Moraine, we are concerned about the environmental impacts of de-watering at this site and the discharge of foundation drainage with stormwater runoff.

We request that MECP review this application very carefully and consider the long-term impacts on Mary Lake and the provincially significant wetland complex, and the valuable bio-diversity of these sensitive environments.

Thank you for your attention to our comments.

J. Bruce Craig, Chair, Concerned Citizens of King Township