I have been fishing the…

I have been fishing the Beaver River in Feversham since 1979.
When Ice river springs opened up its site in Feversham in 1995 I have watched the water levels in the river drop significantly. The water levels prior to Ice Springs opening have not come back to their original levels. There is less flow into the river which has affected the temperature of the water (warmer) which has an impact on the fish and other species in the river.

After the 2000 Walkerton outbreak of waterborne gastroenteritis, I believe, that it gave the water bottling companies a license to print money without significant restrictions on the amounts of groundwater they could take from the Beaver River.

In closing, I think the water permit system should be greatly reduced especially during dry periods. I also think there should be a significant charge to bottling companies for taking the groundwater. A charge of $500 per million litres to the total amount of groundwater taken by a facility for the purpose of producing bottled water is not significant. There should also be a charge for bottle return system to help mitigate all the empty bottles I see abandoned on pathways and roadsides.