Whatever you do, please,…

Whatever you do, please, please, please, please do not allow development on the Regional Recharge Area of Waterloo Region.
The attached maps show the Regional Recharge Area, as well as the requested Urban Area expansions which encroach on it.
Please remove the encroaching Urban Areas from our Regional Official Plan.

Waterloo Region relies on groundwater for its drinking water and the Regional Recharge Area is vital to ensuring this continuing supply.

 Because of its sand and gravel composition, the Regional Recharge Area allows huge amounts of snowmelt and rainfall to infiltrate deep into the ground and replenish the aquifers that supply our drinking water.
 Development reduces the amount of water reaching the aquifers by 50-80% (depending whether it's residential or commercial/industrial development).
 Thus developing (paving over) the Regional Recharge Area threatens the quantity of our water supply.
 Development in this area will put more road salt into our water supply. This threatens the quality of our water supply.
 Reduced water supply will limit the number of new homes that can be built throughout the Region.
 So ironically, building more new homes in the Regional Recharge Area could mean less new homes that can be built elsewhere in the Region!
 Or, it could mean we will need to build $2 billion pipeline to Lake Erie!

As well
 The Regional Recharge Area sustains a wide range of aquatic habitats and ecosystems.
 The Regional Recharge Area contributes a high percentage of baseflow to the Grand River, its tributary rivers and cold water streams: this maintains the health of the Grand River.
 This baseflow dilutes wastes and pollution flowing into the Region's wastewater treatment plants and ensures our public health safety. If development on the Regional Recharge Area decreases the amount of baseflow, we may need expensive new wastewater treatment plants that can function with smaller baseflow.