The Record (Waterloo, Ontario), July 23, 2007

WATERLOO MORAINE IS TOO VALUABLE TO BE DEVELOPED

[Rachel's introduction: Professor calls for use of precautionary principle to protect unique geographic features near Waterloo in Ontario.]

By Gordon Nelson

[Gordon Nelson is a distinguished professor emeritus of the University of Waterloo, with four decades of experience in land use, environmental and heritage analysis and planning. Second opinion articles reflect the views of Record readers on a variety of topices.]

I am opposed to the proposals for the westside moraine subdivision in Waterloo because they threaten the vital ecological and social services this natural system brings.

Looking at the big picture, the moraine provides a range of benefits including water quality and quantity, the conservation of forests, woodlands and species at risk, outstanding natural beauty, and wide ranging educational opportunities.

The economic worth of similar woodlots has been determined in places like New York City, where the focus is on the value of trees in an intensely populated area. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg initiated the study indicating that the city's approximately 600,000 trees were worth an estimated $122 million, it was recently reported. That breaks down to $11 million for filtering air pollutants, $28 million in energy conservation, $30 million for containing storm water run-off, and $53 million for their esthetic benefits.

The moraine forest also assists with the control of soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution. As well, there is a scientific value in protecting the area's diverse species and monitoring climate change -- which is not so easily done in the "heat island" of urban subdivisions.

Another big value is community education. With rising urbanization, people spend much of their lives in cities distant from nature. Such separation means less understanding of the ecological services performed by areas such as the moraine. This applies especially to young people, and notably to low-income urban youth.

The moraine could also be a place where immigrants from other lands learn to appreciate and conserve forests and natural systems. Future cities need to include large natural areas so people understand and support the diverse environments necessary for their well-being.

These values have also been recognized in West Vancouver, where a large forested area was protected for water supply and conservation reasons.

In Ottawa, forest and natural area values led to the creation of nearby Gatineau Park, and in Toronto, the Oak Ridges moraine is protected by provincial law for similar reasons.

Other communities such as Hamilton, St. Catharines and Owen Sound benefit from the forests and natural areas of the Niagara Escarpment.These examples offer lessons for Waterloo. The services provided by the Oak Ridges moraine to Toronto parallel those of the westside moraine to us.

And New York is instructive in another way. With rising growth and demand, plans were made to upgrade water supply and treatment facilities at projected costs of hundreds of millions of dollars. This high price tag led to studies into the cost of agreements for protective land use practices in the Upper Hudson Valley, the long- time source of the city's water supply. All this led to new agreements with rural landowners and a decision to go with the traditional sources, saving vast sums for the city and its people.

Forests, woodlands and natural areas are vital symbols of the image and livability of a city. It's better to envision the moraine in future as a landscape of forests, farms, hiking paths and other amenities.

This could be accomplished by a mix of public protection, easements and other agreements to encourage willing owners to allow citizens to benefit, enjoy and learn from these uncommon lands.

The technical improvements generated for these subdivision proposals could be less successful than expected by experts. Some ground water wells in the region have already been damaged or lost to unanticipated industrial and other pollution. It seems wise to base the subdivision decision on a precautionary principle, knowing that faulty decision now could have costly, long-term consequences for the city and region.

Objections will be raised to my position by people arguing that these proposals should proceed because the city committed these lands to development in the 1990s. and that the developers have subsequently invested in their plans. But these approvals were given before science and society gained a greater understanding of the vital services that areas such as the moraine perform for us.

Buying out the investment of the developers would likely be considerably less costly than the ecological and social services foregone with such development.

The city and the region should not be in a rush to decide until some pending relevant studies have been completed and made available to the public. Of potentially special importance is an Ontario Ministry of the Environment review "to determine if there is a need to develop provisions to protect ground water and source water of the Waterloo moraine beyond those already provided for in existing policies and regulations."

A focus solely on water does not, however, comprehend the range of other ecological and social benefits the westside moraine offers to us and those who will follow.

Copyright 2007