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2007-06-18_Supplemental Agenda Packet--Dossier de l'ordre du jour supplémentaireCity of Saint John Common Council Meeting Monday June 18 2007 Location Common Council Chamber Supplemental Agenda Re 9 8 Letter of Objection to Proposed Re zoning at 937 Hillcrest Road Re 12 3 Information on Water Usage 13 1 Committee of the Whole Report Appointments to Committeeso? City of Saint John Seance du conseil communal Lelundi18juin 2007 Emplacement Salle du conseil communal L ordre du jour supph mentaire Alinea 9 8 Lettre d opposition relative au projet de rezonage visant Ie 937 chemin Hillcrest Alinea 12 3 Information d eau potable propre et salubre 13 1 Rapport du Comite plenier relatif a la recommandation de nominations pour sieger aux comites June 14 2007 City of Saint John Planning Advisory Committee PO Box 1971 Saipt John NB E2L 4Ll Re 937 Hillcrest Road Request to re zonefor Motorcycle Repair Garage Common Council Public Hearin2 Monday June 18 2007 Attn Mavor and Common Council We would like to inform Council that we are in opposition ofMr Levesque s request to have his property at 937 Hillcrest Road re zoned for aMotorcycle Repair Garage We built our home in this area 16 years ago and currently reside at 36 Marilyn Drive we also own at lot directly on the Hillcrest Road It appears that there are plans to further develop this area with afew new subdivisions in the works It would be nice to see them carried out There have been several new homes built here over the years in addition the city has also helped out by re paving portions of the road We do not believe that a business venture belongs in the midst of a growing residential area We have found this area to have the best of both worlds close to all city amenities yet the quiet arural area can offer Weare concerned about the amount oftraffic noise and pollution this type of business will generate This type of business has the potential to grow both in size and clientele resulting in increasing amounts oftraffic in the neighborhood Residential areas are not the place for this There are areas in Saint John that are zoned for business purposes perhaps the city could direct Mr Levesque to one of these locations It is our hope that the Members of Council would put astop to any further business related propositions for this area both now and in the future Sincerely P J rVRO PYA Troy Lori MacDonald 36 Marilyn Drive Saint John NB I J h0v Need to better manage our water usage Fresh water is critical to the development and Well being orurbahsociety Yet in Canada a nation rich in fresh water resources many communities are experiencing problems with local water supplies Currently supply side management characterizes urban water provision in Canada This approach responds to rising demands by see g o11t ne sources of ater and exp dillg infrastructure capaci rhJe lsmfqf s aipsproaac4 well ae lb tl sYsfem foi urb Ul wate p3viJJtB li fB bjougbtmihy benefits to sotiety However continUingoii t1il aJh tbe ii1creasingt xpensive and environmentally unsuStainable Brandes and Ferguson 2004 The Future in Every Drop Why conserve water Water is essential to life on earth We need water to grow food keep clean provide power control fire and last but not least we need it to stay alive People use up our planet s fresh water faster than it can naturally be replenished Saving water is good for the earth for our families and for our community When we use water wisely we help the environment and help preserve drinking water supplies And we ease the burden on wastewater treatment plants the less water sent down the drain the less work these plants have to do to make water clean again When we use water wisely we save energy We save the energy used to treat and move water and the energy our families use to heat our water When we use water wisely we save money Using water wisely means conserving it when wecan and not wasting it Need to better manage our water usage Page 2 WHAT YOU CAN DO ENVIRONMENT CANADA WEBSITE Water Don t Flush it All Away Water water everywhere Did you know that each of us uses about 340 litres of water each day And 30 gets flushed straight down the toilet1 Fro th tap t the b to the to let Wifc piesme and pro ect our waer supply by making small changes to our eyeryday lIfe Water IS an essential global resource and it is up to each of us to conserve it Doing the Laundry Fill it up Wash full loads of laundry set the dial on the adjustable water level indicator to use only as much water as you need Use the shortest cycle possible for washing clothes Use warm or cold water rather than hot In the Kitchen When hand washing dishes or cleaning fruits and vegetables don t run the water continuously Wash them in a partially filled sink and then rinse them quickly under the tap Fill up the automatic dishwasher and use the energy saver option or shortest cycle necessary to get the dishes clean When boiling vegetables conserve water by using just enough to cover them and use a tightly fitting lid Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until the water gets cool each time you want some Rinse the container and change the water every few days Use a water flow reducing attachment on your sink faucets Need to better manage our water usage Page 3 In the Bathroom Use a water flow reducing attachment in your sink faucets and low flow showerheads to reduce water use and wastage Turn off the tap When washing or shaving partially fill the sink basin and use that water rather than running the tap continuously This reduces water use by about 60 Use short bursts of water to clean razors Likewise when brushing your teeth turn off the water while you are actually brushing instead of running it continuously Use water from a mug for rinsing This reduces water use by about 80 Short showers use less water than baths If you still prefer bathing avoid overfilling the tub full tub is usually enough Check regularly for toilet tank leaks into the toilet bowl by putting a small amount of food colouring into the tank and observing if it spreads to the bowl without flushing Repair leaks promptly Also periodically examine whether the plunge ball and flapper valve in the tank are properly seated and replace parts when necessary Don t flush it away Reduce water use in the toilet by about 20 by installing a toilet dam or placing a weighted plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank Low flush toilets reduce water use by 50 to 80 Watering the Garden and Lawn Water in the coolest part of the day before 10 a m and on non windy days to reduce water loss from evaporation Use sprinklers that deliver large droplets in a flat pattern rather than those that throw the water high into the air to avoid evaporation Place your sprinklers and hoses carefully so that water does not land on driveways sidewalks or streets Use automatic timers on sprinklers if you will be leaving during the watering J cftvtN1 SIDE fV1ANAGI MJT DSM PfO 11If 1uruU IN Etstv bRIJP I Chapter 2 The Need for DSM in Canadian Urban Water Provision 1 MJ jki jt4rJl1jk j pJrtJ 14 and the rivers r I lffIK Rlf4yr HEI m ofthe country are the report card ofour civilization Derek Doyle at the end ofthe Every Drop Counts conference Csanadafirst national conference and trade show on water conservation Doyle 1994 417 2 1 Introduction JiidfjI p f Examples include high levels ofurban water use a growing number of municipalities facing supply andlor infrastructure limitations and the increase in capital costs ofinfrastructure expansions In addition urban water withdrawals and wastewater returns have a detrimental impact on the environment and correspond ingly negative impacts on drinking water quality see Box 4 As a result of these challenges concerns about water management are increasing and the situation will wors en as municipal water use continues to rise Although demand management is not a panacea for all that ails urban water provision provision and management it can help to address many ofthese challenges Specifically it can help to reduce or at least to limit urban water use and wastewater production which will in turn increase the sustainability and security ofwater resources 2 2 High and Rising Municipal Water Use in Canada iIt I1 C nd high water consum s JJlt Dangerfield 1994 60 Boyd 2003 42 iit li3ppro matdy 640liuesc pdcapj f jll is twOand@fiiJil ore t q Luesby 1994 214 Brandes 2003 w1ate e aS incr ed by 6 ft lI l i9lJ from fig 3 1 Brandes 2003 21 Overall total water withdrawals in Canada increased 26 between 1980 and 1997 During the same period despite economic and population growth water with drawals in the United States dropped 5 Boyd 2003 43 Residential use accounts for just overhalf ofthe total municipal water use Brandes 2003 15 ff il I fi ma i f J BranCi 2603 iising almost 50 from 1972 to 1986 average per capita residential water use appears to have levelled out over the last decade fluctuating between 330 an 350 led Dangerfield 1994 41 Brandes 2003 21 However due to increasing urban ization and population growth total residential water use has continued to rise growing by 21 from 1991 to 1999 Marsalek et al 2002 1 Brandes 2003 21 Significant potential exists for demand management to reduce per capita use In this way total water use can also be reduced or at least capped without significant impacts on quality oflife or standards ofliving 2 3 Supply Limits Degradation and Uncertainty Water demand exceeds or is approaching the limits ofnatural supply in many parts of Canada particularly in the Great Lakes region the Prairie provinces and the Okanagan Valley Shrubsole and Tate 1994 2 Dangerfield 1994 53 Between 1994 and 1999 one in four Canadian municipalities reported problems with water availability In Ontario this stress is even more apparent 79 of municipal water systems reported at least one water sup ply problem between 1989 and 1999 Shrubsole 2001 4 Similarly groundwater extraction rates that exceed The Future in Every Drop Drop I 05 Box 4 Some of the Reasons Why Demand Management is Required in Canada 1t t f Y E 7 f 7 e r f m E lrf Jl Ji l1 r t I If t J Y l r J t4 r tl K r J r 11 r ol rt1cJi ftJ fA f r rt1 e 1fJ ILiJ1Jjy Jk 1 1 11 i 1 7 ir t r f I L ft l t I If I I l I f 2 1 1 r I ll I rj r1i 1 f 1 tt i f J r 1 u l i r V i I 1 0 Oil tan uses 343 A utn t r facEtwate futW reaChed or are near Ing to IT dty for withdrawals Grburi Jfr lln Qep1et ing anumbeTof atiulfers Many water sources are contam inated or are atrisk of contamination UertailtifesIof stream flowsand lake leve lasri increasing dlieto Climate chan Si9ntfi t1 Urban Water with un fcap 1 drawalS and astewater costs estimClted returns are highly geo t 3 AjA W c j lY 91t at e i ffof 91ng p 9lnelr atetarjd d rti s iP t ture upgrades proJe d roy aquatic Increasing pealC lldll Iandhabltat iotm water ancllor duce exotic species and wastewater treat block fish migration ment demands Both ground and sur Create additional f w te rawalli capital iQS1S lii rft atter marine habitat nd ClffE ctiryg h popLlla 1ions Reducing water flows allows financial resources to be reallo catedto TrJeet higher levels of nn 1n H p r i i1e it fea am ouarterrtbfV thBt w treiited to 1 r Decre ng wastewater vol urhe intt tne etfectiveness of sewage treatment thus decreasing pollution of receiv ing wateB eii rce Waters t IJ dlevelbpmerit qd 1 jl fe r er UT and prt grountlwa1er sources by reduc ing overp rripirig C rs in the world Total municipal water use increased 6 dur ing ttle1990s tctatieSidentia a J increas 21 dlnTl9ihel 9qs natural replenishment are depleting aquifers in central and south western Ontario Sharratt et al 1994 73 Due to over pumping and resource stress the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has placed a moratorium on new and expanded water taking permits for bottled water and other uses that remove water from the water shed London Free Press 2003 Over the past 30 years the population of British Columbia s Okanagan Similkameen river basin has more than doubled and has the fastest growth rate of of the 23 major river basins in Canada This region has 0 1 of Canada s total renewable supply offresh water and faces serious water pressures as it continues to grow Statistics Canada 2003 Over 17 ofsurface water sources in the province have reached or are nearing their capacity to reliably supply water for extractive uses 25 groundwater aquifers are nearing water use capacity and over one third ofaquifers are vulnerable to contamination Water Conservation Strategy for BC 1998 9 12 Such problems suggest that increasingly municipali ties are reaching the limits of their local water supplies andor the capacity of their current infrastructure Environment Canada 2001 Many urban water sup plies are under additional pressures from nearby agricul ture industry forestry and ongoing development 06 I POLIS Project h Residential development affects both ground and surface water flows with paved surfaces and rooftops reducing infiltration and increasing usually contaminat ed runoff to surface water Thomson 1994 178 Contamination of groundwater is also affecting water supplies Overpumping of groundwater not only depletes aquifers but may also pull contaminants or salt water towards city wellfields RMI 1991 10 Abbotsford BC was forced to decommission various community wells due to contamination and in PEl some 18 ofthe wells are contaminated with pesticides Waller et al 1998 8 16 Supply limitations and source degradation are com pounded by the unknown impacts of global climate change An intimate relationship between climate and the hydrologic cycle exists Changes in climatic regimes will directly affect the average annual water flow its annual variability and its seasonal distribution Environment Canada 2003 5 For example the navi gability of the St Lawrence Seaway is at risk because of low water levels In the 1900s water levels in the pan of Montreal averaged two metres above the long term aver age low water mark At the end of the century however this margin had declined to less than one metre Statistics Canada 2003 Predicted climate change impacts on the Great Lakes include a further drop in water level of between a half and one metre due to increased evaporation and decreased runoff Farid Jackson and Clark 1997 74 Greater climatic variability also means changes in the frequency ofextreme weather events and increasing inci dences ofdry and wet year sequences Water supplies will become more uncertain as this variability combines with increased summer evapotranspiration reduced snow packs and higher water use such as increased lawn watering Environment Canada 2003 5 The impact ofclimate change is already being felt in many western cities such as Calgary Edmonton and Regina which rely on mountain snowpack and glaciers as water sources Since 1850 some 1 300 glaciers have lost between 25 and 75 of their mass with most of this reduction occurring in the last 50 years Along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains glacier cover is receding rapidly and total cover is now close to its low est level in 10 000 years Statscan 2003 Mitigating the impacts of climate change will be a slow process Climate experts agree that we must be ready to adapt to these impacts The International Panel on Climate Change urged water managers to begin a systematic examination ofengineering criteria operating rules contingency plans and water allocation policies The IPCC states with high confidence that water demand management and institutional adaptation are the primary components for increasing system flexibility to meet uncertainties ofclimate change IPCC 1996 With increasing numbers ofcommunities facing sup ply limitations and climate change uncertainties long term planning includes a thorough assessment ofDSM options as a necessity Demand management is an important part ofa diversified risk management portfo lio and has the ability to both avoid supply limitations in the short term and provide flexible responses to cli mate change in the future 2 4 Water and Wastewater Capital Costs tM 3 eVlliq terns are the mostt Jjw mt pubJjc wsoitk Postel 1994 16 Ratios of capital investment to operating revenue are estimated at between 4 1 and 9 1 and even as high as 30 1 compared to just 3 1 for telephone utilities Lawson and Fortin 1994 270 Tate 1997 52 Effi i uSi tMmS ital int nsive infrflS c f ture and pmuoaIlty reducmg a ilitional capital expendi f a gij ti J btsuodgfel tlost munic f Much of the water supply infrastructure in large Canadian centres is over 50 years old Estimates of unmet water and wastewater infrastructure needs and the costs ofmaintaining repairing and upgrading them are substantial ranging from 23 49 billion National Round Table on the Environment and Economy 1996 Environment Canada 2003 16 Significant upgrades are also required in some areas to meet drinking water quality standards In BC upgrading water treatment and filtration systems to Canadian standards is expected to cost approximate 2 billion province wide with an additional 1 billion for anticipated costs to upgrade wastewater systems Water Conservation Strategy for BC 1998 15 zViD Ii riT2i1 incrmrr ntr M ctureJ liH r gt 7 t1 o qa1 ttj aifjcIj Wio 0c 0 infra t il Urban water demand is highly vari able with peaks occurring on an hourly daily and sea sonal basis The highest peaks usually occur during the summer due to lawn watering demands Maximum hourly use affects water main and sewer capacity requirements and infrastructure must be built to accom modate these peak demands The result is a large pro portion of capacity that lies unused in off peak times Harris 1994 246 Loudon 1994b 253 259 While DSM programs can reduce overall water use they can also specifically target the timing and level of peak demands This peak shifting approach smoothes out demand increasing the overall efficiency of infra structure Reducing peak demands also defers and potentially avoids future infrastructure needs In Winnipeg projections showed that if steadily increasing demands continued the 159 kilometre aqueduct that brings the city its water would not have the capacity to meet future demands The 200 to 350 million price tag to augment supply motivated Winnipeg to employ a DSM program Sacher 1994 98 Similarly a comprehensive DSM program under taken by the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority MWRA reduced water requirements in the greater metropolitan Boston area by 25 As a result a 500 million plan to further dam the Connecticut River was cancelled 1ljtfe fi1g mnui tipal water use generally imppcf feasing l Q1 ti f wastewatef unless peak waste water flows are determined by rainfall infiltration Gates 1994 339 340 Tate 1997 53 Increased wastewater The Future in Every Drop I 07 production can require expenditure on expanded waste water treatment infrastructure Avoiding these costs is another rationale for demand management New York City reduced its water use by over 250 million gallons per day through a comprehensive DSM program there by avoiding a billion dollar expansion to its wastewater treatment plant and indefinitely postponing the devel opment ofnew water supply sources Vickers 2001 xvi 2 5 Environmental Impacts Although municipalities account for only 12 of total Canadian water withdrawals these demands are concentrated geographically High density residential population and the high volume ofwater needed to sup port urban economic activities results in the exhaustion of local supplies As a result many urban residents depend on water that is imported from distant sources creating ecological footprints that extend hundreds of kilometres beyond the city limits to the headwaters of streams and rivers Dziegielewski 1999 1 The foot print also travels downstream with the pollution created by discharged wastewater Such combined impacts of development places severe stress on the regional water bodies upon which urban centres depend Postel 1994 16 Twenty seven percent ofall North American freshwa ter fauna are now under threat of extinction a trend mir rored around the world Wolff and Gleick 2002 2 Gleick 2003b 1524 The American Fisheries Society estimates that354 species offish in North America are at risk primarily due to habitat destruction through the excessive use and mismanagement ofwater Postel 1994 13 Depletion of underground aquifers also affects the health of surface waters For example over extraction from aquifers in Ontario has resulted in a reduction of water flowing from springs into local streams This has damaged aquatic ecosystems and especially coldwater fish populations Sharratt et al 1994 73 The process of pumping groundwater at a rate greater than the natural recharge rate is called groundwater over drIatfrisinag modern problem that results from powerful pumps and cheap energy deVilliers 1999 48 The overpumping of groundwater can have severe and lasting effects Aquifers act like sponges reducing storm water runoff by absorbing or recharging during periods of heavy rainfall This water is then released slowly maintaining surface water base flows during dry periods Overpumping changes underground flow pat 08 I POLIS Project ternsand can compact aquifer sediment which impinges upon future capacity for water storage and may perma nently reduce an aquifer s absorption capacity In Mexico City the water table dropped 20 metres in fifty years causing large parts ofthe city to subside The California Central Valley has experienced similar drops in the water table levels due to groundwater over drafting deVilliers 1999 47 When withdrawals from surface and groundwater systems are reduced more water becomes available for maintaining and preserving the ecological balance of streams rivers wetlands and estuaries Dziegielewski 1999 2 DSM programs can further reduce the pressure on aquifers and endangered aquatic ecosystems through the avoidance of additional large scale infrastructure projects such as drilling for new wells diversions and dams hhtioi dfe i ti X v t rJ Uo w y f t f 1Rf i4f jj il f 1991 9 Tate 1997 53 Concerns about future water shortages motivated officials in Vernon BC to undertake a DSM program Vernon faced a growing problem with Eurasian water milfoil in the nearby Okanagan Lake This problem was caused by phosphorous entering the lake from municipal wastewater treatment plants Oackson 1994 Ill 114 As a result the city has under taken a program to reduce water use and to reuse munic ipal wastewater for local farm irrigation 2 6 Drinking Water Quality High volumes of urban water use negatively impact the quality of drinking water in at least three different ways First with increased volumes more water must be treated to drinking water standards placing greater stress on water treatment plants and resulting in higher costs for chemicals and energy Second because increased water use generally leads to increased flows of waste water treatment is often less effective due to shoner detention times and less concentrated waste Inferior treatment results in more polluted receiving waters which degrades supply sources for downstream users and also damages ecosystem capacity to maintain clean fresh water Third the development of additional water sources can result in higher treatment costs especially if the water source is turbid or has high levels of organic material 2 7 Additional Benefits of Demand Management The discussion above outlines the most significant benefits of demand management A number of addi tional benefits are listed in Box 5 Some additional ben efits are less obvious and depend on specific circum stances For example Econometrics Research Limited I995 reponed increased economic activity associated with DSM In comparing the economic impacts ofpur suing a water demand strategy versus a water supply management strategy in the Halton Region of Ontario the company concluded that the demand management option would translate into 50 million more in employ ment income provincially and 28 million more locally due to the more decentralized labour intensive nature of DSM Shrubsole 2001 6 2 8 Summary Current problems related to urban water provision Box 5 Additional Benefits of Demand Management include high and increasing water use in Canadian municipalities infrastructure limitations faced by a growing number of municipalities uncenainties associ ated with climate change and the increasing capital costs and environmental impacts that result from continuing on the supply side management path Demand manage ment strategies provide a means for dealing with these problems and therefore should be widely adopted and integrated into long term water planning The challenges of water management often overlap providing further incentives to implement DSM In Ontario water conservation efforts were adopted for three primaryreasons to avoid the continuing decline in aquifers and associated effects on fisheries due to over extraction to reduce municipally generated pollution and to avoid increased infrastructure costs for water and wastewater treatment plants to meet increasing demands Sharratt et al 1994 73 74 DSM considers such moti vations in an integrated approach to water management in treatment processes uch as for household water heating and pumping l pt J 1t t 41 t r jJ r t f Reduced need for emergency water restrictions and associated inconvenience during periods of drought Investments in DSM programs tend to be diversified and incremental and more flexible than ssuipdpely options which tend to require large irreversible commitments I f Kll Z Improved demand forecasting and reduced risks associated with demand uncertainty t rft L j j ci Improved participatory approaches leading to tralized supply side decision making Ji r I 1 t l j I t J lrthan currently exist with cen Enhanced revenue generation from byproduct recovery such as reclaimed water for reuse Greater incentives for accounting and monitoring and therefore better control over the throughput of waterand waste water systems 1 tJ 23 5 the incentives in DSM to encourage more efficient water use can lead to lower business costs and an evaluation of other efficiency improvements thus increasing competitiveness f 5 Source Tate 1990 8 RMI 1991 8 11 Mackenzie and Parsons 1994 104 Sacher 1994 98 99 Sharratt et al 1994 74 CRM 1996 6 Shrubsole 2001 6 The Future in Every Drop I 09 Currently a significant proportion of urban water provision in Canada is financially and environmentally unsustainable Demand management can help move urban water provision onto a more sustainable path Demand management stretches existing reserves and simultaneously frees up supply to serve potential future needs Although DSM provides decision makers and 10 I POLIS Project local authorities with a broad portfolio of options to address the problems outlined in this chapter it remains relatively underdeveloped in Canada Understanding why DSM continues to be neglected as a water manage ment approach is a critical step to encouraging its wide spread implementation in the future 3 Common Clerk s Office Bureau du greffier communal P O Box C P 1971 Saint John NB N B Canada E2L 4L1 www saintjohn ca The City of Saint John June 18 2007 Councillors Subject Recommended Appointments to Committees The Committee of the Whole having met earlier this evening makes the following recommendations Saint John Taxi Advisory Committee to appoint Gary Williston owner Mack Tobias licencee Christine Saumure citizen Rita Parent citizen and Don LeBlanc citizen for two year terms ending June 18 2009 Saint John Energy to appoint Lisa Keenan and Bob Manning for three year terms ending June 18 2010