www.independentfreepress.com Stats show we're too fat ...and so are our kids 50 cents (+GST) THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS Recipe of the week: Fiddleheads in vinaigrette Page 8 Page 23 Friday, June 15, 2007 60 Pages Halton Hills' award-winning newspaper INSIDE Local qualifiers for Halton championships Page S/L 1 Region names Patrick Moyle new CAO Page 11 Editorial 6 Ted Brown 7 Calendar 16, 19 Classifieds 29-33 Sports S/L 1-4, 6 Hornby resident Ruth Dennis stands beside the 1,200 gallon water tank provided by Halton Region after her well went dry recently. Halton Region construction work on a pumping station on Steeles Avenue has affected the wells of at least 23 residents and the problem may not be fixed for another two months. Photo by Ted Brown Region work leaves Hornby wells dry Some residents worried levels will never return to normal LISA TALLYN Staff Writer When Hornby resident Ruth Dennis turned on her tap two weeks ago, instead of a steady stream of water it just sputtered and spit. She figured she had a pump problem, until she spoke with another nearby resident who suggested it wasn't her pump, and that like him, she was likely out of water. Water woes in the Hornby area (primarily along Steeles Ave.) have become commonplace recently, said Ken Lawday, of the Hornby Association of Rate Payers (HARP). Lawday said they are related to the construction by Halton Region of a sewage pumping station on Steeles Ave. near Sixth Line, and estimates 20 to 25 wells in the area have been impacted. "I've never had water problems," said Dennis, who has lived in her Steeles Ave. home since 1991. Today she has a 1,200 gallon water tank provided and filled by Halton Region sitting in her driveway, which has solved her problem temporarily, but she is concerned her water supply might be permanently impacted. David Ohashi, manager of special projects for Halton Region, said Halton Region has dug a 20 metre by 20 metre excavation to build the wet well structure at the pumping station. A test borehole that drilled down further in the excavation to investigate soil conditions was on "the edge of an aquifer" said Ohashi, and has resulted in water flowing from the aquifer into the hole. The Region has been pumping the water out of the hole, which has lowered the water table level in the area, said Ohashi. Residents whose wells tap into that aquifer have been affected he said. In total, the Region has heard from 23 residents whose wells have been impacted. See REGION, pg. 3 REFINANCING? PURCHASING? WEDNESDAY... Mike Kosziwka of Limehouse is headed to Division 1 Clarkson College on a hockey scholarship. For details see Wednesday's edition. For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com GEORGETOWN VOTED #1 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 2007 KIA SPECTRA CALL THE GEORGETOWN 1-866-364-0697 or HEADQUARTERS 905-877-7818 0 % FINANCE Belts, Wallets, Briefcases, Travel Kits, Leather Furniture, Leather Jackets FATHER'S DAY June 17th ACTON 519 853-1031 Open Everyday 10-6, Friday 10-9 www.theoldehidehouse.com TORONTO 416 203-7001 0.9% Variable BOB WOODS Mortgage Specialist *Rate subject to change (905) 360 Guelph St., Georgetown 877-1490