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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 3, 2006 - 7 MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Regional Chair says Oakville flooding incidents not related Re: Homeowners seek restitution for raw sewage flooding in basements On behalf of Halton Region, I am writing to clarify some of the misinformation presented in the April 22 edition of the Oakville Beaver concerning the Feb. 4, 2006 flooding incident in the Falgarwood area. Media and other reports continue to suggest the Feb. 4 event is related to the May 2000 rain storm events. This must be corrected. The Feb. 4 event is in no way associated with the events surrounding the May 2000 rain storm which caused flooding and damage in numerous locations throughout the region and its surrounding municipalities. Based on Halton Region's investigation and observations, it appears the Feb. 4 flooding was an isolated event, limited to 10 homes located in the Falgarwood area and due to the accumulation of industrial type "rags" within the wastewater main. This debris would normally be considered foreign to any sanitary sewer system and should not have been deposited in the sewer by irresponsible individuals. Our residents should be assured that the infrastructure that services their needs is designed, constructed and maintained to a very high standard. Infrastructure assessments and sewer flushing is carried out on a regular basis throughout the Region's sewage collection systems in accordance with Regional Council approved Level of Service standards. In accordance with our levels of service, the sewers in this area were last flushed on Oct. 25, 2004 and are scheduled to be flushed again by October 2006. Residents of Halton should also be assured that if there were any known deficiencies in the sewer system, Regional Council would take immediate action to resolve the issue. The blockage that occurred on Feb. 4 could not have been prevented by Halton Region but when it occurred, staff followed all the correct procedures to contain and mitigate the impact. The homeowner cited in the story is asking Regional Council to accept responsibility for the damage sustained as a result of a back up caused by foreign debris. Our position is that Halton will not and should not use taxpayer dollars to pay for damage for which neither Halton nor her taxpayers created nor are responsible. We do understand that residents have expressed concern regarding the ExGratia Grant which provides $500 in financial assistance to homeowners who have suffered a localized public sewer back up. Regional staff has been asked to review the Ex-Gratia program and report back to Regional Council on whether the amount should be increased. While we understand the impacts of the Feb. 4 events and are sympathetic to our residents for the inconvenience they have experienced, Halton Region could not have prevented this incident from occurring and the action taken by staff, as well the infrastructure which provides sewage service to residents in this area, all meet the high level standards of service established by Regional Council. JOYCE SAVOLINE CHAIR, HALTON REGION Thanks for the Earth Day support Thank you very much for placing a great priority on the environment through your advance promotion of Oakville's 15th annual Earth Week Clean Up. Despite the unfavourable rainy weather for such an event, 500+ people participated in removing a total of 3,910 kilograms of garbage from 35 various nature sites throughout Oakville on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. In much nicer weather from April 18 - 21, more than 4,000 students from 17 sponsoring schools cleaned up as an important part of this community-wide effort. The co-ordinators, environmental educators, students and volunteers are commended for their commitment to nature. We encourage everyone to make every day an Earth Day in Oakville. STEPHEN DANKOWICH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OAKVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE FOR PEACE, ECOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS (OCCPEHR) Lose Weight in Time for Summer! Offer Ends May 15th, 2006! Give us a try! OPEN HOUSE May 1 to May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Ask for Rita 18 months to 6 years Contact Rit Centofante Contact Rita C t f tt 2 WEEKS for 905-842-3061 MONTESSORI MUSIC · COMPUTERS · FRENCH · DRAMA · FUN $20 * 1289 Marlborough Court Unit 20, Oakville, Ont. L6H 2R9 1-800-597-1FIT (1348) www.goodlifefitness.com * You will be required to pay $20 plus G.S.T. First time visits only. Offer expires May 15th, 2006. Other restrictions may apply, see club for details.