A local environmental organization is urging the Town of Perth to reconsider plans to expand its Environmental Services Workshop at the town’s Water Treatment Plant.
In a letter to the municipality, the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association says it has “significant concerns” about the proposed expansion because the site is located within a Source Water Protection Zone 10 area.
The association argues that the workshop’s heavy equipment operations, road maintenance activities and fuel storage could increase the risk of contamination to the town’s drinking water supply. The letter notes that a substantial amount of fuel would be stored on site and warns that daily fuel handling can create risks despite safety measures.
The group also questions the environmental impact of the project, saying the expansion would require a significant reduction in tree cover and could increase hard-surfaced areas that contribute to polluted runoff. It also raises concerns about the potential impact on nearby wetlands and the possibility of future development in those areas.
The association says protecting the town’s water intake should take priority and is calling on the municipality to find another location for the Environmental Services Workshop.
In the letter, interim president David Taylor says the group believes “the appropriate precautionary approach for such a critical site would be to locate the Environmental Service workshop in another location.”
