There’s a promise of better communication, but that doesn’t appease landowners, who have been slowing down a water pipeline project in the Ailsa Craig area.
An emergency meeting was held today to try to keep emotions down.
Staff of the Lake Huron Pipeline Board agreed to provide better communication with landowners in the future, but they also say their commitment is to finishing the current twinning project, connecting London to Lake Huron, by the fall.
The project will provide redundancy and also lower pressure in the original pipe, which ruptured last year and cut off water to half a million people in London.
Ian Goudy, a farmer in the area, says soil disturbance and compaction during the first construction project 50 years ago has reduced yields ever since.
“We expect to be treated fairly. It would take me all day to go back in history on the pipeline and explain how we have been abused.”
Andrew Hemming, of North Middlesex council, says damage is inevitable.
“Our intent is to minimize that damage to the extent possible.”
Landowners will be given some compensation, but they are not signing a construction contract – their bargaining chip they say – so the money hasn’t been flowing.
