Proposed TC Energy Pumped Storage Project

I am a resident of Meaford and am strongly opposed to the Pumped Storage Hydro facility for multiple reasons, but primarily due to the huge negative impacts to our community throughout a planned 5 year construction period, along with the long term safety of this dam and the huge cost burden that will be imposed on the taxpayers of Ontario, with no risk to TC Energy, when more cost effective storage technologies are now available at scale. 

The IPD minimises the potential impacts to the local Meaford community and TC Energy has made some vague commitment for community engagement, however there is no realisation or understanding how negatively impactful this project will be to our community while under construction.

While many other submissions have addressed the very legimate and significant environmental issues that will result from this project, my comments are confined to the community impact during construction, the dam safety and lastly the costs that will be unfairly borne by the taxpayers of Ontario.

Contamination and environmental damage during construction

• Dust from excavation operations containing contaminants from DND operations over the last 80 years. Mitigation of dust migration beyond the construction area, particularly in an exposed location, subject windy conditions is next to impossible.
• Existing buried contaminants will be disturbed and exposed to rainwater leaching though existing porous / laminated limestone rock, likely eventually reaching the waters of Georgian Bay and / or adjacent landowner well systems
• During the planned 5 year construction period the use of heavy equipment and blasting operations will generate exceptional noise levels impacting local Meaford residents, well beyond the periodic noise currently generated by military training operations. The construction noise will be at least 6 days a week from 7 am to 7pm daily and this assumes that the contractors don’t subsequently decide to work 24 hour shifts potentially 7 days a week, a quite likely eventuality.
• The combination of noise, dust and water pollution during the 5 year construction period will significantly and negatively impact the quality and enjoyment of life for both seasonal and permanent residents of the quiet and outdoor focussed Municipality of Meaford area.

Construction Traffic

• The negative impact to the local communities and / or the waters of Georgian Bay from heavy construction traffic during the construction period will be hugely significant and no amount of "mitigation" will be able to deal with this concern.
• The volumes of excavated soils and imported aggregates / engineered fill which will have to be trucked or barged to and from the construction site will be in the order of multiples of millions of cubic metres, resulting in several hundred's of thousands of heavy truck movements on local roads over the duration of construction.
• By road there are only 2 access points to the site; these being Grey Rd 112 and the Meaford 7^th Line. The sheer volume of soils and other construction materials (multiple millions of cum of dirt) not to mention the daily movement of the construction workforce will result in an intolerable impact to local residents, particularly along the 7^th Line and Highway 26 through Meaford. These impacts will include continuous heavy traffic for at least 12 hours a day, and a minimum of 6 days a week (likely at excessive speeds) along quiet roads which are only intended to carry local traffic for residents.  
• If as noted in the IPD, soil and other construction materials are moved to and from site by barge through Georgian Bay, this will result in a huge about of marine traffic in the waters of Georgian Bay, along with a very significant increase in construction traffic at what ever site TC Energy proposes for loading and off loading (possibly Owen Sound?).

Social Impacts to the local community:

• The IPD notes that construction of this facility will require an estimated workforce of 1,700, the majority of which will have to come from locations outside of the Simcoe, Grey and Bruce areas.
• Adjacent local communities of Meaford and Owen Sound are not able to effectively integrate this level of temporary workforce and as result this will have multiple negative impacts to these communities, none of which have been considered by TC Energy or the Government of Ontario.
• The local cost of living will increase dramatically due to the influx of well paid, but temporary, construction workers.
• Local services such as Georgian Bay Community School, Meaford Hospital, water and waste water treatment facilities and the Municipality of Meaford as a public organization will be totally overwhelmed by this temporary influx of construction workers and their families.
• There will be a significant increase in crime levels, abuse and other social issues for which the current community is totally ill equipped to handle.
• There will be shortage of rental accommodations, and costs for rentals will increase well beyond the means of current residents to afford, resulting in increased levels of poverty and homelessness.  
• Local businesses will struggle to find staff as many will likely be temporarily employed at the construction site .
• Traffic congestion through Meaford, both on Highway 26 and adjacent residential streets will increase to a level which is unbearable, due to the enormous amount of construction traffic to and from the site having to pass though the town   

Dam Safety and long-term durability

• The IPD refers to construction of a ring dam, using a combination of suitable excavated site soils and imported engineered fill. It does not provide any information on design, specifically how the dam will be constructed to ensure no potential for failure over the intended life span.
• Based on the limited information provided in the IPD, the height of the ring dam could be in excess of 15m above existing grade and this presents a high risk of either catastrophic or progressive failure over the intended life span of the facility
• Failure of the dam would have a catastrophic impact on the many houses below the dam with high potential for loss of life and property damage.
• No amount of engineering design, construction quality control, operational protocols, long term and ongoing maintenance are going to completely eliminate the potential for dam failure over multiple decades of operation.
• Common sense would tell you that you don't build a signficant water retaining structure (dam) directly above residential areas!

Construction Costs

• This project if constructed will cost several billions of dollars and apparently will be funded by the taxpayers of Ontario, through increased taxes and / or huge increases in domestic electrical charges.
• The proponent, TC Energy as a publicly traded for profit corporation, are essentially taking no risk in the development and construction of this project, and yet will yield profits from a facility paid for by the taxpayers of Ontario
• The enormous financial costs of this project, at no risk to TC Energy, do not justify the supposed benefit of pumped energy storage and the involvement of the taxpayers of Ontario. If TC Energy believes this is a financially viable project, they should fund it themselves!