Hello, I am writing against…

Hello, I am writing against the HGCC's application for a permit to take water from the seven sources listed on the ERO.

- the amount they are requesting is 80 times the actual usage of two other public courses in Hamilton, one of which is a 36 hole course which is larger than is course at 27 holes.

-we are seeing the effects of climate change in Hamilton where a large percentage of young city trees did not survive the dry conditions of the last two summers.

-there is active creek restoration occurring along Ancaster Creek where the community is working hard to restore the trout and other fish populations to this unique cold water creek. Allowing the HGCC to extract 2,160,000 liters PER DAY 365 days per year would have a devastating effect of the downstream portions of the creek.

-The ERO lists the HGCC permit renewal request as a Category 3 where: "Water takings are anticipated to have the highest potential of causing unacceptable environmental impact or interference". It is unacceptable for a luxury, private gold course, which is off limits to 99% of the city population, to be able to take, virtually at no cost, a public resource like water from the groundwater and the community's Creek.

-Taking water from the ponds may be akin to taking water from the creek as they may be fed by it.

-Taking water from the wells will affect the water table.

-Hamilton is known as the city of waterfalls and Ancaster Creek flows over Sherman falls, a spectacular landmark.

-There are already stresses on the watershed with an Alberta Pension Fund -AIMCo- taking the local Conservation Authority to the Ontario Land Tribunal to appeal the CA's decision not to issue it a permit to "relocate" the headwaters of Ancaster Creek to build a 1.3 Million Sq foot warehouse. The headwaters is only a few kms upstream from the HGCC and is known locally as the Garner Marsh. You can read about the community members who are joining in the legal fight to save the marsh at the OLT at www.SaveOurStreamsHamilton.ca

-a University of Waterloo study on water use in Golf Courses states: "While concerns have been raised regarding water consumption by the Ontario golf industry, the golf industry in Ontario has never responded to these criticisms with actual water taking data to support their claims of environmental sustainability."

You can read the abstract here: https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/8472

My suggestions are that :

-a much shorter permit time period be considered as we do not know what the future holds with regard to climate change, rainfall and rising temperatures.

-greatly reduced water volumes be permitted to encourage the HGCC to line up with what other local courses are doing and to begin steps to work withing the boundaries of the changing climate.

Thank you.