I think the point is made in the headline, but here are also some possible, future what ifs for you to consider:
- In the next few years, the Enerdu team or an outside power generator turns their thoughts, hands and pocket books towards the power-generating power of the falls at Blakeney and those near the Five Span Bridge in Pakenham?
- Wouldn’t the uproar across Mississippi Mills be deafening?
- Would there be folks who thought: “Hey, we need more green power, we can’t stop progress, we don’t mind one company benefitting from our collective loss of natural heritage. Let’s set up an Advisory Committee to oversee the damage and construction?”
- What measures – extreme or hasty – would Council take to protect the natural heritage landscapes and beauty of these falls?
Get it?
If Blakeney or Pakenham riverscapes were threatened, wouldn’t a moratorium on construction in the river be considered the way to preserve natural heritage landscapes until other protections came along?
But seriously now folks…
The Mississippi River’s cascading falls and natural beauty can not be re-designed by any committee, if it’s taken away in dump trucks and lost behind fences. A much taller concrete and hydraulic dam in the place of Almonte’s current weir, cascading falls and swimming bubble? No, thank you.
The natural heritage of the current riverscape needs protection: First with the moratorium on construction and THEN by incorporating serious guidelines that protect the river within the Heritage Conservation District. (And, then we need to start a process to protect the Blakeney and Pakenham falls – I’m not kidding! – I hope my fellow councillors will agree.)