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Page - 12 - Mississauga News, Wednesday, Nov. 23/94 Cawthra bush cut foes fighting to the end BY JOHN STEWART Staff Environmentalists and residents concerned about the impact of construction through Cawthra bush are mounting one last effort to silence the chain saws. A group of local residents met this week with officials from Peel Region, the Ontario Clean Water Agency and Credit Valley Conservation in an attempt to convince them not to proceed with an open cut through Cawthra Bush which will remove about 450 trees. Sheila Kuja, spokesperson for a group of technical experts who question the impact of the work on the woodlot at Cawthra Rd. and the QEW, says there was little movement from the officials. "They told us the contract was awarded and, it was not the last hour, it was the day after that" Kuja says. John Allin, assistant systems manager for the South Peel Water System, promised to respond in writing but said residents would have to convince the City of Mississauga to ask for reconsideration of the construction. That's extremely unlikely if the comments of Mayor Hazel McCallion and some city councillors during the recent municipal election are any indication. They've said they approved the project along the east side of the woodlot on the advice of environmental experts from their parks staff and the conservation authority. Kuja says the citizens are now going to make A direct appeal to individual city councillors to seek a second look at the work The environmentalists contend that there could be significant damage in the woodlot - which is designated an Area of Significant Natural Interest - if a major watermain goes through it. The Ministry of the Environment went through an extensive public review process for the work, including an environmental assessment four years ago. No major concerns were raised, notes Allin. Because of concerns from the City forester, "we hand laid-out the route" to minimize damage, Allin adds. The environmental review process included an examination of several alternatives including tunnelling of the main through the woodlot. That would have been much more expensive. The route also could have gone right up the middle of Cawthra Rd. but the cost would have been major disruption of traffic, "We look for open space or green space as another possibility" he says. The construction of the watermain "is disturbing less than five per cent of the woodlot along an edge .that's already, unfortunately, been disturbed before many years ago." The work which will begin at Atwater Ave. and move northward, will probably begin in the next two weeks.
[COMMENTS BY DON B. - ]
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