A group of Beaver Valley ratepayers wants to see their area included in the local Source Water Protection Committee's study mandate.

A small delegation of ratepayers from the Bowles Bluff area attended the regular meeting of Grey Highlands council on June 14 to request support for their attempts to get Bowles Bluff elevated to a full study area for the Source Water Protection committee. Tom Armstrong spoke to council about the issue.

The Source Water Protection Committee is currently developing terms of reference to fulfill its provincial mandate to study local sources of ground water. The terms of reference are to be finished by the end of July.

Armstrong asked council to support a resolution asking the committee to give the Bowles Bluff area an "elevated" study status that will let the committee study water issues in that area of Grey Highlands.

Armstrong's committee has previously asked the Grey Highlands Planning committee to support this request, but the Planning committee decided to take no action on the matter. On Monday morning, Armstrong appealed directly to council.

"I know council has reluctance to approve the request to put the Beaver Valley area on the elevated status because funding is not guaranteed for elevated status areas," said Armstrong, who told council in his opinion the provincial government would make funding available once it knew how many elevated study areas were going to exist across the province.

"We have never had anybody tell us our concerns aren't legitimate. Right now we can't even find out the facts. I can't imagine anybody would be opposed to finding out all the facts," said Armstrong.

Water quality and quantity issues have existed for some time in the Bowles Bluff area. Resources to study the problems have been few and far between.

"Elevated status allows our area to be put into the Terms of Reference for the committee. It allows them to study the area and make recommendations. We're not the experts on this. (The Source Water Protection committee) has all the technical skills to do the job," said Armstrong.

Council was reluctant to support the request of the ratepayers because the province has made no indication who will be responsible for the Source Water Protection committee's recommendations once they're finished a few years down the line.

"Our biggest concern is the funding. Who is responsible? How can we proceed if we don't know that our ratepayers won't end up on the hook for this," asked Deputy Mayor Dave Fawcett.

Mayor Brian Mullin also pointed out that council might face pressure from other areas of the municipality to request "elevated" status for them if they approved the request from the Bowles Bluff residents.

"It would be due diligence to look at other areas of our municipality," said Mullin.

Council debated the issue later in the meeting and voted in favour of asking that the Bowles Bluff area be given elevated status, provided the provincial government gives finding for whatever recommendations might come out of the upgraded status level.