Tree clearing along Welland River ‘disgrace’
Debris was left behind after hydro work
The condition a portion of the Welland River shoreline has been left in after Welland Hydro recently cleared several dead ash trees is “deflating,” says Doug Todd, a local resident who has spent the last 25 years living along the waterway.
A couple of weeks ago, the utility company conducted work to protect its infrastructure in the hydro corridor between Prince Charles Drive and Niagara Street, but Todd feels a buffer zone should have been left to prevent litter and the aftermath of leftover foliage from entering the water.
concerned about its appearance, calling it a “disgusting mess,” but also about the safety of boaters and also the amount of debris that eventually makes its way to the nearby aqueduct.
Todd says he tries to “keep an eye on the river” and bring attention to issues related to it.
He wants Welland Hydro to provide a further explanation on its plans to make the site off Fitch Street more presentable and also consider a formal recommendation on how future work would unfold.
“There’s a complete lack of environmental policy when working next to a natural watercourse,” he said at the property on Saturday.
“Now, all this crap is going to be blown into the river,” he said, picking up broken branches and water bottles. There should have been a buffer zone. This is a disgrace,” he said.
Wayne Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Welland Hydro, said trees needed to be removed from the approximately 60-foot-wide section of
shoreline because many of them had already perished as a result of the emerald ash borer, a woodboring beetle that made its way to North America from Asia a few years ago and has been wreaking havoc on ash trees since.
“There was no other choice for us to remove those trees,” he said.
A natural barrier along the water’s edge hasn’t been eliminated as a possibility either.
“We appreciate his concerns and we will look at whether we can consider a buffer zone, but it won’t be that large,” said Armstrong, who has been in contact with Todd over the issue in recent weeks.
But if safety of hydro staff and their ability to access infrastructure in the area could be affected, it’s likely it won’t happen.
“We have to make sure it doesn’t impact the equipment or anyone that’s traversing in there,” said Armstrong.