Water Wells First has scored a small victory in its fight to stop wind turbines in North Kent.
Ministry of Environment staff attended the site at Darrell Line on June 28 and agreed with the group that the base of the first tower was not properly capped and sealed to prevent rainwater from entering the groundwater aquifer. The Ministry has told the company to seal the steel pipe supports.
Group spokesperson Kevin Jakubec says he's glad the shoddy work has been caught to protect local groundwater resources.
"That's one of the first times we've heard that the ministry has actually done their job. Let's hope that they keep doing that," says Jakubec.
The company says it's permanently sealing the supports by using grout material and the work should be complete this week.
Jakubec says this discovery is just the tip of the iceberg and wonders how many other wind farms are improperly built. He says this might be one of the biggest water scandals since the Walkerton tragedy in 2000 when seven people died after their water supply was contaminated.
Jakubec is pleased the community's push back is starting to get the MOE's attention.
"If the community doesn't hold the company and the government accountable, then we're going to see shoddy workmanship, shoddy engineering and the people are going to pay with the loss of their aquifer," Jakubec says.
Jakubec says another problem has come to his attention and is accusing the company of using low grade steel.
"If you have a poor quality and shoddy pipe, then you're going to see cracking and the lower the quality of steel, the more likely it's going to crack," says Jakubec.