Maintaining proper drainage in the Holland Marsh requires municipal cash to flow.
Council approved the Holland Marsh Joint Municipal Service Board’s (HMJMSB) request for Bradford to contribute $355,863 next year, as explained in a presentation on the board’s draft 2024 budget by Frank Jonkman, drainage superintendent for both the board and the town, during the regular meeting of council on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
The board is also asking King Township to provide $412,373, with $160,363 expected to come from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the remaining $15,078, to come from unspecified other sources to cover the total expected budget of $943,677.
That funding is intended to help the board ensure the necessary maintenance work is carried out each year on the eight pumping stations and 56 drains throughout the Holland Marsh to keep the drainage system functioning.
This work generally consists of removing sediment, shaping of banks, repairs and preservation of the berms/dykes, removal of trees and debris throughout the system as well as monitoring pumping station activities and perimeter channels.
Three pumping stations work to control the water levels inside the Holland Marsh by pumping water out in times of spring runoff and heavy rainfall, and two of the stations are also utilized as inlets to increase water levels from the perimeter canals, which are supplemented by the Zweep Inlet.
In 2024, the board expects to spend $50,000 for engineering on each of three projects:
- King Drain 16
- Section 76 property levy schedule
- Professor Day pumphouse replacement
In 2024, the board expects to spend a total of $72,500 for work maintaining drains within Bradford, including:
- Cullingham — $7,500
- Duga — $5,000
- Horlings — $15,000
- Morris Road — $45,000
They also expect to spend $60,000 for work on drains in King.
According to Jonkman, the work in both municipalities is mostly sediment removal, the cost of which varies based on the length of the drain, but as much as 33 per cent of those costs are expected to be covered by grants.
The ongoing cost of maintenance to the pumping stations, main drain (West Holland River) and perimeter canals increase by $117,500 over the 2023 budget, bringing it to $411,700, which Jonkman attributed to inflationary pressures.
As much as 33 per cent of that cost is also expected to be covered by grants.
The $160,000 cost of administrative staff, legal fees, administrative costs and equipment are split equally by the two towns and the $86,440 salary for the drainage superintendent is expected to be covered by as much as 50 per cent by OMAFRA, with the remainder split equally between the two towns.
The draft 2024 budget is down from 2023 when the board budgeted $1,398,640, but only spent $732,761, but up from 2022 when the board budgeted $737,325 but only spent $435,648.
When asked about the discrepancy, Jonkman explained that in those years, delays in permit approvals prevented some work from being done despite the costs having already been budgeted.
Council approved the draft budget without discussion.
The board was created in 2007 by Bradford West Gwillimbury and King Township as a separate corporate entity responsible for fulfilling both municipalities’ responsibilities related to the Holland Marsh and other municipal drains under the Drainage Act.
The board is composed of nine voting members including elected officials from both towns as well as appointees actively farming in the marsh.
For more information about the board, visit: www.hollandmarsh.org/Home/Board.
