01/24/2026
This is a MUST read for anyone in Region of Waterloo. We need to support our neighbours in the urban and rural areas.
This is one more reason that the Wilmot Land Grab makes no sense for our Region.
"Last summer, during a routine check, the Region of Waterloo discovered one of the main aquifers under the Waterloo Moraine was low. It is one of the stated reasons the region imposed a building freeze as it can’t meet the increasing demands for water. The low aquifer is known as AFB2, and it is among the biggest under the sand and gravel hills that make up the moraine.
The aquifer recharge system, which sees the Mannheim water treatment plant take water out of the Grand River, treat it and pump it into the aquifers, has not been working properly for years. A Region of Waterloo report that says groundwater was pumped at unsustainable levels during 2023 and 2024. The same is expected for 2025 when the final numbers are in.
“I thought they would have communicated this a lot sooner,” said Lernout in an interview. “It is unreal, my brain is still computing the extent of this.”
Terry Pender, Waterloo Region Record, January 23, 2026