Petition urges GRCA to set safety example on Grand River

Residents are petitioning the Grand River Conservation Authority for enhanced safety measures on the Grand River following the drowning deaths of two women in July.

They want to see signs installed along the waterway with warnings about unseen dangers.

“It’s not consistent all the way down the river,” explained Amy Haertel, who knew one of the women who died.

She called the signs around GRCA-owned dams exceptional, and she want the water management agency to set an example for other dam owners along the Grand River.

“[To] help in getting that signage to the people before they get into the water, and that can be part of their educational campaigns,” said Haertel.

At their latest board meeting, the GRCA said they’re not responsible for signs along the Grand River.

“The regulatory body for signage around dams, on navigable waters, is Transport Canada. When you’re putting up signs, booms [and] buoys you need approval from Transport Canada’.

Some of the other suggestions made by delegates include:

• QR codes on signage
• Making sure signs are visible
• Colour coding signs to highlight dangerous conditions
• Changing the colour of the buoys to orange, or have more of them
• Data collection

Haertel also wants to see better education around entry points.

Board members said the GRCA does what they can to ensure signs are visible to people using the Grand River.

“We do complete inspections either weekly, or more frequently, at our dams. Staff are out there to confirm that the signs are still in place and that the safety measures are still in place.”

According to the GRCA, there are over 100 dams within the Grand River watershed and only 30 are owned by the conservation authority.

“I think we would be remiss as a board, as an organization, if we didn’t do what we could,” said one board member.

Haertel also plans to share her concerns at the upcoming Region of Waterloo council meeting.

“We’re really focused on the immediate maintenance around the Hidden Valley dam because it’s so minimal and they own that dam, they are responsible for that dam,” Haertel said.

The Grand River weir in Kitchener on July 26, 2024. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

The GRCA has promised to follow up with a report.

CTV News reached out to Transport Canada for comment but have not yet received a response.