April 05, 2008 by Woolwich Observer

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The Observer | Saturday, April 05, 2008

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»20 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 14

SATURDAY, APRIL 05, 2008

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Township keeps its head above water STEVE KANNON

See CRASH »09

See WATER »02

PHOTO | PAT MERLIHAN

in shock,” said MacKrell, a branch manager at Elmira Bus Lines. “She was very, very fortunate; there were some angels around her that’s for sure because when you looked in her car you couldn’t see the driver’s seat, the roof was totally collapsed and all you could see was the steering wheel,” said MacKrell. The intersection was closed for approximately three hours as police investigated the scene and the

Thousands of tests of Woolwich’s drinking water revealed only a handful of incidents last year, all for lower-than-standard chlorine levels. The minor non-compliance issues were resolved simply by flushing the affected areas with freshly chlorinated water. The numbers reported to township council this week show the township is right in line with changes to provincial legislation in the post-Walkerton era. Woolwich crews test eight water systems daily. Their work is backed up by regular testing by Region of Waterloo technicians. It all adds up to more than $100,000 a year, three times as much as expenditures before the fallout from the May 2000 E. coli breakout in Walkerton. Onerous new rules under Bill 195 (the Safe Drinking Water Act), still evolving, have meant more work for the township to maintain compliance, said manager of engineering operations Rod Kruger. Last year, there were four occurrences in the Elmira/St. Jacobs system, and one each in Breslau, Heidelberg, Maryhill and Maryhill Heights. Systems in Conestogo, which has two, and West Montrose had no occurrences. Two of the occurrences in Elmira were related to reconstruction work on Riverside Drive, where residents had temporary water feeds in place

SERIOUS CRASH Despite being extricated from her demolished vehicle with the Jaws of Life, the driver did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. The collision occurred at South Field Drive and Union Street in Elmira, Apr. 2.

Elmira woman survives collision MARC MIQUEL HELSEN An Elmira woman came away relatively unscathed from a gruesome-looking collision between her car and a tractor-trailer Wednesday morning in Elmira. She was extricated from the Toyota Matrix by dozens of emergency personnel using the Jaws of Life, as an air ambulance waited nearby. However, once she was free of the vehicle it became clear the 31-year-old victim had

suffered non-life threatening injuries; she was transported by land ambulance to Grand River Hospital. “It sounds like she’s going to be in the hospital for a while, but certainly is lucky to be alive,” said Sgt. Merv Knechtel of Division 3A of the Waterloo regional police. The collision occurred at approximately 10:43 a.m. when a truck, northbound on Union Street, failed to obey a stop sign at South Field Drive as it approached

the intersection. The driver of the Matrix, eastbound on South Field, subsequently slammed into the trailer portion broadside, becoming wedged as it pushed the truck toward a ditch. Loretto MacKrell, an employee of a nearby business, saw part of the collision develop and called 911. “I saw the car coming down, I saw the transport and I knew there was going to be a collision and then all I heard was bang and then drag and I was, ‘Oh, my God.’ You’re

1661 New Jerusalem Rd. | 519.664.0404

You may have seen Ken at Blue Bird boxes around your neighborhood. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring nature to your yard.

Saturday, April 12th 10:00am Call 519-664-0404 to reserve a seat.