A study of the sustainability of Silver Lake class assessment

We began this project with the intention of evaluating the sustainability of the entire city of Waterloo/Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) plan entitled “A Rehabilitation Plan for Silver Lake and Laurel Creek in Waterloo Park Class Environmental Assessment” (hereby referred to as “the plan”). This plan was developed because the City of Waterloo and its citizens were concerned with the unfavorable state of Silver Lake… The aspect we decided to focus on was dredging. Dredging was selected for several reasons as it is the most expensive action involved in the Plan and because dredging Silver Lake has radiating effects on all aspects of the Laurel Creek watershed (of which Silver Lake is part). Our investigation analyses the sustainability of the process of dredging Silver Lake. The project explores sustainability from an environmental, social, economic, and political perspective. Preliminary information provided included the definition of sustainable development we used (to base our evaluation on), a history of Silver Lake and its problems, a description of the development of the Plan, and background information about dredging. After a thorough evaluation of the sustainability of dredging Silver Lake, issues surrounding implementation of the Plan (especially dredging) are presented… For full text, please e-mail sustainability@uwaterloo.ca