Three seniors with no history of environmental activism are among those facing mischief charges stemming from an alleged blocking of access to the controversial Site 41 dump in Tiny Township north of Barrie.

All are area residents.

Keith Wood, 82, Ina Wood, 76 and Barb Hunt, 69, are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Midland on Oct. 8.

"And I did it with strong feelings in my stomach, because I believe it is not right," Ina said reading a statement, surrounded by about 100 supporters in Midland. "Neither my husband nor myself have taken a strong stand on anything before. However, I feel that water is too important to be taken for granted."

Hunt told reporters after emerging, "I felt very strongly about the whole issue, about protecting our water -- for our generation and future generations."

Police later announced charges against another senior and a 39-year-old woman, both residents of Springwater Township.

They identifed Robert Ritchie, 67, as being charged with one count of mischief. They did not name the woman, but did say she is also facing a mischief charge.

Late Thursday evening, the OPP announced two more people had been charged: A 54-year-old male from Ottawa and Gavin Jamieson, 20, of Christian Island.

The 54-year-old is being held in custody pending a bail hearing in Barrie on Friday, police said.

No allegations against the seven have been proven in a court of law.

" The OPP recoginzes the fundamental rights of all Canadians to freedom of thought, belief, opinion, expression and peaceful assembly.  Persons exercising these rights should be aware that the deliberate blocking of roadways and access to property may result in criminal charges," the provincial police said Thursday in a news release.

"The role of the OPP is to continue to preserve the peace, maintain public safety and investigate criminal wrongdoing, in accordance with legislated responsibilities and not to resolve land use disputes."

Tiny Township is home to one of the world's purest sources of fresh water. It has unusually low levels of trace metals.

The Site 41 dump, selected in the mid-1980s, is to be built over top of that water.

The province has given the dump site its blessing, but Ontario's environment commissioner has expressed concerns.

Gord Miller told the Globe and Mail in a May 4 article that he doesn't think the dump would be approved today, given how waterlogged the site is.

Even then, its approval in 1990 came about after an unusual cabinet move by the Liberal government of the day.

Activist Maude Barlow, a water advisor to the United Nations and head of the Council of Canadians, has vowed to sit in front of bulldozers if necessary. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also wants the dump cancelled.

Jim Downer, mayor of Midland, counts himself  as an opponent.

The County of Simcoe vote 16-15 to proceed with construction in a June 2007 vote.

Protesters have been active at Site 41 since mid-July, trying to stop construction workers from entering the partly-constructed dump.

In late July, the County of Simcoe got a temporary injunction to stop protesters from blockading the entrances and to require them to occupy property across the road.