A logging road being built through part of the Gibsons Aquifer recharge area is causing concern for Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF).
BC Timber Sales (BCTS) has already started to build the road, but they are doing so with the Town’s blessing, chief administrative officer Emanuel Machado confirmed.
“The Town is aware that there is logging activity in the recharge area,” Machado said. “We’ve been working with BC Timber Sales for the last couple of years, at least, to make them aware of the location of the recharge area in light of our findings with the aquifer mapping study.”
ELF is outraged that there was no public consultation over this project.
“BCTS proceeding with this road building at public expense, in the heat of the summer, before consultation with the community affected has been completed and properly considered makes a mockery out of the democratic process,” Hans Penner of ELF stated in a press release. “Residents of Gibsons should be up in arms against this affront to their drinking watershed, and BCTS should be ashamed of themselves for this behaviour.”
Machado said the Town is satisfied that BCTS has been made aware of their concerns over the aquifer.
“We’ve held regular meetings with the Ministry of Forests and BC Timber Sales … to make them aware of our concerns there,” Machado said. “And we’ve been working with them on higher levels of protection for that area within provincial policy.”
ELF president Ross Muirhead said the group would like to review some of the assessments made by BCTS, including the hydrological survey and terrain stability analysis, “and ascertaining that they’re not missing some of the hazards or risks associated with the road building and logging.”
