SCRD Board of Directors:
I would like to thank those responsible for managing our water resource for the much improved handling of the outdoor water use levels this year.
It is now time to move forward. There has been much discussion of how much water we use relative to the size of our population, and solutions such as metering, siphoning, dredging the outlet of Chapman Lake and raising the dam. We should recognize that our “population” grows considerably in the summer with the return of cottagers and other tourists. The increase of market gardeners is another factor affecting water usage. Our resident population has been increasing steadily with no increase in the water reserves. It is time to stop pointing fingers and get on with solving the problem.
The ideas of dredging the outlet channel and raising the dam are poor ones in my opinion. Both would have to cause siltation in the system that we must continue to use while work proceeds. Lowering the lake level further may also affect water quality as it would likely cause water temperature to rise. A better idea would be to build a new, higher dam immediately downstream of the present structure. This could be done without impacting water quality, and when completed the present dam could be left more or less in place. I am sure some would object to having to cut down a few more trees, but there is nothing more valuable than our water. Further, the money not spent on dredging, modifying the old structure, and metering could be better spent to help fund a structure which would benefit us in the coming years.
Bob Pirie, Wilson Creek
