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Letter: Grafton water supply needs more protection

DEAR EDITOR: 

I am writing to you today to implore Mayor and council to stop the insanity that is happening to our supposedly protected water reservoir. Since 2017 when the council permitted the rezoning of the land surrounding the lake from Agricultural Land Reserve to combine five properties to become residential, things have gone downhill. Oh sure, we now have a $9.4 million water treatment plant in which some land was donated. But that’s a very small offering for a massive 121 housing project right beside our drinking water. Normally a developer would have to pony up for something impressive like a large public pool for the generosity of the Mayor and council. Which is what should have happened to keep everyone and their dog out of the area. It’s not supposed to be a public lake, yet if you Google “Grafton Lake” it says nothing about it being a drinking water reservoir; just about the fishing!

Who is this benefitting besides the Rennison family and Primex Investments? They get to sell expensive lots with water access to our protected water supply...with a trail circling the watershed; also supposedly protected.

When I contacted public works to get some answers I was shocked to hear that there are no signs explaining the lake is off limits because the land around the lake is private. She then said that now that we have a treatment plant “we are not worried about a few swimmers in the lake”.  What?

A few comparisons were offered where other Gulf Islands have recreational lakes used for potable water supplies.

Well I’m sure if they could all go back in time, they would have done a better job of keeping their water supply pristine.

I implore the Bowen community to voice your concern as to the development going on right now under your noses. You can’t stop it but you can tell the Mayor and council there needs to be floating signage telling people to keep out of the lake and that it is a protected water supply.

And that needs to be enforced daily.

Failing that; maybe it’s time for a referendum to evaluate if Bowen Island really does need a municipal government; since their only real benefit seems to be to help the developers.

Gregory Pollard