Halt all development until water supply proven
According to the Check TV report June 6/22, Brian Dennison, special projects manager of the CVRD says, “water first” regarding future development.
The Ministry of Forests is now in charge of managing ground water extraction in B.C. Developers must have a water licence before land development can be approved in the CVRD. Getting a water licence can take upwards of two years.
Shawnigan Lake/Creek, Koksilah River, Cowichan Lake/River, Chemainus River and Stocking Lake Creek have been declared, “fully allocated” meaning no further water can be drawn.
As a result of these findings the CVRD has no choice but to put a halt to development until sources of water can be proven to be reliable.
North Cowichan is within the overall CVRD water management area. These new regulations must affect any further development permit approvals in the Municipality of North Cowichan.
I call on the North Cowichan municipal council to halt all pending and future development permit approvals, in light of these very important findings. Our community cannot continue to develop before sustainable water supply is proven.
I, personally, have been asking for a water capacity study for years. Finally my requests may mean something to those who make the decisions in our community and those who will make them in the future.
As Brian Dennison said in the interview, “You can’t just hope, you have to know.”
Bryan Senft
North Cowichan