Columbia shuswap Regional District directors were unanimous in its approval of a proposed hydrology study for the Blaeberry/Donald area at the Oct. 19 board meeting in Salmon Arm.
In July, with nearly every region of B.C. experiencing severe drought, the province sent letters asking fire chiefs, chief constables and others to strastically reduce their use of water.
Electoral Area A residents were asked to cut their water consumption by 50 per cent.
Area A Director Karen Cathcart suggested a moratorium on development in the Blaeberry as there was insufficient water for existing properties.
“The letter from the province was very concerning,” she said. “The province doesn’t send letters out for nothing.”
In his report to the board, CSRD CAO John MaLean pointed out that Cathcart has been approached by residents and property owners in the Blaeberry/Donald area with concerns about the supply and demand for potable water and the impacts of future development.
“The Blaeberry/Donald area of Electoral Area A is experiencing increasing development pressures, and the property owners in the area are justifiably concerned about the supply of potable water,” wrote MacLean in his report. “A hydrology study in the area will inform decision makers in the CSRD and the province as they consider further development proposals.”
In response, the board authorized up to $50,000 from the Electoral Area A Community Works Funds for the undertaking of the hydrology study.
Staff will utilize the services of Ecoscape Environmental Services, with whom the regional district has a long-term working relationship, to develop an appropriate terms of reference/scope of work. Staff will then proceed in accordance with CSRD’s procurement process.
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