Editor:
The shíshálh Nation has received a federal government grant for $117M to construct two reservoirs to meet our domestic water requirement for the next 50 years. Who determined that two new reservoirs is the best solution? Why are changes to the existing Chapman reservoir not being considered as a solution? There must have been a study done, including a design and an estimate of the cost to select the two reservoir solution. We haven’t heard anything about a study. Where’s the transparency? I can’t believe the government would approve a $117M grant request without a detailed presentation. Or would they?
The Coast Reporter indicated the grant was for 800,000 and 1,500,000 cubic metre (m3) reservoirs. Raising the Chapman Lake by less than two metres would provide an additional 1,000,000 m3 and making the siphon permanent another 2,000,000 m3. That’s a total capacity increase of 3,000,000 m3, 700,000 m3 more that the two-reservoir solution. Modifying the Chapman Lake storage system will be tens of millions of dollars cheaper than two new reservoirs. The water coming into Chapman Lake is free, the water coming out of the new reservoirs will be at a price that SCRD will have to pay each and every year. The unidentified environmental concerns raised to modifying the Chapman system surely can’t override the savings from increasing the capacity of Chapman Lake as opposed to two new reservoirs, and the savings each year from not having to purchase water from those reservoirs.
There needs to be more thought put into how we spend our tax dollars. We need to see all the information on the table and have an open discussion to get the most cost effective and justifiable solution.
Dennis Burnham, Garden Bay
