Most respondents in the public engagement process opposed the Tetrahedron Park boundary amendment and an increased drawdown of Chapman Lake
(By News Desk)
George Heyman, provincial Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, is not prepared to move forward with a park boundary amendment in Tetrahedron Provincial Park. This means the proposed Chapman Lake expansion project in the park cannot proceed.
As part of its long-term drinking water strategy, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) was proposing that permanent piping be installed in Chapman Lake, as well as increasing the allowable drawdown of the lake.
Chapman Lake supplies drinking water to 90 per cent of Sunshine Coast residents in the regional water service area.
BC Parks held consultations with the public and First Nations in the spring of 2018. Most respondents were opposed to a boundary adjustment or park re-designation and preferred the status quo.
More work is required by the SCRD to revise its comprehensive regional water plan to significantly reduce or eliminate the dependence on Chapman Lake as a source for additional water supply before a park boundary can be considered, the press release from the ministry says.
The ministry encourages the SCRD to continue researching alternative solutions beyond the use of Chapman Lake to improve the existing water supply system.
Under certain conditions, such as Stage-4 water restrictions during drought, the regional district will still be able to apply for temporary emergency amendments to employ a siphon system as it has done in recent years.
During the public engagement process in May 2018, BC Parks offered three options:
— Re-designate the entire Tetrahedron Park from a Class A park to a protected area;
— Re-designate a portion of Tetrahedron Park to a protected area, and maintain Class A park status on the rest of the park;
—Re-designate the entire Tetrahedron Park as a conservancy.
The public could also bring forward other options.
Most people who participated in the process preferred a fourth option: no change to Tetrahedron Park’s boundary or designation, maintaining the existing Class A designation.
This status quo option would prohibit the ministry from considering the SCRD’s application to allow further draw-down from Chapman Lake.
The majority of the respondents felt that none of the options presented by BC Parks addressed the root problems related to community water supply and therefore preferred to maintain the status quo, the ministry says.
Many also expressed concern that future provincial governments would view proposed changes to park boundaries as a precedent, or license, to change the boundaries of other protected areas.