By Steve Hubrecht
Invermere officials met with their provincial counterparts during the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention earlier this fall, seeking help with two water-related issues: options to help fund further culvert upgrades on Abel Creek, and this summer’s Lake Windermere Ambassadors (LWA) recreational carrying capacity report on the lake.
The report raised concerns about the impact of power-boating and wake-surfing on the lake, particularly during busy summer weekends. On the other side of the issue, the Columbia Valley Boating Association has voiced concerns about watercraft restrictions on the lake, saying that boating is part of the local tourist economy.
B.C. Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship (WLRS) deputy minister Lori Hall suggested Invermere reach out to the City of Chilliwack to learn how that municipality is dealing with boat traffic on heavily-used Cultus Lake. Ministry officials also offered to send a list of potential funding sources to help Invermere pay for its efforts to tackle the issue.
“We brought it up as a concern,” said Invermere mayor Al Miller last week. “We have a couple sides fighting on this issue, it’s no secret. We don’t want to say one way or the other what is right or what is wrong. But we do want to do what we can to look after the lake.”
The discussion at UBCM was an attempt to bring the issue to the attention of higher levels of government, said Miller, particularly since Lake Windermere is under overlapping jurisdiction of several different branches of the provincial and federal governments, and not under jurisdiction of the District of Invermere.
“It really is their issue (the federal and provincial government),” said Miller.
The Abel Creek culvert became a big issue last year when the district replaced it under federal ministerial order at a cost of $700,000. The culvert was more expensive than other similar sized culverts in part because Abel Creek is spawning habitat for Kokanee salmon, and extra environmental monitoring and geotechnical testing was needed. The district diverted money from its paving budget to pay for the work.
“There are still more culverts to be done (on Abel Creek),” said Miller. “We don’t want to be caught in a similar situation again, with a tight timeline and no money to pay for the project.”
During the meeting at UBCM, WLRS advised Miller about several funding options the district can pursue to help pay for future culvert work on Abel Creek, including the B.C. Community Preparedness Fund and the B.C. Watershed Restoration Fund.
