Hatchery not budging
Image: Contributed
The Summerland Fish Hatchery is reiterating its demand for more information from the developers behind a controversial 389-unit seniors development being proposed for Banks Crescent.
In a letter to the District of Summerland on June 30, hatchery manager Kyle Girgan said their opposition to the project will continue until they are shown the details of the infrastructure the Lark Group plans “to deliver Okanagan Lake water to the hatchery at the quantity and quality currently available from our existing groundwater source.”
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. has been asking for a contingency water source for the Summerland hatchery before signing off on the project, with the developer recently focusing on pulling treated water from Okanagan Lake.
In a letter the week prior, Lark Group project manager Malek Tawashy stated detailed engineering on the intake would begin once the rezoning process was complete. He also pointed out that a UV system could kill nearly any bacteria in the water pulled from Okanagan Lake, which the hatchery voiced concern about last month.
But in order for the deep water intake to move forward, the District of Summerland would have to support the use of their unused Okanagan Lake water license, which the Lark Group claims “will result in a District—owned and operated piece of water—works infrastructure paid for by the developer.”
The provincial government administers water licenses for Okanagan Lake, and it’s not clear what stage negotiations between the Ministry and District of Summerland are at, with both the developer and hatchery appearing to be in the dark.
Girgan also questioned the credentials of the developer’s consultants in his June 30 letter.
“We cannot make informed decisions regarding next steps based on Lark Group statements like ‘we believe,’” he wrote.
Tawashy responded on July 5 by stating the firms Lark has contracted, Ecoscape Environmental and Larratt Aquatic, have over 52 years of combined experience on Okanagan Lake
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