Editor's Note: We didn't have the room on our editorial pages for Jim's letter in this week's newspaper, so we have printed it in full on our webpage.
Proposed Riparian Bylaw for Lac La Biche County
Our Council and administration's process for this bylaw has been extremely flawed, commencing with a bylaw prior to identifying our lake's water quality and pollutants in our county and their origins. But before I identify these issues I must regress to our existing provincial legislation in The Public Lands Act.
Piers, Docks and Boat Lifts
-a temporary, seasonal pier, dock or boat lift (ie: removal completely from the LAKE at the end of summer) may be constructed or placed on the bed and shore of a LAKE, without obtaining an approval, except in those areas or circumstances:
- where an environmentally SENSITIVE area or a management concern is identified by the provincial or federal government, and restrictions have been established NOTE- This has not been identified for our lake shores by any level of government.
- where a local or municipal development plan, a lake management plan, or a water management plan limits or restricts such areas NOTE: Lac La Biche County has NEVER developed any of the above mentioned plans for any of our waterways with the exception of new lake shore developments.
- where a proposed STRUCTURE's design may interfere with the normal flow of water or is likely to increase the PROBABILITY of a bank or shoreline erosion; or
- where such structures may adversely block public access along the bed or shore of the lake NOTE: There are no structures or built barriers along any lake shore that would impede public access.
Lac La Biche County has never developed or paid for a scientific consultation and evaluation of a Lake Management Plan, or a Watershed Management Plan, has NEVER conducted a SCIENTIFIC Watershed Basin evaluation to determine a BASELINE of pre-development area water quality, to establish sources of nutrients in the major water bodies, identify and prioritize the highest nutrient loading for remediation and determine a performance indicator for performance monitoring.
IE: Beaver Lake is at the top of the Athabasca Divide. Due to the past 30 years of dry climate conditions, the lake level has declined over 11 feet in depth. The peak lake level recorded was in 1976. Since then the lake has continued it's decline. The lake level is now below the outflow level of Beaver River and has been for more than 20 years. Thus with no outflow, the water in Beaver lake has has become concentrated with naturally occurring salts.
- How does increased salinity affect water quality and aquatic habitat?
Today, no one on council or in our administration has an answer to this question because it has never been investigated. Yet, we now continue down this ridiculous path of implementing Riparian Use By Laws without any scientifically qualified evidence or information!!
Please stop pitting your residents against each other and implementing this incredibly divisive bylaw until we first address a Water Quality and Pollutant review and a Watershed Management Plan that can be used to educate residents instead of penalizing and polarizing them.
I am a Beaver Lake waterfront property owner proud of our community and you must consider setting this bylaw aside until a complete assessment of the above has been completed.
Regards,
Jim Baumgartner
