Plans are in place to clear a section of trees just north of 6th Avenue in Peachland.
The district’s director of operations Shawn Grundy said the trees are being cleared so crews can dig in the area and install a water main for the Trepanier Interconnect project, which will allow filtered water from the treatment plant to reach all properties in the district.
But several residents in the area opposed where the cutline is planned to be. In a presentation to the council on Tuesday, June 23, Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance (PWPA) member John Youngblut said they were concerned as the project will remove a large number of mature and semi-mature Interior Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pinetrees from the area.
“It appears approximately 85 trees will be removed within this corridor,” he said.
“We respectfully request that the district revisit the current plan to install the water main within the current staked corridor at the park area. We propose that the corridor be relocated approximately seven metres to the north of the current corridor.”
He added 6th Avenue residents felt they didn’t have information about the project as there was no public consultation.
Another resident, Louise Williams, said about 39 other residents signed a petition she passed around that asked the district to reconsider the water main’s proposed location.
“(The 6th Avenue park) is the only wild green area that we have,” she said in her presentation. In a letter to the council, she wrote that many residents walk, jog or watch the birds in the area.
Grundy said the current path was chosen because putting the water main in that area of the park means less disruption on the road.
“Putting that line into the road, into a paved section, it’s far more expensive to restore those base gravel and put the asphalt back in… there’s less disruption to traffic for the folks in the area,” he said.
He added that the planned location will also avoid fragmentation as the water main will run parallel to an existing gas line.
Grundy said the project will only take down trees if they really have to and will restore them where they can to ensure no bird habitat is lost.
Mayor Cindy Fortin said it’s always a difficult decision when it comes to greenspaces.
“It’s sad to see trees come down… so I do understand how you feel. The Trepanier Interconnect though has been in the plans for some time… we want to be able to provide all the residents with clean, healthy, safe drinking water. That’s our ultimate goal,” she said.
“We have to be able to provide this water in the best way we can, and we can’t exclude a third of the town and just give two-thirds of the town access to the new water treatment plant.”
Council members did agree that in the future, they will arrange for public consultation first before moving forward with projects such as the current one so residents receive the information they need instead of feeling left in the dark.
The presentation was received for information and further planning on the project will proceed as planned.
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