A
week ago CHBC TV in the Okanagan ran a story (Passionate pleas to
save Marshall Lake)
on a group of people in Greenwood, that are desperately trying to save
one of the few lakes in their area
 |
| Marshall Lake Stewardship Group working to save lake |
The
story indicated that:
The province wants to decommission the structure
over concerns about the dam’s structural safety, the possible consequences to
Greenwood should it fail and the liability of the government. Removing the dam would reduce the lake to about
one-third of its current size which would markedly affect its recreation and
water storage values.
It
also quoted Christopher Stevenson, of the Marshall Lake Stewardship Group, who
stated, “It is a move that will
permanently destroy much of the value of Marshall Lake, a highly valued
recreation site.
“Don’t take out our dam. Let the lake be the
way it is. Take care of the dam. Upgrade and maintain it as a provincial asset
and let us have our lake,” said Stevenson.
In
several conversations I have had with Christopher he has let me know more about
the possible decommissioning of the dam on Marshall Lake, and what it means to
the people in this region.
Just so you know -
there is an economic component to this -- we have few lakes here. Marshall Lake
is part of a recreation / wilderness complex that is well used, and has great
potential for tourism and local use. We
don't have the lakes that the Okanagan and Kootenay’s do; which is why we need
every one we have.
Marshall Lake is
used year round by recreationalist and outdoors people. This is not just
environmental; we’re trying to build our tourism here as well. Meantime the government
is looking at legal aspects, and trying to find loopholes.
The private owners
are being unfairly hit as they will lose their lakefront – it will ruin their
property for at least two years, and permanently in many ways, which will
result in a loss of value. It will also
ruin the BC Forest Recreation campsite.
There has also been
no environmental assessment, and no inundation (flood) study.
They should be
ashamed to be picking on rural BC again.
There are so many things to base a case against them on … environment,
economic, private property rights, rural BC.
