Re: “Sewage program boss given $500,000 send-off,” Aug. 1.
A work plan was approved by the Capital Regional District in March 2015 to secure a new sewage-treatment system and retain two-thirds federal and provincial funding. The plan contains several key deadlines.
The first deadline was at the end of June when the eastside and westside committees would each finalize two solution sets with specific sites defined for region-wide technical and financial assessments to be undertaken by a newly appointed independent consultant.
The eastside came up with three alternatives for a centralized Rock Bay site and other sites as mix-and-match options for a distributed treatment system. The westside needs a delay until October to give more time for consideration of additional new sites and further public consultation.
The second key deadline is at the end of September, when the detailed costing of all the treatment options will be reported and the CRD will “conditionally” approve a scheme.
The problems now are that there is a wide range of regional treatment options to be evaluated and that an independent consultant will not be appointed until late August with about one month to find his feet and complete his final report.
The schedule to retain senior government funding is driven by the need to secure all municipal zonings and approvals for all treatment locations by December.
Every member of the CRD board should know that the approved work plan cannot be achieved and that senior government funding will be lost.
What will be decided at the Aug. 12 board meeting? Make a few adjustments, press on and hope for the best. This is not the way to look after taxpayer interests.
David Langley
Victoria
