Re: “In the sludge of despond over sewage,” April 21.
Iain Hunter wrote of the Capital Regional District’s ongoing work to build modern sewage treatment for Greater Victoria in his recent column. He derides the directors of the CRD, all of whom are mayors and councillors elected by area residents, as uncaring, unintelligent machines seemingly irresponsibly foisting a “mega-project” upon the citizens without reason or investigation.
Hunter writes: “Chris Corp, a champion of green building, told a public forum in Victoria last week that big is not necessarily better. He wrote a report for the provincial government in 2007 that advocated using small sewage-treatment plants at scattered sites to produce marketable water, heat and fuel from sewage.”
Hunter states: “Such a common-sense solution, though, isn’t to be entertained by the CRD.” In fact, these ideas were investigated, thoroughly.
Anyone can access the 69-page study of various decentralized (or “distributed”) systems, and of numerous resource-recovery options at the CRD website (wastewatermadeclear.ca).
But these realities are not mentioned by Hunter. Groups opposed to any sewage-treatment facilities for Victoria have posted copies of Hunter’s column on their websites, apparently as validation of their views. Others, running for elected office, repeat these incorrect statements to audiences as if they were true.
Already, apathy and disengagement in public affairs is a serious problem, and this type of misrepresentation only serves to justify those attitudes.
Can’t we do better than this?
Tyler Ahlgren
Victoria