Dear editor,
Many of us love Baynes Sound (BS) and we should, for it is vital for our local economy, recreation and the overall well being of our natural environment.
The CVRD has identified it as the number-one favoured option for discharging sewage because it is easy and cheap.
Not only will the sewage from Royston and Union Bay be discharged into Baynes Sound, but Cumberland as well, including any future mega-developments such as Kensington. Normally a sewage discharge location is picked because it has “open waters” and the current necessary to quickly dissipate and transport the effluent away. Baynes Sound (according to the 2003 Carrying Capacity Study) takes three days for a complete exchange of water with the north end, (where the discharge will be located) taking up to three times longer for complete removal of the tracer.
Combine this with the fact that there are no treatments available that will remove pharmaceuticals, personal care products and microplastics, all of which bio-accumulate and work their way up the food chain. Baynes Sound has recently been identified as a “hot spot” for microplastics, which, after three days’ exposure, can be found in the flesh of shellfish. To add more contaminants to Baynes Sound could mean an end to the shellfish industry and who wants to swim and play in sewer soup?
By the end of February, the CVRD will be tallying up the public comments and making a decision shortly after, so for the love of B.S. please ask the CVRD to remove Option A-discharge to Baynes Sound from its list. Email southsewer@comoxvalleyrd.ca or call 250 871-6100 or visit the website for more information and to fill out the comment sheet.
Edina Johnston
Denman Island
