The RDN board is proposing a high density strata plan to be considered the Deep Bay Village core. A strata is often a gated community with private roads, private or inaccessible parks and a private community septic system.
This strata requires an advanced wastewater treatment system for 386 residential units and 292 RVs. An RV waste tank can hold a week’s worth of waste that could be dumped at the RV resort for a one night stay.
The RDN board is challenging residents to decide on accepting a pre-designed high density stata for the Deep Bay village centre with insufficient information on the necessary strata septic system.
The developers plan is to pump effluent through a drain field over the unconfined aquifer (Lot C). The publicly owned water supplier, the Deep Bay Improvement District, uses this aquifer to provide drinking water to more than 1,500 residents.
Currently this aquifer water supply is very pure, without the need for filtration or chlorination. Pharmaceuticals and many other chemicals are not normally tested for in water because of cost and lack of current regulations. No filtration system currently available can remove them all. Some chemicals are persistent in soil and water. Most recharge in this Quadra Sands aquifer occurs in a matter of weeks to months following precipitation.
Recharge flow rates indicate that fluids from Lot C would likely take two years or less to leach into the Baynes Sound Shellfish area; and much less time to be pumped into the water supply system.
The RDN board obviously did not consider this detail important in the decision making process they deferred to residents.
Residents must now decide the fate of this RDN proposed Deep Bay (Strata) Village Centre Plan.
This land came out of ALR only a few years ago.
Current zoning (two hectare lots) allows about 32 residential lots is supported by the OCP. Stick with the OCP plan!
Let them know your opinion at the RDN’s Rural Village Centre Study, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13 at the Lighthouse Community Hall.
Dianne Eddy
Deep Bay
