It’s the stuff of nightmares for Lake Cowichan Mayor Rod Peters. Seriously, he dreams about it.
The completion of the town’s water treatment plant may well be on the horizon but he’s still losing sleep over the project because the finish date has been set back so many times he’s lost count.
“I get lied to a lot,” Peters said on Wednesday. “It’s dragged on and on and on and every time we think we’re getting close, something else comes up.”
The latest hold up has been related to a set of check valves. One has been installed and the other was slated to go in last week.
Once that work is complete, Peters has been told the system will be functional by March 15.
“My fingers crossed but my hopes aren’t too high,” he admitted.
Residents have been frustrated for years with the number of boil water advisories they’ve had to endure despite promises by the town that they would soon be put to an end.
The most recent boil water advisory was issued Feb. 2
Hopefully it’ll be the last one before the treatment plant is fully operational, Peters said.
It’s been a long road and he joins his constituents in wanting to put it behind him.
“It was supposed to be done probably 13 or 14 months ago,” Peters said. “They keep putting off when it’s going to be ready and they keep telling me it’s going to be ready and it hasn’t happened yet. I’ve tried to force the issue but there’s a lack of kahunas to get these engineers to get these things finished. They’re dragging their feet and the public works and town staff are not forcing the issue.”
Peters feels like he’s done all he can and he’s tired of losing sleep over it.
“I’ve been on their case when I first got elected back in November 2018 and it hasn’t happened yet,” he said. “I’ve yelled and screamed and held my breath til it turned blue trying to get somebody to do something and I’m very frustrated. I’ve been dreaming about it for the last year.”
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
