The Bowser community wants to know the results of the petition that called for 99 landowners to vote on the plan to establish a controversial sewer service in the area.
The voting ended on Aug. 11 but the Regional District of Nanaimo has decided to make the community wait until Aug. 18, much to the dismay of some residents. The result will be posted at the RDN website www.rdn.bc.ca/bowser on Friday.
The new sewer service is being established to potentially turn Bowser into a compact, complete community in the future as identified in the 2013 Rural Village Centre Study.
The project would cost $10.7 million. It was awarded a Clean Water and Wastewater Fund Grant of around $7.6 million. The balance of the cost not covered by the grant will be shouldered by developers and property owners.
In the first public meeting, held last May, residents were told the share for existing landowners would be $38,500. According to the survey handed out on that day, 62 per cent supported the project. Then in the second information meeting held in June, residents were informed that developers have agreed to subsidize $2.6 million of the cost through Development Cost Charges (DCCs). Developers have committed to “pre-buy” development units, which will allow future developments to pay for a large portion of the sewer system in advance. The proposed rate for a residential DCC is $14,888 per unit.
The DCC option has reduced the cost to property owners, who will end up paying a flat fee of $2,900 for parcels one acre or less. There are 74 parcels of this size within the proposed sewer service area. Parcels greater than one acre — around 25 property owners — will pay on a per-metre (squared metres) basis at a rate of $0.717 per squared metres, or $2,900 per acre.
What is not included in the regional district’s project costs is the annual operating and maintenance costs property owners would be required to pay. The total annual estimated cost is $150,000 per year. The parcel tax will cover 33 per cent of the cost and 66 per cent will be collected from user fees.
Some properties will also require on-site pumps due to topography and design restrictions. They will be paid for by the RDN but property owners will still have to pay for installation and to tie into sewer mains. A one-time cost for a single-family residence can range from $1,000 to $5,000.
While residents support the development, critics are upset with the RDN’s decision to opt for marine outfall, using the ocean to discharge treated sewer effluence instead of land disposal.
Landowners outside the Bowser Village Centre, who will not immediately benefit from the proposed sewer system, intend to fight the marine outfall decision that would see pipes laid at the Noonday Road public beach access. They fear this option will negatively impact the environment, fish habitat, the shellfish industry and tourism in the area. They are consulting lawyers to determine what avenues they can take. They will also be appearing as a delegation at the RDN board meeting on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., to try and persuade the board not to endorse the marine outfall recommendation.
There is a petition circulating in the area asking landowners and residents to oppose the marine outfall option.
RDN chair and Electorial Area H director Bill Veenhoff has assurred the community that the effluent will be treated to “meet or exceed” Canadian and provincial standards. The outfall would be in deep water, 2.3km offshore. The location would be subject to Ministry of Environment review and permits.