By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff Jan 12 2007 
http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
A controversial development at Sugar Lake is
running into a legislative log jam. The North Okanagan Regional District board passed three resolutions regarding expansion of the Kokanee Lodge Resort Wednesday. One of them effectively blocks any construction until there is a public meeting about the resort’s plans to discharge treated effluent into Sugar Lake. “We want development that is responsible,” said chairman Jerry Oglow before a packed public gallery. Kokanee Lodge Resort is planning to expand the number of cabins it has from 10 to 21 and recreational vehicle sites from 34 to 46.
However, NORD will withhold a campground permit until the resort owner has a public meeting. While a development permit has been approved, the possibility of treated effluent being discharged into the lake came as a surprise to NORD officials. “We never envisioned a discharge into the lake and this board should never support anything like that,” said director Will Hansma. The Ministry of Environment has jurisdiction over effluent discharges and that’s why further discussions are crucial, says Eugene Foisy, director for the Sugar Lake area. “We have to have the people making the decisions at the table. We need the people who designed the system and the developer there,” he said. The NORD board has also given the green light to amending the official community plan for Areas D (rural Lumby) and E (Cherryville) to prohibit any development that discharges effluent into water courses.
It will also express its concerns to the Ministry of Environment and demand that the Shuswap River system, including lakes, be included in a ban on direct sewage discharges unless it’s from a municipal treatment system. NORD’s actions came after a presentation from Huguette Beaudin, spokesman for the concerned residents. “It’s probably one of the cleanest areas we have at this altitude,” she said of Sugar Lake. Beaudin believes there are other options for handling effluent than lake discharge, and she is concerned that the proposed system could ultimately fail and harm the environment. “People want development but not where we’re mortgaging the (environmental) wealth of future generations,” she said.
Beaudin called on NORD to establish a community-based group to review the development proposal. Director Juliette Cunningham believes government at all levels must consider the residents’ concerns. “It takes political will and leadership to look at these things,” she said.
The owner of Kokanee Lodge Resort could not be reached for comment.
http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/A controversial development at Sugar Lake is
running into a legislative log jam. The North Okanagan Regional District board passed three resolutions regarding expansion of the Kokanee Lodge Resort Wednesday. One of them effectively blocks any construction until there is a public meeting about the resort’s plans to discharge treated effluent into Sugar Lake. “We want development that is responsible,” said chairman Jerry Oglow before a packed public gallery. Kokanee Lodge Resort is planning to expand the number of cabins it has from 10 to 21 and recreational vehicle sites from 34 to 46. 
However, NORD will withhold a campground permit until the resort owner has a public meeting. While a development permit has been approved, the possibility of treated effluent being discharged into the lake came as a surprise to NORD officials. “We never envisioned a discharge into the lake and this board should never support anything like that,” said director Will Hansma. The Ministry of Environment has jurisdiction over effluent discharges and that’s why further discussions are crucial, says Eugene Foisy, director for the Sugar Lake area. “We have to have the people making the decisions at the table. We need the people who designed the system and the developer there,” he said. The NORD board has also given the green light to amending the official community plan for Areas D (rural Lumby) and E (Cherryville) to prohibit any development that discharges effluent into water courses. It will also express its concerns to the Ministry of Environment and demand that the Shuswap River system, including lakes, be included in a ban on direct sewage discharges unless it’s from a municipal treatment system. NORD’s actions came after a presentation from Huguette Beaudin, spokesman for the concerned residents. “It’s probably one of the cleanest areas we have at this altitude,” she said of Sugar Lake. Beaudin believes there are other options for handling effluent than lake discharge, and she is concerned that the proposed system could ultimately fail and harm the environment. “People want development but not where we’re mortgaging the (environmental) wealth of future generations,” she said.
Beaudin called on NORD to establish a community-based group to review the development proposal. Director Juliette Cunningham believes government at all levels must consider the residents’ concerns. “It takes political will and leadership to look at these things,” she said.
The owner of Kokanee Lodge Resort could not be reached for comment.
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