Waiting game upsets board

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Apr 19, 2015 at 1:00 AM
Some politicians are frustrated over what they believe is the slow pace of getting Greater Vernon’s master water plan back on track. Regional District of North Okanagan staff were asked Wednesday for an update on the master water plan since voters overwhelmingly shot down borrowing $70 million for capital works in November. “It’s been five or six months so we should have some idea of what’s next,” said director Doug Dirk. David Sewell, chief administrative officer, pointed out that staff spoke to the Interior Health Authority about the matter Tuesday. “We’re working through all of the questions of what we want to achieve,” he said. “Our objective is a plan that is not only endorsed by the board and IHA but has support from the public and we have political support.” Among the issues RDNO staff has discussed with IHA is provincial water quality legislation, while funding options for any upgrades are also being investigated. As part of the process, director Catherine Lord wants a focus on accessing water licenses from the government or possibly transferring licenses to other water sources such as Okanagan Lake. “It’s imperative that we address that,” she said. Sewell insists all alternatives are being considered so the master water plan meets Greater Vernon’s long-term needs. “We will go through what we did and the options we investigated and the options we didn’t investigate,” he said.