There’s a fresh push on to have Nanaimo’s drinking watershed publicly owned, or at least publicly controlled.
Right now the area is owned by Island Timberlands and Timber West.
Vancouver Island Water Watch wants the City to create a Watershed Board to oversee activity in the area, regardless of owns it.
VI Water Watch’s June Ross says they’re also lobbying the provincial government to give local governments authority to set up Boards to control watersheds.
The province has new legislation on the table, the Water Sustainability Act, and Ross says the powers of a Watershed Board could be included in the regulations.
Ross says a Watershed Board for Nanaimo could include stakeholders from the City, the RDN, the forestry companies, Snuneymuxw First Nation and citizens.
VI Water Watch will be taking the idea to City Council and the RDN board in the coming weeks
