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Take Action Letter #1 Dear Mayor John Kingsbury, I am concerned about the future viability of the Coquitlam River. I am concerned that Coquitlam city council is not taking any steps to protect our endangered river from gravel mining companies, who indiscriminately dump their waste into it. Excessive silt and sediment loads are destroying the river's ecosystem. Devastating amounts of fine sediment are being added to the Coquitlam River from gravel mining wash-water discharge. This intrusion greatly reduces gravel quality downstream from the industrial activity, thus obliterating salmonid habitat. Most of the winter, silt levels continued to exceed those deemed as acceptable destroying fish as well as fish eggs. The mudslide in February at Lafarge Canada Inc.’s site which forced huge amounts of mud and sand into the river is alarming. I am aware that permits for gravel mining companies were recently renewed.No restrictions whatsoever are being put on these companies to stop their environmentally destructive behavior. The companies continue to make profits for themselves at the expense of the community. These companies have the means available to develop technologies to dispose of their waste in environmentally friendly ways instead of polluting the river. I am asking you Mayor Jon Kingsbury to encourage these gravel mining companies to do this." Sincerely, XXXXXX Mayor Kingsbury's Response to our Take Action Letter Thank you for your email outlining your concerns regarding sediments generated by gravel pit operations. As you may be aware, in October 1999, Council established a Coquitlam River Aggregate Task Force (CRATF) to recommend what could be done, by all levels of government, the aggregate mining industry and other stakeholders to remedy the impacts of aggregate mining and to improve the health of the Coquitlam River. The task force included representatives from the gravel pit operations, the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), BC Hydro and the Coquitlam River Watershed Society. The CRATF produced an action plan in November 2001 and implementation of this plan is well underway. Recent initiatives undertaken by Coquitlam include:
While progress has been made, efforts to implement the CRATF action plan are continuous and ongoing. I would like to stress that we recognize the vital importance of the Coquitlam River within our community and the region. The river provides a multitude of benefits including critical habitat for fish and wildlife; and recreational, cultural and historical significance for local residents and First Nations. The Coquitlam River Reservoir provides one of the cleanest drinking water sources in the Lower Mainland. It also generates hydroelectric energy, and provides downstream flood control benefits. As well, the City of Coquitlam played an active role in the development of the recently completed BC Hydro Coquitlam-Buntzen Water Use Plan that balances fish habitat, power generation, flood protection and other factors in generating suitable operating regimes for the water control facilities. I would also like to clarify a couple of other items related to your concerns. It is important to note that gravel pit operators are required, on a biennial basis, to apply to the City of Coquitlam for a Soil Substance Removal Permit. This permit validates the use of that land for soil removal, and the fee provided by the operator is used to rehabilitate roads used by gravel trucks. The gravel pit operations are actually regulated at the provincial level through mines permits and plans. Provincial legislation requires that gravel operators submit and adhere to mine plans that, amongst other items, establish site remediation and watercourse protection measures. These plans are referred to DFO for review. In the case of the Coquitlam River, DFO requested that the Ministry of Energy and Mines limit sediment discharges to the river; however, it is recognized that heavy rainfall events may continue to provide releases that are higher than desired. With respect to the failure of the Lafarge sediment pond earlier this year, representatives from DFO thoroughly investigated the situation and found there was no evidence that sediments from the pond were released directly into the Coquitlam River as a result of this incident. However, fine sediments filtering into ditches that drain into the river, continue to be a concern. DFO continues to monitor the situation and encourage local gravel pit operators to seek practical ways to resolve this complex situation. For their part, gravel pit operators continue to invest considerable resources in water clarification and sediment settlement, slope stabilization and replanting, research on alternative uses for fines and other initiatives. In conclusion, the issues surrounding the operation and regulation of gravel pit operations are complex and involve a number of jurisdictions. The City of Coquitlam and other members of the CRATF are continuing with concerted efforts to improve the health of the Coquitlam River. Yours truly, Jon Kingsbury -------------------------------------------------------- Our Response to Mayor Kingsbury's Letter Dear Mayor Jon Kingsbury, I would like to thank you for responding to my letter. However, I am not satisfied with your response nor am I convinced that you are taking the problem relating to the pollution of the Coquitlam River by local gravel companies seriously. With respect to your letter, it seems that you are admitting there is a problem with gravel companies releasing environmentally destructive fines into the Coquitlam River. It also seems that nothing is being done to stop their polluting of the river. First off, you claim that fees paid by gravel operators from soil substance renewal permits go towards rehabilitating roads used by gravel trucks. This does not interest me whatsoever. My letter was about the Coquitlam River, not roads. More importantly, why is this money not going towards the river? You are the Mayor of Coquitlam. You cannot claim that other jurisdictions hold the responsibility of protecting the Coquitlam River when your municipal government, is indeed, the ultimate authority. City council is responsible for renewing soil removal permits for gravel companies and also has the power to strip their business licences. In your letter you also claim that gravel pit operators have invested “considerable resources” into water clarification and settlement, slope stabilization and replanting, research on alternative uses for fines and other initiatives. I can’t help but think that none of these endeavors have put an end to the original problem of polluting fines being released into the Coquitlam River. These investments combined with the Coquitlam River Aggregate Task Force’s (est 1999) apparent mandate of improving the health of the Coquitlam River seem to be more of a delay tactic as opposed to effectively improving the river's health. I, as well as many other citizens of Coquitlam, feel that not enough is being done to address this problem. My position on this issue is simple. If gravel companies do not in some way cease dumping of fines into the Coquitlam River then they should not have the privilege of operating in Coquitlam. Making the argument that jobs would be lost if gravel companies were shut down is not sufficient enough to justify the continuation of gravel operations. 72% of Coquitlam residents hold the opinion that jobs should be sacrificed to save the Coquitlam River (Robbins, 2004). The Coquitlam River is an important symbol of Coquitlam. It reflects poorly on the city and frankly is an embarrassment when its own river is ranked number eight on the top ten endangered rivers in British Columbia list. This will no doubt be an important election issue. The citizens of Coquitlam are calling on you, Mayor Jon Kingsbury to take charge as Mayor of this great city and deal with this problem in a morally responsible manner.
Sincerely, Mike Wiskar
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Jon Kingsbury and the rest of city council |