SOOKE - The Territory of Sooke has taken concrete steps to protect the Sooke Harbour and Sooke Basin from the environmental pressures of urban development with an innovative Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) approved by the Ministry of Environment.
Sooke has exceeded provincial requirements for liquid waste management and created a rainwater management program that makes protecting water quality a directing principle in land use decisions.
It works on three principles: protect existing water quality, prevent future damage, and remediate areas that may already be damaged. As division of the plan, district is establishing an extensive water quality monitoring program on the community`s 17 watersheds and the Sooke harbour and basin.
Rainwater will be managed through low-impact development techniques, best management practices, marine environmental protection, spill prevention and rain management education. The plan includes strict controls requiring each development site to do its own stormwater. Road design and construction will incorporate rainwater management principles, including the use of fewer impervious surfaces, while integrating low-impact design features that provide better command of the value that rainwater flows into streams. It also puts strict controls on rainwater discharges to Sooke harbour and basin. Sooke aims to improve water quality in the shield and basin to the place where a longstanding ban on shellfish harvesting can be lifted.
The LWMP also prohibits developments from discharging sewage into Sooke harbour and basin or to water courses lead to the harbor and basin. This will protect the surroundings by promoting development in areas supported by the district`s Official Community Plan. A partnership has been formed between Ministry of Environment, the Territory of Sooke, the Capital Regional District, Environment Canada and local First Nations to offer long-term management of Sooke`s aquatic environment.
This integrated approach of monitoring, infrastructure design and a multi-government partnership will see a high water quality criterion for now and for the future.
Quotes:
Minister of Environment Terry Lake - "Sooke is merely one of various communities in B.C. that are facing development pressures, and Sooke has responded to those pressures by being a true leader in environmental sustainability. The district`s plan for managing its liquid waste is cutting-edge and a framework for other communities. The leaders that Sooke is showing will deliver real, measurable benefits in the basin and will contribute to a healthier environment."
Sooke Mayor Janet Evans - "Sooke is proud of its natural environment. And as the foremost community in British Columbia to incorporate both rainwater and sanitary in a liquid waste management plan, we now induce the tools to protect the watersheds and the Sooke Harbour and Basin for succeeding generations."
Quick Facts:
No comments:
Post a Comment