Ladysmith calls on province to take action to protect its drinking water
The Town of Ladysmith is urging the provincial government to take immediate action to protect its drinking water sources after a recent human-caused wildfire in the Banon Creek Forest Service Road area. The town's drinking water comes from the Stocking Lake and Holland Lake watersheds, which are accessed via the Banon Creek Forest Service Road and are managed under provincial timber licenses.
The town has sent multiple letters to the provincial government expressing concerns about the ongoing safety and watershed protection risks posed by unauthorized access, trespassing, and encampments in the area. Despite implementing a temporary closure of the Banon Creek Forest Service Road gate under Section 22.2 of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the gate has been repeatedly vandalized and rendered inaccessible.
Town officials have taken all reasonable steps to protect the watershed, but the repeated vandalism has made access to the area unrestricted. Mayor Deena Beeston has called on the provincial government to take action to ensure the humane relocation of individuals occupying or accessing areas within the watershed and to address the ongoing risks to the town's drinking water infrastructure and safety.
Brief written by urgent.news from Global News's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
