Dear Sir:
In reference to the City of Terrace and the Regional District Kitimat-Stikine plans to open a joint landfill at Forceman Ridge 30km south of Terrace off Highway 37, what your recent editorial on recycling fails to mention is that the groundwater from Forceman Ridge flows into the Clearwater Lakes system, and ultimately into the Lakelse Lake watershed.
Most folks would be more familiar with the location of this proposed site 1 km east of Onion Lake. Originally called the Onion Lake dump, the engineers on the project changed the name to Forceman Ridge.
Why would the Regional District and the City of Terrace locate a landfill here? Is this decision made over 15 years ago by a regional district committee in 1995 still valid today?
The regional district has continued to push this project forward to its final approval stages of development without proper public consultation. There has not been any dialogue with the public on this since 1998. How can this be ?
We all know how valuable Lakelse Lake is to the entire region. In addition to solid waste, it is being proposed to truck septic sewage to this site. Regardless of how the treated leachate from the landfill will be handled and monitored, why put the lake at risk ?
Leslie Rowlands,
Prince Rupert, BC