The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) has completed the installation of 11 new signs around the Comox Lake watershed as part of the public education initiatives outlined in the draft watershed protection plan.
The key message on the sign is “Out here it’s up to you! Please keep the water clean” which promotes personal responsibility for helping to protect our community’s drinking water source by the users and landowners around the watershed. The message is simple but vital, supporting the CVRD’s fundamental goal of continuing to deliver safe, high quality drinking water to Comox Valley residents.
The watershed provides drinking water to approximately 40,000 people in the Comox Valley and is also a popular recreational destination for swimming, boating, fishing and hiking, as well as being an area with active logging.
“The multi-use activities in the watershed elevate our need to better understand and protect it,” said Marc Rutten, CVRD’s senior manager of engineering services “We do this through research partnership, stakeholder engagement and community education and outreach.”
The CVRD has completed a number of watershed protection actions recommended as immediate steps for implementation in the draft Comox Lake watershed protection plan, including the installation of an oil spill response kit at Comox Lake, in partnership with TimberWest and the Comox Valley fish and game club, and implementing public outreach programs.
The draft Comox Lake watershed protection plan represents the first part of phase II - analysis and development of options in the watershed protection planning process, with phase I - risk identification and assessment previously completed. The CVRD will be continuing work in 2014 to complete phases II and III, which will involve development of a complete list of recommendations for implementation of watershed protection. For a copy of the draft plan, visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/watershed.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.