I am somewhat surprised at Venis's blathering from the bully pulpit in regards to the River Road dike and democracy in general. He seems to have an opinion on every subject, but most of them have not been researched. Here are some of the inconsistencies in
regards to his comments:
The statement that the upgrade to River Road in 2010 would mitigate flooding in that area came not from me, but from the city's website.
While the dike itself will be 3.3 kilometres in length, the sheet piling that was to be installed would be 1.7 kilometers in length, and run from Brink Forest Products to the boat launch. This piling will be approximately six to 10 metres in depth, and the consultant's report indicates that while it will slow down seepage, it will not stop it. Diking beyond that point for all intents and purposes would be no different than the River Road upgrade.
Mr. Venis seems to have a problem with the will of the people. He is not alone in that regard, since most
politicians feel the same way. The checks and balances in the B.C. Government Act, and the Community Charter are there for a reason. Anyone who thinks that the people should not have a say in how their government is run, and how tax dollars are spent, are flirting with the demise of democracy as we know it.
The flooding of the Nechako in 2007/2008 was a result of an ice jam at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser River and an inordinate amount of water in the Nechako River for January and February.
In fact, one of the recommendations made by the consultants in the report was for the MOI to work with Rio Tinto Alcan to find ways to better control the release of water into the river, especially when we are experiencing an ice jam. Was this done?
The homes that were flooded and the significant damage that took place in 2007/2008 are located on the north side of the Nechako River. Perhaps Mr Venis could explain how 1.7 kilometres of sheet piling on the south side of the Nechako between the river and River Road would stop the flooding on the north side. There is nothing in the consultants report to indicate that this in fact would happen. So while we (may) get some flood relief from the dike on the southeast end of River Road, there is nothing in the report to indicate that this is a certainty. Flooding from the spring run-off in May and June is a different issue than an ice jam flood, and we should be able to see (to some degree) how the upgrade to River Road will work this spring.
Mr. Venis may want to talk further with the engineers and find out exactly when they made application for the funding for a dike, and also perhaps they could explain why they would locate the Community Energy System, or why CN Rail would build a $20 Million container terminal and warehouse in the 200-year flood plain if they were worried about flooding. I suggest they are not worried.
Eric Allen, Prince George
