New fencing will be placed where required at Lake Cowichan’s sewer treatment plant on Hudgrove Road.
Concerns were raised after a deer managed to slip through a gap in the fencing and drown in the plant’s new settling pond.
Neighbours of the plant, including Dennis Wagner, fear that it may be only a matter of time before some of the local children find their way to the settling pond as well.
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The settling pond, which was just recently completed, is one of three ponds at the facility and is part of a $1.7-million upgrade at the site which is still ongoing.
“The deer couldn’t get out of the settling pond once he was in it because of the rubber that lines the pond, which doesn’t provide any way for animals, or children, to get a grip and pull themselves out,” Wagner said.
“If there were scramble mats on the sides of the pond, it would be a lot easier to get out. The site is surrounded by an eight-foot fence with barbed wire along the top, but there are gaps in some parts of the fencing, and sometimes the main gate is left open, so animals and children can find ways in.”
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Wagner said he has been in contact with the Town of Lake Cowichan, which runs the sewer treatment plant, but nothing to date has been done to correct the problem.
But Joe Fernandez, Lake Cowichgan’s CAO, said the town has committed to fixing the problem by making the fence surrounding the facility, which is covered in “No Trespassing” signs, harder to get through.
He said the town is currently looking for a contractor for the job, and wants the work done as quickly as possible.
“This issue has apparently been ongoing for years, but it has only recently come to our attention,” Fernandez said.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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