Township council has backed Langley Grove Estates’ application to connect to the Greater Vancouver Sewerage system.
Langley Grove has 225 mobile homes, which were built in the 1970s at 24330 Fraser Hwy. The park has become a source of concern from an environmental, operational and maintenance point of view, the most serious of which is its septic system. It consists of an oxidation ditch, and tile field which has been replaced several times.
A new sewer trunk line could ease environmental concerns.
When the issue first came to council in March, two residents urged council to reject the request for sewer hookup to the mobile home park which sits over the Hopington Aquifer. It is the aquifer that provides the residents with their water, and is replenished by discharge from septic fields. Connecting to the regional sewer line, which was installed last year, will cause the water table to drop further.
Development above the aquifer has been at a virtual standstill since the late 1980s when council, concerned about nitrate contamination of the underground water source, imposed a moratorium. Despite that, the water table continues to drop.
One resident calculated in graphic terms the amount of water Langley Grove siphons off the aquifer: the 225 units use 240,000 litres of water a day, 10 times the amount required to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
On Monday, a majority of council backed Langley Grove’s bid, having earlier rejected a proposal that the mobile home park be compelled to hook up to regional water.
Kevin Larsen, the Township’s manager of water resources, said that it will be 2014 before regional water is brought to the area, and then it will be about three kilometres from Langley Grove.
Larsen said that he did not know if the mobile homes have water conservation measures such as low-flush toilets and low-flow shower heads.
Councillor Kim Richter urged council to insist that if Langley Grove wants sewer connection, it must hook up to water.
“The Township should take a stand. Everyone who is going to hook up to the sewer line is going to have to hook up to water. It’s a no brainer,” she said.
“This is private property and like any other private property owner they are going to have to pay the cost,” she added.
There was concern that Langley Grove could expand.
Councillor Mel Kositsky asked whether the residential designation could be changed to single-family housing.
“Probably not,” Larsen replied.
Administrator Mark Bakken advised that a change in designation would require a rezoning application, “so ultimately that consideration is under council’s control.”
Rick Le Bouthillier, speaking for the company which owns the property, said that Langley Grove’s aging septic field and a high water table, which has sometimes left effluent at ground level, are “ongoing challenges.”
The owners cannot upgrade the sanitary treatment system or build a new one. “We don’t have anywhere to get rid of the effluent on site,” he said.
The only long-term viable solution is to connect to municipal sewer, Le Bouthillier said.
Asked by Richter if there are plans to expand, he said the company would like to, but is restricted because the land is in the ALR.
What about hooking up to regional water, Richter asked.
“It’s not feasible,” Le Bouthillier replied, adding that the company has not yet worked out details of how it will recover the cost of hookup.
He avoided Councillor Bob Long’s question whether that would be achieved through increased pad rental.