Editor:
My wife and I decided to look for an acreage property to purchase in 1994. We wanted to purchase a property we could raise our family on that would also have the potential to subdivide and build accommodation for our children/grandchildren in the future.
We found a piece of property that fit those requirements in late 1994. After inquiring at Langley municipal hall, we were told that the property was not in the ALR and was located in the GVRD catchment area for sewer and water. The property was also located a couple of properties away from Peterson Road Elementary School, one property away from Fraser Highway (now serviced by sewer) and was within walking distance of D.W. Poppy Secondary. After talking to staff, the future for the property seemed obvious, so we sold our residence located in Surrey and started planning the move.
A moratorium was put in place within a year of us moving on to the property. Almost 17 years have now passed since we purchased our property and the moratorium is still in effect. Now I understand that council is getting a legal opinion on whether or not they can turn the moratorium into a bylaw to prevent any development from happening on the Hopington Aquifer.
There have been numerous studies and reports generated regarding the water quantity and quality on the Hopington Aquifer. I have read all of these reports and a few things are apparent to me. The water level in the aquifer is dropping. The water quality in some areas of the aquifer has deteriorated. According to the April 2000 Gartner Lee report, private residential wells only account for approximately 22% of the ground water extraction on the aquifer. According to the June 1998 Gartner Lee report, 66.8% of nitrates entering the aquifer are attributed to hobby and commercial farms.
Farmers in the area are afforded certain rights under the right to farm legislation which take precedent over our local bylaws. The Township is powerless to stop farms from developing on the Hopington Aquifer. Since these reports have been published, much more farmland has been planted with crops that require irrigation. Langley has a rich farming heritage and productive farms are important to our community.
I thought council was going in the right direction by bringing the sewer trunk line to Aldergrove through the Hopington Aquifer and supporting construction of the new water main to Gloucester through the Hopington Aquifer. This would allow residents in the area to eventually hook up to services and relieve some of the pressure on groundwater in the area. There has also been approval of a small development of half-acre lots in the area of 56 Avenue and 240 Street, subject to water hook-ups becoming available. I thought that our dream of building residences for our family on our three acre property was getting a lot closer.
You can imagine our disappointment when I read that council is now considering putting a bylaw in place that would stop all subdivision until more studies are done. We have had 16 years of studies while paying substantial property taxes for no services such as sewer, water and fire hydrants.
I thought the answer was now obvious. Water hook-ups prevent water from being removed from the aquifer. Sewer hook-ups prevent effluent from being discharged over the aquifer. Technology is available that allows runoff from hard surfaces such as roofs and driveways to be recaptured and absorbed into the aquifer. With today's technologies, development can take place in such a way as to have minimal impact on the environment. This is the concept behind low impact housing.
The buzz word for development nowadays seems to be smart growth. The smart growth concept promotes development in areas where infrastructure already exists. Busing kids to our local school while our non-ALR property, located a stone's throw away, sits tied up in a moratorium, doesn't seem very smart at all. The smart growth concept also supports the infill of areas where development has taken place and neighbouring properties remain undeveloped. The Salmon River Uplands, located above the Hopington Aquifer, were partially developed into half-acre and one acre lots years ago. Why not infill the areas that remain with similar lots that would not take away from the rural feel of the community.
From what I have been told, the Salmon River Uplands were designated for development decades ago. Unfortunately, our elected council seems unwilling to come up with a vision for the Salmon River Uplands for fear of the response they will receive from the environmentally biased individuals that I constantly read about in the local papers. Instead, they avoid making a decision by saying they require more studies.
I know there are families out there that are in a similar situation as us but, are reluctant to write about their vision for fear of the criticism it will generate from others with a very focused uncompromising agenda. Remember, there are ways of building housing that would have minimal impact on the environment, lessen conflict between farm and residential users and also maintain the rural integrity of the community. This low impact housing is not a new concept. In fact, it is being practised in various locations all over the world.
Tod McGovern, Langley