The group behind the push to protect the Rosebud and Lomond Creek watersheds said it is encouraged by support from the Regional District of Central Kootenay, though it warns more action is needed to safeguard local water supplies.
Last week, RDCK directors voted in favour of asking the province to designate the watersheds near Nelway as protected areas, backing a request from the Rosebud Community Watershed Protection Group.
Spokesperson Dave Lang said the decision is a positive step following years of advocacy.
“It’s great. We really appreciate the Regional District Board supporting our organization to try and protect our watershed. It was part of our official community plan back in 2015 when the plan was originally created.”
Lang said the community relies heavily on the watershed for drinking water, agriculture and wildlife, and that it has seen growing pressures in recent years.
“We’ve had forest fires here in the not-too-distant past, and we’ve had wells that have gone dry over the past few years. Any sort of degradation to our water supply system is going to impact our availability of water and the quality of water as well.”
He noted the area’s geology makes the water system particularly vulnerable.
“Our area is actually what they term a karst geological formation. So it’s all underground springs and we have springs that come up and actually feed small creeks,” Lang said.
“But what can happen if you’ve got heavy equipment and logging that takes place in wetland areas where those little springs feed into the main system, it’s going to impact the volume of water coming down and also the quality with potential sedimentation in the event of major rain events and that in the future.”
The group has long been advocating for stronger protections since at least 2015, when concerns about development and water supply influenced the creation of an official community plan identifying the watersheds as critical infrastructure.
“Back in 2015, we had a land developer come into, purchase land in the area and do a subdivision that created 10 lots. And at that point in time, we realized that if everybody did that, we would have major water supply issues,” said Lang.
He said a provincial designation would help limit industrial activity and protect the area’s ecological integrity, including a key wildlife corridor between the U.S. and Rosebud Lake Regional Park.
“It would eliminate any potential threats from logging operations. It would also protect the movement of wildlife from the Colville National Forest into the Rosebud Lake Regional Park,” Lang said.
“This is a critical wildlife corridor here. And right now, the forest canopy in the watershed area is intact, so there are no clear-cut blocks, and we’re adamant that that’s going to actually resist wildfires. And if they open up the canopy, it could actually make it more susceptible to wildfires.”
Despite securing regional support, Lang said concerns remain about ongoing activity in the area, including a proposed haul road linked to B.C. Timber Sales.
“Right now BC Timber Sales is pushing a fairly major haul road into our environmental reserve. We set up a picket line out there this morning to try and bring some attention to the issue and discourage them from continuing,” he said.
“We were hoping they would put it on pause so that we could actually come to some understanding with the province as to what should happen there.”
Lang said the group hopes the province will recognize the long-term importance of protecting the watershed.
“We’re hopeful that the province will see why it’s so important for the future of this area. We’re trying to protect this for future generations out here.”
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyNelsonNow News Alerts.
