August 2018 Update: VLSA’s First Year

It’s been a year since the Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association (VLSA) was created, so the Association is providing an update on what has transpired.  I am happy to report that approximately 83% of eligible homeowners around the lake joined the Association, and we are hoping to reach 90% this year.

The Association accomplished the following over the past year:

• Website – Rosalind Gardner created the VaseuxLake.com website and the ability to pay annual membership fees through Paypal. This year, more information will be added to the site and we will create a brochure about Vaseux Lake to give out to the general public.
• Wetland – In the fall of last year, the RDOS tried to reallocate $380,000 in funding for the wetland that was supposed to have been created 5 years ago for the final cleansing of effluents from the treatment plant. With help from our two RDOS representatives, Tom Siddon and Terry Schafer, as well as the Association going to every newspaper and TV station in the area, the RDOS allocated 1 million dollars towards completing the wetland within two weeks.  A company has now been hired to design the wetland and we hope the construction will both begin and be completed in 2019. This wetland is very important as treatment plants are not able to deal with heavy metals and chemical inhibitors. Therefore, the plant has been dumping directly into Vaseux Lake for the past 5 years.  The plant has also failed for the past 5 years to meet average discharge of nitrogen levels as per their provincial permit.
• Rototiller Access – The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) has indicated that they hope to receive the permit allowing the rototiller into Vaseux Lake within the next few months. This will be a 5-year permit that encompasses all the other lakes in the Okanagan Basin.  The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association has been provided up to $10,000 by the RDOS for the modification of the public access off Hwy 97 so the rototiller can enter the lake.  The Association is hopeful that the rototiller will be in our lake by November 2018.
• Siltation – The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association met on July 25^th, 2018, and recommended the siltation pond on Shuttleworth Creek be emptied since it is full from the record flooding this year. The Ministry of Forest, Land and Natural Resources has agreed to dredge the siltation pond this fall.
• Water Quality Testing – The OBWB provided a $25,000 grant last year to study on water quality, siltation and milfoil proliferation on Vaseux Lake.  The preliminary report is attached, as is the Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association Board’s request for clarifications on the preliminary report.   A final report is anticipated at the end of 2018 or early 2019.
• Vaseux Lake Land Development – The landowner of the property located just south of the sharp curve off highway 97 and Vaseux Lake wants to move forward with a development of the parcel of land where the new vineyard is located.  The choice is either a 34-spot trailer park or 12 houses. The Association has been working with partners to see if there is interest by The Nature Trust of British Columbia and neighbouring wineries to buy the Land that is being proposed for development. We will inform members once we have a concrete result.
• Financial Update – Over the past year, the Association collected $1030.00 in dues and .22 cents in Paypal interest. The Association spent $303.52 on the vaseuxlake.com website, $126.00 to create our new logo, $100.00 for the fee to be incorporated, $66.75 in bank fees,  and $6.92 in Paypal fees for a total in expenses of $603.19.  We now have a balance of 427.03 for the budget year.   This does not include the $140.00 in new dues already collected for the 2018 year.   I have attached the balance sheet for your info.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at Vaseuxsa@gmail.com or call the Chair directly at 250-535-0901.