Scott Stanfield
Record staff
The regional district sewage commission will host a public open house about the pump station being proposed at Croteau Road sometime in February, after it receives a hydrology report.
The contentious proposal has drawn the ire of the Macdonald Wood Park Society. Opponents fear the project will damage trails, block beach access and disturb archeological remains. They suggest a cheaper option would be to replace the Courtenay pump station.
Another concern is impacts on ground water.
The proposed Comox No. 2 pump station would facilitate the installation of a forcemain from Croteau to the wastewater treatment plant, bypassing Willemar Bluff near Goose Spit.
The area at the base of Croteau Road is an unopened road right-of-way, half-owned each by the Town of Comox, and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The CVRD is working with both parties by way of an application process to ‘stop up and close’ the road, create the property required for the station, and to adjust jurisdictional boundaries.
The CVRD has retained Baseline Archaeological Services to assess the area, which contains artifacts.
A report says the development will “impact a combination of previously disturbed and potentially intact archeological deposits.” The district has yet to consult with K’ómoks First Nation to review the archeological assessment.
The district has also retained McElhanney Consulting to conduct a legal survey, AECOM for a preliminary layout and CW Solutions for hydrology assessments.