Cowichan Bay Village
Originally published Sept 27th, this piece got lost in the flap created by the Cowichan Valley Citizen article that same morning. (See Below)
It’s quiet in Cowichan Bay Village this morning. It’s damp outside, there’s a cool mist overhanging the water towards Genoa Bay and it rained overnight, lending the docks the shining glisten we see all fall and winter long. There’s a sense of cautious optimism in the air as well, for the first round of Zoning Bylaw meetings (and how they relate to the recently completed OCP) have been completed.
Cowichan Bay’s waterborne residents have been living on the Bay for over 100 years yet have been out of compliance with community zoning since 1987. In that year it was seen fit to significantly restrict this traditional practice and as a result most of the float homes and liveaboard vessels have no legal standing. The possibility that these homes and their owners might be forcibly evicted was and as current rules stand still is a very real one. In fact Area Director Lori Iannidinardo didn’t mince words in several past newspaper articles on the issue. In her opinion at the time, float-homes and liveaboards in excess of the total allowed by the 1987 bylaw were not welcome.
Cowichan Bay Village
That tone has noticeably softened over the last few months, particularly so when after much public input from both Land and water dwellers in Area D Cowichan Bay, the OCP (Official Community Plan) was unveiled in April of this year. The quality and scope of the OCP process has been held in such regard, that it’s been awarded Gold Standard status. The people have spoken and they have indicated, amongst a myriad of other things, that having a vibrant waterborne community in Cowichan Bay is something positive, a traditional lifestyle, in keeping with Citta-Slow principles and so something desirable and something which ought to be accommodated.
Cowichan Bay Village
Therefore the cautious optimism. Yet there are plenty of political problems yet to be solved.
The entire sewer hookup issue, the huge elephant in the room, is the most seriously politicized problem of them all. Brian Dennison, at a meeting held with Village residents at the Maritime Center building Wednesday evening admitted as much. The pipe that runs under the road at Cowichan Bay Village can handle the flow. The Pipe from the lift station at Hecate Park can easily handle what the float homes and liveaboards might require. The pipe from the lift station which runs all the way to the Duncan sewage lagoons can easily handle the extra input. It’s all political. Cowichan Bay doesn’t have the “sewage units” to make the connection work. The area has politically run out of permission to increase flow through pipes that run under it, simply because the lagoons are in another district, controlled by another group of people.
Cowichan Bay Village
Sewage units are more or less defined as a rate of flow, a measure of capacity. Because float homes and liveaboards produce far less waste water than land bound homes do, a single sewage unit goes farther on water than it does on land. In fact one unit can supply two float homes and several liveaboards when it’s more or less a one for one situation on land. Sewage units can be purchased, stockpiled and held for the future. In fact capacity unused is currently being held in the Glenora district. It’s almost as if these units of potential capacity are like shares in a company or corporation, things which can be bought and sold on a trading market.
In the meantime, area planners, Ann Kjerulf chief amongst these are working to revise the old 1987 bylaws to fit what is being required by the OCP. That includes floating homes on Cowichan Bay. Due to the fact that sewage hookups are not available, floating homes, with the exception of those at the Masthead Marina,are illegal in Cowichan Bay. Because of this situation, marinas aside from the Masthead (which is legally connected to the sewer system) cannot legally be zoned to accommodate residential use. In the same Wednesday evening meeting already mentioned, Ms Kjerulf indicated that the intent is to request variance permission to allow homes to remain out of compliance until a solution to the problem has been achieved. Once the homes are in compliance with regard to sewer and also safety and spacing (fire safety) the zoning can go through. Variance permits are again a political issue, with a maximal three year time frame, renewable only once.
Cowichan Bay Village
We are still not out of the woods however. The potential exists that zoning permission for some float-homes as mandated by the OCP will be extended, but how many will finally actually be permitted to remain is at this point unsure. At present the liveaboarder (those who live on boats) question is even more unsettled, as these folks come under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard. They will continue to use one of the to pump-out stations for their water wastes, but as to how many will be permitted, there is as yet no answer.
Meanwhile, quite a few of the float home owners as well as some of those who live on their boats are taking matters into their own hands. Composting toilets are being bought and installed. Residents are using the dockside facilities provided by marina owners, taking showers and using restrooms in facilities provided to help curb the water quality problem. The days of the marine flush toilet which ejects wastes into the bay are severely numbered.
Cautious optimism. It’s all we can muster at present in Cowichan Bay Village. We’re all trying to work together to preserve this little community, and it appears those who have been charged with making things work at a political and bureaucratic level are beginning to drop their reluctance to work with us. We have the OCP to thank for that.
