Westside meadow ruined by people dumping garbage
Neighbour says property between Peachland, West Kelowna ‘a disaster waiting to happen’
A previously idyllic meadow between West Kelowna and Peachland has been transformed into an illegal dump site that’s a significant fire risk, a nearby property owner says.
Hundreds of tires, household garbage, broken appliances, construction debris and all manner of trash has been strewn around the secluded spot, easily accessible from Highway 97.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Patricia Ryder said Monday. “You can’t see it from the highways, but it’s easy to get in and out of very quickly, so it’s a perfect spot for people who want to dump garbage illegally.”
Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin went to take a look at the dump site on the weekend. She says she was appalled by what she found.
“It’s an absolute disgrace — the worst illegal dump site I’ve ever seen,” said Fortin, who took pictures of the trashstrewn property in hopes of sparking an investigation.
The site is accessed off a gravel road from Highway 97, between the Gorman Bros. sawmill and the Okanagan Connector interchange. A gate at the highway frontage has been unlocked for a while, a situation that seems to have led to the site becoming a well-used illegal dump site.
A creek that serves as the domestic water source for some Peachland residents is nearby, and Ryder says she’s concerned about the possibility of environmental contamination.
Equally unnerving, she says, is the idea that the garbage on site might catch fire, sparking a blaze that would be challenging to fight given the terrain, and which would pose a significant risk to both the West Kelowna community of Glenrosa and the north end of Peachland.
Fortin was going to consult with municipal staff from Peachland, West Kelowna and the regional district to determine who owns the property and what could be done to get it cleaned up.