Put an end to illegal soil dumping

DEAR EDITOR:

I am writing to raise awareness about the problem of illegal soil dumping in the Ellison community. Some landowners in our community have been accepting payment to allow soil dumping on their properties without considering the future consequences, such as the composition and stability of the soil.

When these properties are sold to new owners, they find that the soil is unsuitable for construction, posing a significant threat to the safety and well-being of the community.

This issue has had a profound impact on our community. Some areas of Ellison have seen prolonged excessive dump truck traffic for over a year, disrupting the peace and safety of the community and impacting recreational activities such as horseback riding, cycling, and walking dogs. Without proper regulation, the problem of illegal dumping will continue to pose a threat to the environment, the economy, and the quality of life of residents.

I would like to take this opportunity to address an issue that is of great concern to the residents of Ellison. The unregulated soil placement in our community has had a significant impact on our health, well-being, and safety.

This issue has become even more pressing as the amount of fill arriving from the City of Kelowna ‘s growth has increased, with no consideration or proposals in place for the soil placement from the large developments that we are now seeing unfold in Kelowna.

It is worth noting that the Kelowna Landfill only accepts clean fill on rare occasions. As such, it is no surprise that some landowners in Ellison have been incentivized to accept the placement of untested, unregulated soil for financial gain, leading to excessive dump truck traffic that disrupts the peace, safety, and well-being of our community.

We are all for the growth of our community, but not at the expense of our health, safety, and environment.

As the City of Kelowna continues to approve more high-rise developments, and subdivisions, we have to ask ourselves, what is the plan for the excess soil, and should this not be part of the approval process?

It is essential that we address the issue of unregulated soil placement in our community and take immediate action to protect our health, well-being, and safety.

We are petitioning the Regional District of Okanagan to stand behind the residents of Ellison and implement a Soil Placement bylaw immediately. The bylaw would put an end to the illegal dumping of soil in our community, protecting us from unscrupulous contractors trying to pay property owners to dump illegal fill and from property owners who do not adhere to the rules and regulations. This would ensure the preservation of a healthy and sustainable environment, safeguarding the future of our community.

We urge our fellow residents to sign the petition and join us in calling on the Regional District of Okanagan to implement the Soil Placement bylaw. The time to act is now.

Immediate action is required to safeguard the future of the community, and we need your help to spread the word about this important issue.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Please share our message with the broader community through your publication and website, and encourage our fellow residents to sign the petition to protect our community from illegal dumping.

By signing the petition to implement a soil placement bylaw in Ellison, we can take an important step towards preserving the quality of life that we value and ensuring a safer future for our community.

We cannot let our rural Ellison natural landscape become the unsustainable solution to Kelowna’s development.

Debbie Duncan Chapman, Kelowna