What should the city do with the lake weed harvester. Should they keep it in hope the B.C. and federal authorities will let them use it some day to clean the weeds out of the lake? Or will they listen to why the authorities are balking about that plan?
If the listen to the authorities they'll leave the lake alone and sell the harvester.
I know, there are those who want a nice clear lake for swimming and boating, but Williams Lake is not that lake. It is full of vegetation and home to many wildlife species., some at-risk. It's a small ecosystem, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. Maybe it's time for the city to consider the environmental impact when they make decisions. Maybe council should have a conservation/environment committee to do the homework on these issues.
As for Williams Lake, it is what it is. We should be proud of it and not be trying to make it into something it isn't.
The environment was on the agenda of the first city council meeting I attended in Williams Lake 50 years ago. Nobody specifically talked about the environment in those days, but council's plan to dump raw sewage into Williams Lake Creek where it would pollute its way to the Fraser River had some citizens alarmed.
It might have happened, but a newly-elected councillor, Terry Issigonis, felt otherwise. She made such a fuss her fellow councillors gave up and withdrew the plan. Probably to get even, the mayor appointed her to head the committee to make new sewer plans.
Issigonis consulted some experts and came up with an efficient plan that was environmentally friendly, no one could find fault with ith.
That wasn't her first success. Her secret was that she did her homework.
Editor's note: Born in 1933, Issigonis passed away on January 12, 2017.
