The District of Squamish is moving towards giving first and second reading to a bylaw to prohibit the commercial bottling and export of water withing the district.
The bylaw is expected to be voted by council in a special council meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
The amendment is proposed as the zoning bylaw does not explicitly prohibit the commercial bottling and export of water, although the Official Community Policy discourages such use and calls upon a prohibition.
The OCP policy calls to discourage commercial water extraction within the district, and to restrict any facility that processes bulk water for commercial sale.
District staff are defining the Commercial Water Extraction as the extraction or processing of groundwater from aquifers, surface water from watercourses, or water from the district water supply system to be sold as water for commercial purposes, such as water bottling, bulk water export or private sales.
The amendment to the bylaw will ensure any commercial water extraction isn’t permitted in any zone.
The prohibition of commercial water extraction is one among several bylaw amendments the district is expected to pass in the meeting.
Bill Sykes says
Why? Unlike some jurisdictions the aquifer is recharged daily and is at no risk of being depleted. Rather than support jobs and a Squamish branded product we see Council drive a narrow minded ideology to trump a balanced and managed use of a renewable resource.