HRM to Recommend Province Take on Williams Lake Dam
HRM’s Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee (ESSC) addressed the much-anticipated staff report on the Williams Lake dam. The staff report fell flat in several areas, but the big take-away is the recommendation that Halifax Regional Council request the mayor to ask the province to assume responsibility for repairs or replacement of the Williams Lake dam.
Murray Coolican, president of Williams Lake Conservation Company (WLCC) submitted a 4-page response to the ESSC addressing the staff report. “While we were disappointed that key elements affecting water levels were not even mentioned in the report, we are very supportive of the key recommendation of HRM asking the province to take the leadership role in fixing the dam.”
WLCC was also supportive of Councillor Cleary highlighting the city’s substantial financial investment and ownership of the Shaw Wilderness Park on Williams Lake. Cleary emphasized that because of this ownership, “We have skin in the game now” and he recommended that HRM make a financial contribution to the province for this project.
In December 2020, Councillor Shawn Cleary asked city staff to prepare a report that “investigates the declining water levels in Williams Lake and makes recommendations on potential actions related to repairing and/or replacing the dam as well as stopping the leakage around and under the dam.”
HRM’s Park and Recreation department was given the task of researching and reporting to the ESSC on the influences of climate change, housing developments and any other relevant factors that impacts lake levels and water quality in the Williams Lake watershed. The ESSC also asked for recommendations on “mitigating actions that might be beneficial” to the Shaw Wilderness Park, on Williams Lake “especially given the recent substantial investments made by HRM in the Shaw Wilderness Park.”
But the 5-page staff report was anti-climatic. The report did not address important environmental factors and WLCC plus their partner organization, the Williams Lake Dam Association (WLDA) weighed in on the glaring gaps and presented their views at the ESSC meeting, 3 February, 2022.
Margo Kerr, founder of the Williams Lake Dam Association says that she was eager to read the response to Councillor Cleary’s motion. “We have waited 14 months for this important report. It is a critical document that did not show just how fragile the ecosystems, wildlife and biodiversity are right now. We do not know how much the natural habitat is being destroyed. We do know it is easier to save than replace. We also know that remediation of the dam is the central solution to saving this HRM recreational lake.”
Richard Harvey, of the Parks and Recreation department which authored the report says “There was quite a bit of extensive work looking into this particular matter.” Harvey reported that “what we emphasized in the report is that the dam is very leaky. The dam is in-fact leaking to such an extent that it is undoubtedly causing the immediate problems.” Harvey stressed that “it’s not to say that there aren’t other features, climate change, weather that are having impacts. It’s just that in fact the immediate issue is the dam.”
This sense of urgency was also echoed by several Councillor members of the ESSC. Deputy Mayor Pam Lovelace said “I think there is urgency here and I do think that we want to move this along faster if possible.”
Councillor Cleary summarized the recommendations before the council by saying, “Colleagues, I look forward to you supporting this; to get a letter to the province; to get a response back; to move this forward and finally to get a resolution.” The resolution now goes to full council.