Up front: Community asked if the woods should continue rocking page 3 On stage: International guitar gods return to Cowichan stage page 15
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Friday, January 16, 2015
Study shows Cobble Hill smelly at times, but level of nuisance questionable Survey results: CVRD finds five potential sources of community odour issues during summertime investigation John McKinley
The other sites identified as a source of offensive odours included the Twin Cedars Waste Water Treatment omething smells rotten in the Plant, Fisher Road Recycling, Central Landscaping Supplies and Gamboa state of Cobble Hill. Greenhouses. But the degree of stink reFisher Road Recycling has been the mains an open question and most frequent target of complaints its cause a matter of debate. over the years. The survey found it, the A study ordered by the Cowichan neighbouring Central Landscaping Valley Regional District in the wake and Gamboa Greenouses may have of repeated odour complaints from combined to create issues for very the community found no brief instances. less than five sources of foul “If the WHO nuisance smells. odour guideline is considered But the offensive odours in the context of short-term were typically noted only intermittent odours that in infrequent bursts lasting were determined to be high less than 30 seconds, often enough in intensity to be included scents from multiple offensive, then the emissions sources and did not necessarfrom the FRR, CLS and GG ily correlate with complaints Matteus Clement: facilities collectively could be difficult to regulate being lodged by neighbours. having a nuisance impact at The World Health Orgathe following four locations: nization defines its nuisance the eastern end of Galliers Road; the threshold as a concentration at which less than 5% of the population experi- junction of Fisher Road and Fairfield ences annoyance more than 2% of the Road; the junction of Fisher Road and Ball Road; the junction of Fisher time. Road and the Trans-Canada High“The results suggest that objectionway.” able odours are infrequent enough SENES — the consulting firm that they do not meet the definition of responsible for a similar study in a nuisance impact within the WHO definition for nuisance odours at most Chemainus last year — produced the off-site locations in the odour survey,” report based on data collected from 20 area locations by two CVRD surveythe study’s executive summary states. ors between July 2 and Aug. 27. “The odours identified in the The CVRD will ask the composting locations from which the majority of facilities to provide a review of their odour complaints were received were operating practices to see they are in judged by the surveyors to be barely accordance to their operating plans noticeable, or noticeable but not ofand other best practices. The regional fensive. district also plans to have a new odour “This is not meant to imply that the control system in place at the Maple complaints made by the residents in Hill plant by summer. these areas were not valid. It simply “Odours are seen as a nuisance means that the odour survey was not rather than air pollution, and as they able to measure comparable odour are subjective in nature they are difintensities that would classify these ficult to regulate,” said Cobble Hill odours as being offensive.” Director Matteus Clement. “UnforIn fact, the site with the highest tunately, there is no definition of what observable odour issues — the Maple constitutes a nuisance odour in the Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant — CVRD, or in the province of British was the source of zero complaints Columbia.” during the survey period. The odour survey report is available And even at Maple Hill, the percentonline at www.cvrd.bc.ca/CobbleHillage of times an offensive odour was OdourSurvey. observed did not reach 3%. News Leader Pictorial
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Andrew Leong
One of Cowichan’s most noted symbols, the Mount Tzouhalem cross, re-emerged above the clouds this week, the culmination of a restoration project that began when it toppled in a storm this fall. Devon MIlls of Providence Farm, along with Larry White and Tim Ennis of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, were among a small army of volunteers who helped secure the cross onto its new cement foundation Tuesday and Wednesday.