ECA and SCCA Call on Province for Moratorium on Logging in Mt. Elphinstone Watershed

Protect Drinking Water: Defer BCTS Logging on Mt. Elphinstone & Support a Water Sustainability Plan

Dear Premier Eby and Honourable Ministers,

I am writing on behalf of concerned Sunshine Coast residents and community organizations to request immediate action to protect the drinking water supply of thousands of British Columbians.

We urge you to

Defer planned logging in the Mt. Elphinstone aquifer recharge area, and

Support the development of a Water Sustainability Plan under the Water Sustainability Act.

The attached two-page brief outlines the serious risks to Aquifer 560 and the broader watershed from proposed BC Timber Sales cutblock TA0519.

Appended to the letter, you will find

a companion one-pager that highlights the legal tools available to the Cabinet for enacting interim protection and initiating a WSP

a two-page Critique of the Groundwater Assessment in the Mt. Elphinstone South Watershed Report (Phases 1 & 2), prepared by Polar Geoscience Ltd. for BC Timber Sales (July 2023), by the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association, and the Elphinstone Community Association. It highlights how BCTS’ watershed assessment fails to identify serious risks associated with proposed cutting and the need for a comprehensive hydrogeological evaluation of the area before further logging.

The proposed logging prescription is experimental and lacks credible monitoring of hydrological impacts. Proceeding without proper assessment puts community drinking water, private wells, and downstream communities at unacceptable risk.

We respectfully ask for your leadership to ensure that short-term industrial decisions do not compromise this region’s water security.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Senger, Executive Director, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association

Rod Moorcroft, Chair, Elphinstone Community Association

Read the attached letter