Message from the Chairman of SEID

Dear residents of Skaha Estates Improvement District:

18 months ago I was asked if I wanted to volunteer with SEID. Since I had recently retired and had the time and energy to help, I agreed to do so. I made it known that I had no experience in working with a municipal water supply of any kind, but since nobody else was available to help I was welcomed aboard.

There were few issues that arose in my first 6 months and then some unforeseen health issues arose with the existing Chairman and I found myself nominated as an interim Chairman because nobody else would do it.

The next 6 months went pretty smoothly and then in June 2022 an unprecedented run of natural and mechanical breakdowns started occurring and have run unabated since. Combined with that came a Boil Water Notice and secondary disinfection demands from Interior Health which will now require a significant amount of time and money for our community to overcome. So much so that Interior Health recommends that we look to the RDOS for support. The RDOS has qualified people as well as the eligibility for funding from the province, neither of which SEID has.

The magnitude of work required is beyond what I am capable or willing to provide. It is now time for us to decide as a community how we want to proceed. I feel the complexity of work required can no longer be done by volunteers. Our little group has worked harder than ever and are still not able to make progress on eliminating the boil water notice. It is time for professionals to manage the deteriorating quality of our source water and the increasing requirements of both Interior Health and an aging infrastructure.

I will be resigning from the position of Chairman at the end of this calendar year.

I will organize an emergency meeting later this year where we will discuss our options and vote on a path forward.

Now, we need someone from our community to volunteer as Chairperson to communicate with Interior Health, engineering companies, water assessment companies, contractors and others.

Alternatively we could have a couple of people volunteer and operate under the guidance of the existing Trustees.

If you feel you are able to help SEID transition into the next stage, please contact either Ron Desilets (c:778-531-8788) or SEID (c:250-462-6767)

Regards,

Ron Desilets