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Estuary improved under Nanoose Bay B&B
Posted by | Filed under In The Media
By Fred Davies – Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Harold Robinson gestures during a walk about of his Nanoose Bay property.
A Nanoose Bay bed and breakfast was controversial when built but now stands as a testament to responsible environmental stewardship, according to its owner Harold Robinson.
“There’s been a net benefit definitely,” said Robinson of his home with rooms set aside for tourist rental at 2991 Northwest Bay Road. “The habitat here is now a place for chum salmon to spawn. I kept that in mind when I built it.”
Robinson said extensive work at the site included removal of existing dikes and creation of tidal lagoons to facilitate water flow, in addition to construction of a 300 metre water channel.
“In all we’ve created approximately one half acre of wetlands,” he said. “I was forced to hire a professional biologist and that was a good thing to do.”
The planned development’s nearness to the estuary prompted a regional district review, in the summer of 2006, of the building permit issued to Robinson. The project spurred investigation by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans who noted the property is inundated with water on a frequent basis with nearby neighbours raising the alarm on what they saw as irresponsible construction that posed a threat to fish. Robinson said construction on the business named Inn The Estuary was given the go-ahead from the RDN initially but ran into problems after discovery of a watercourse that didn’t appear on maps.
“They had signed off on it and said ‘no problem’ but behind us there’s a stream, I call it a ditch, that didn’t show up on the drawings. The RDN didn’t see it because it wasn’t on the maps … I volunteered to move the house away,” said Robinson, adding, “I hired a biologist to oversee all the work. Everything has been done above what’s required.”
Adding to Robinson’s problems was the engineer responsible for design of flood plain elevations and related septic system work was reprimanded and fined $5,000 by a professional disciplinary committee over a failure to provide information.
“It had nothing to do with this site,” said Robinson. “They reviewed his work and it stood up … he hadn’t done anything wrong here.”
To the lay person’s eye the view from the bed and breakfast is a scenic one, with little evidence of the considerable work that occurred at the 2.5 acre property
Robinson said among environmental considerations are native riparian plants and on-site sewage treatment.
He noted the business was a featured stop during a home and garden tour held this summer and has not flooded, as opponents predicted, despite the recent weather.
“It’s a nice location for the view and we enjoy being here,” he said.