Email sent to the Mayor & Council of Central Saanich, and the CRD Board, on November 23, 2015
A history of the mosquito drainage system at Island View Beach
The Mayor & Council
District of Central Saanich
Dear Mayor & Council:
The mosquito problem at Island View Beach was dealt with 4 years ago, and the memories of the awful years before that have begun to fade. I write to give you a brief review so you are aware of the issue, because the drainage ditches seem to keep coming up in the CRD staff discussions for a new park plan for Island View Beach Regional Park, and as recently as last Saturday, despite previous assurances from the CRD Directors that it would not.
The big issue is the drainage ditches to stop the deadly mosquitoes that would breed there if wet breeding sites are allowed to form. These are the mosquito equivalent of Africanized killer bees, and the people who make the mistake of dismissing the problem as "just a few mosquitoes" simply have no idea. It was because of these mosquitoes, that the drainage ditches were installed in 1936 by Saanich Council (Central Saanich then being a Ward of Saanich). Following are comments from 1936-37: (you can see the actual correspondence at http://www.friendsofislandviewbeach.com/1936-mosquito-drainage-project.html)
W.D. Michell describing the reason for the work in 1937:
"... mosquitoes ... were spreading to all parts of Saanich. In some sections it was almost impossible to get help to harvest crops, such as strawberries and loganberries, where a large amount of help is required, and even in harvesting grain crops. You could not venture into your field without being pestered to death, and livestock was being tortured unmercifully."
A 1936 letter from Corporation of Saanich to an Island View owner about putting in the ditches:
"In an endevour to combat the enormous number of mosquitoes in your vicinity, the Saanich Council in co-operation with the Department of Indian Affairs, are endeavouring to co-operate with the property owners in partially draining the salt marsh ..."
1937 After the work, the Entomological Branch of the Federal Department of Agriculture, inspected the area and reported to Saanich Council:
"All swamp mosquito-breeding places within the area covered by the drainage works have been eliminated .... and the absence of mosquitoes is evidence of the success of the enterprise."
W.D. Michell reported the same in 1937:
" In a single year the control work has exterminated 90 per cent of the dreaded mosquitoes, and where land has been cultivated the extermination has been up to 100 per cent."
And also in 1937 the Saanich Fruit Growers Association wrote thanking Saanich Council for
"counteracting the deadly mosquito menace. To date the mosquitoe is negligible in the Keating, Saanichton and Ward 5 districts."
And in 1937 a great many people signed a letter to Councilor Hagan of Ward 6 expressing
"our appreciation for the good work done in the draining of the marsh, for by doing so you have eliminated the mosquito nuisance entirely therefore we consider it a work well done."
The CRD acquired the bulk of these lands in 1966, and their 1989 park bylaw, which is still in effect, requires CRD Parks to keep the ditches clean.
CRD Parks did not keep the ditches clean. Over the years the ditches filled in, and by the early 1990s the "dreaded" mosquito problem had returned in the manner described by W.D. Michell in 1936. Farmers in particular had a terrible time, and the Ministry of Forests Seed Orchard on Puckle Road reported that their outside crews were having to use so much DEET it was taking the coating off their glasses; and visitors to the park reported being eaten alive.
- In 2008 there were public protests and Council wrote to the CRD asking them to clean the ditches. The Council resolution was not put before the CRD Parks Committee. The letter was not responded to. Nor were the ditches cleaned.
- By 2011 the problem had become intolerable and a community group formed and Council again became active, passing more resolutions calling on the CRD to act.
- An 800 signature petition was collected in June/July 2011 calling on the CRD to clean the ditches. A similar resolution was passed by Council on July 18, 2011, and both were delivered personally to CRD Parks staff by then Mayor Jack Marr on July 20, 2011. Neither the 800 signature public petition nor the Council resolution were put before the CRD Parks Committee, nor were the ditches cleaned.
- In 2012 a 500 signature petition was sent to the CRD calling on them not to flood the park.
- The CRD Parks Committee themselves twice passed resolutions in 2011 instructing CRD Parks staff to clean the ditches but they were not cleaned.
- In October 2011 the CRD finally had to ask Central Saanich to clean the ditches on its behalf, and Central Saanich did that in October 2011.
The effect of the ditch cleaning in 2011 was immediate. From 2012 to now there have been no mosquitoes.
There is no way to measure the financial impact on the community, where the the harvesting of crops is delayed by the mosquitoes, or people cannot work. But the graph below shows how the mosquito larvicide that had to be applied at Puckle Farm (paid by the District) dropped to almost nothing after Central Saanich cleaned the CRD's ditches. The larvicide needed on the CRD lands increased because the CRD left berms alongside their ditches which trapped the water in the fields. These were partially opened later. Larvicide use dropped on the Tsawout lands as they had repairs done to the flapper gate on the other ditch system that passes through their lands and had been open to the sea. The gate was not fixed entirely and sea water still passes through, but it does not cause as much flooding as before. The application rates shown on the graphs are in kilograms - in 2010, 402 kg of larvicide had to be applied to Puckle Farm, and after the ditches were cleaned in 2011 the average fell to just 40 kg a year. More detail and photos can be seen at http://www.friendsofislandviewbeach.com/drainageoverview.html
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Keeping the mosquito drainage ditches and the mosquito abatement program
One would think the evidence of 1936-7 and 2011-2 would speak for itself, but there is pressure from some sources to fill in the mosquito drainage ditches at Island View and return us to the terrible conditions that existed before. And there is some pressure to open up the sea wall to flood the land. Yes - as strange as it may seem, while Council and the public are concerned about possible flooding at Island View Beach, there are some who want to take action to actually cause the flooding there!
The CRD Parks Committee and the CRD Board debated this intensely, and made the decision that the ditches, the mosquito abatement program; and the sea wall were to stay. There was still unease in the community, wondering if the CRD could be relied on, and CRD Parks Chair Susan Brice made commitments on behalf of the CRD that the public could rest easy:
2013
"Committee Chairwoman Susan Brice said the CRD's position on ditch maintenance and mosquito control "had been nailed down" and anxiety in the community could be lessened by reaffirming that fact."
2014
"So we don't get anxiety out there I would just like to confirm for everybody that the issue about drainage and mosquito abatement is not on the table".
"This committee and the board has confirmed the '89 park management plan with respect to the maintenance of the drainage system in Island View park and the mosquito abatement program. Signed, sealed and delivered."
"So we are not going out to the public to ask if they want the park flooded."
I have attached the articles.
Past Mayor Alastair Bryson was Chair of the CRD at the time, and as I recall he reported to Council on these commitments by the CRD to maintain the ditches and mosquito program, so that may be in the Council or Parks Committee minutes.
Despite these apparently iron clad assurances however, at a public forum held last Saturday by the CRD to formulate recommendations about Island View Beach, CRD Parks staff listed issues to be discussed at the forum, that specifically identified the mosquito drainage ditches, the mosquito abatement program, and the sea wall. I protested, and read out out the commitments made by Parks Chair Brice that "the issue about drainage and mosquito abatement is not on the table". The CRD Senior Park Manager was called to comment, and he confirmed the commitment was made by the CRD Board (so why did CRD Park staff put them on the table???) But then a CRD Director in his first term on the CRD Board took the microphone and said he was on the CRD Parks Committee, that he knew nothing about these commitments, and said that they could be put on the table.
Until I made my protest, CRD Parks staff did not disclose to the attendees that the CRD Board had made the commitment that the ditches, mosquito program and the berm were not on the table. In fact, when I read that out, one of the attendees roared that in that case the meeting was a farce because his whole intended presentation was to call for the fulling in of the ditches, stopping the mosquito program, and to open the sea wall. Hopefully that meeting was recorded, otherwise there will be varying slants on what was said then. But I can tell you the result was that the attendee who was calling for the removal of the ditches was placated, and I left the meeting in protest. That shows what our understanding was, and that was in clear breach of the CRD commitment that the ditches etc were not to be on the table.
Parks Chair Brice was not at the Saturday meeting so could not be asked to comment. I do not doubt her word, or the sincerity of the commitments she made.
I will be writing to the CRD Board about this and other matters.
I have attached copies of resolutions that previous Councils have passed calling on the CRD to maintain the mosquito drainage ditches; the mosquito abatement program; and the sea wall. I see a posting on Councilor Jensen's web site in June 2012, where he speaks of this too: http://vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/index.php?/topic/3807-carl-jensen-central-saanich-councillor/page-3
"This evening, Council voted in favour of sending a resolution to the CRD that CS Council does not support the plan to flood the park at Island View Beach, that Council feels the CRD needs to maintain the cleaning of its ditches to prevent the mosquito infestations and that the CRD should repair the berms at the North end of the park where logs have breached the berms."
Mosquito borne diseases *
An issue we face in 2016 that they didn't face 80 years ago in 1936, is the increased risk of mosquito borne disease associated with climate change, as warmer temperatures bring diseases north. On November 6th. the Times Colonist reported that a mosquito species capable of transmitting dangerous viruses has been found in standing water in Maple Ridge. http://www.timescolonist.com/mosquito-species-capable-of-transmitting-dangerous-viruses-found-in-b-c-1.2105886
The risk we face is that people forget, and those who know will pass on. One must experience those mosquitoes to really understand how horrific they are, and this is why I quoted from the 1936 correspondence, as their language was more eloquent. To repeat a line of W.D. Michell's letter: You could not venture into your field without being pestered to death, and livestock was being tortured unmercifully." I am a farmer, and that describes my experience for 20 years before Central Saanich cleaned the CRD's ditches in the park in 2011. And that was the experience of all the farmers around, and the Ministry of Forests on Puckle Road who are 1.2km from the park.
It is of concern that despite the commitments of the CRD Board that this issue of filling in the ditches keeps coming up. As a precaution, will Council please consider passing a resolution reaffirming the requests of previous Councils, requesting the CRD that any new park management plan for Island View Beach Regional Park, include a firm commitment to maintaining the mosquito drainage ditches, the mosquito abatement program, and the sea wall.
For your information, this is the wording of the existing park bylaw about the ditches:
"(i) The CRD Parks Department will cooperate with the Municipality of Central Saanich in preparing a drainage plan for the park. The purpose of this plan is to identify ways of improving the drainage system for purposes of alleviating flooding of private lands and controlling mosquito breeding sites.
(iii) The Regional Parks Department will keep all ditches in the park clear of debris. This will be included in the annual maintenance program."
(note, the existing park bylaw contains a sub-paragraph (ii) prohibiting construction of any new ditches east of the main north south ditch. I did not repeat that here as that is a CRD matter)
Council has already arranged for District staff to liaise with the CRD about protecting the sea wall, so when that is agreed to, Council might consider asking the CRD to incorporate that into any new plan too. Although this may seem obvious to us now, the risk is that people forget, and those who know will pass on.
Sincerely
..........
* West Nile disease is the real concern. It has been in BC for a number of years and is moving west. It is transmitted by birds via mosquitoes to humans and some animals. The BC Centre for Disease Control have some unintended humour on their web site: " .. the disease can be serious for one person out of about every 150 who are infected. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to lower your risk of infection, by avoiding mosquito bites." .... lol... we definitely agree with that!
Attachments:
The commitments the CRD Board made to the public to keep the ditches: See here
Resolutions by Central Saanich Council calling on the CRD to clean/maintain the mosquito drainage ditches at Island View Beach Regional Park
November 2008
July 2011
September 2011
October 2011
June 2012 #1 June 2012 #2
One would think the evidence of 1936-7 and 2011-2 would speak for itself, but there is pressure from some sources to fill in the mosquito drainage ditches at Island View and return us to the terrible conditions that existed before. And there is some pressure to open up the sea wall to flood the land. Yes - as strange as it may seem, while Council and the public are concerned about possible flooding at Island View Beach, there are some who want to take action to actually cause the flooding there!
The CRD Parks Committee and the CRD Board debated this intensely, and made the decision that the ditches, the mosquito abatement program; and the sea wall were to stay. There was still unease in the community, wondering if the CRD could be relied on, and CRD Parks Chair Susan Brice made commitments on behalf of the CRD that the public could rest easy:
2013
"Committee Chairwoman Susan Brice said the CRD's position on ditch maintenance and mosquito control "had been nailed down" and anxiety in the community could be lessened by reaffirming that fact."
2014
"So we don't get anxiety out there I would just like to confirm for everybody that the issue about drainage and mosquito abatement is not on the table".
"This committee and the board has confirmed the '89 park management plan with respect to the maintenance of the drainage system in Island View park and the mosquito abatement program. Signed, sealed and delivered."
"So we are not going out to the public to ask if they want the park flooded."
I have attached the articles.
Past Mayor Alastair Bryson was Chair of the CRD at the time, and as I recall he reported to Council on these commitments by the CRD to maintain the ditches and mosquito program, so that may be in the Council or Parks Committee minutes.
Despite these apparently iron clad assurances however, at a public forum held last Saturday by the CRD to formulate recommendations about Island View Beach, CRD Parks staff listed issues to be discussed at the forum, that specifically identified the mosquito drainage ditches, the mosquito abatement program, and the sea wall. I protested, and read out out the commitments made by Parks Chair Brice that "the issue about drainage and mosquito abatement is not on the table". The CRD Senior Park Manager was called to comment, and he confirmed the commitment was made by the CRD Board (so why did CRD Park staff put them on the table???) But then a CRD Director in his first term on the CRD Board took the microphone and said he was on the CRD Parks Committee, that he knew nothing about these commitments, and said that they could be put on the table.
Until I made my protest, CRD Parks staff did not disclose to the attendees that the CRD Board had made the commitment that the ditches, mosquito program and the berm were not on the table. In fact, when I read that out, one of the attendees roared that in that case the meeting was a farce because his whole intended presentation was to call for the fulling in of the ditches, stopping the mosquito program, and to open the sea wall. Hopefully that meeting was recorded, otherwise there will be varying slants on what was said then. But I can tell you the result was that the attendee who was calling for the removal of the ditches was placated, and I left the meeting in protest. That shows what our understanding was, and that was in clear breach of the CRD commitment that the ditches etc were not to be on the table.
Parks Chair Brice was not at the Saturday meeting so could not be asked to comment. I do not doubt her word, or the sincerity of the commitments she made.
I will be writing to the CRD Board about this and other matters.
I have attached copies of resolutions that previous Councils have passed calling on the CRD to maintain the mosquito drainage ditches; the mosquito abatement program; and the sea wall. I see a posting on Councilor Jensen's web site in June 2012, where he speaks of this too: http://vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/index.php?/topic/3807-carl-jensen-central-saanich-councillor/page-3
"This evening, Council voted in favour of sending a resolution to the CRD that CS Council does not support the plan to flood the park at Island View Beach, that Council feels the CRD needs to maintain the cleaning of its ditches to prevent the mosquito infestations and that the CRD should repair the berms at the North end of the park where logs have breached the berms."
Mosquito borne diseases *
An issue we face in 2016 that they didn't face 80 years ago in 1936, is the increased risk of mosquito borne disease associated with climate change, as warmer temperatures bring diseases north. On November 6th. the Times Colonist reported that a mosquito species capable of transmitting dangerous viruses has been found in standing water in Maple Ridge. http://www.timescolonist.com/mosquito-species-capable-of-transmitting-dangerous-viruses-found-in-b-c-1.2105886
The risk we face is that people forget, and those who know will pass on. One must experience those mosquitoes to really understand how horrific they are, and this is why I quoted from the 1936 correspondence, as their language was more eloquent. To repeat a line of W.D. Michell's letter: You could not venture into your field without being pestered to death, and livestock was being tortured unmercifully." I am a farmer, and that describes my experience for 20 years before Central Saanich cleaned the CRD's ditches in the park in 2011. And that was the experience of all the farmers around, and the Ministry of Forests on Puckle Road who are 1.2km from the park.
It is of concern that despite the commitments of the CRD Board that this issue of filling in the ditches keeps coming up. As a precaution, will Council please consider passing a resolution reaffirming the requests of previous Councils, requesting the CRD that any new park management plan for Island View Beach Regional Park, include a firm commitment to maintaining the mosquito drainage ditches, the mosquito abatement program, and the sea wall.
For your information, this is the wording of the existing park bylaw about the ditches:
"(i) The CRD Parks Department will cooperate with the Municipality of Central Saanich in preparing a drainage plan for the park. The purpose of this plan is to identify ways of improving the drainage system for purposes of alleviating flooding of private lands and controlling mosquito breeding sites.
(iii) The Regional Parks Department will keep all ditches in the park clear of debris. This will be included in the annual maintenance program."
(note, the existing park bylaw contains a sub-paragraph (ii) prohibiting construction of any new ditches east of the main north south ditch. I did not repeat that here as that is a CRD matter)
Council has already arranged for District staff to liaise with the CRD about protecting the sea wall, so when that is agreed to, Council might consider asking the CRD to incorporate that into any new plan too. Although this may seem obvious to us now, the risk is that people forget, and those who know will pass on.
Sincerely
..........
* West Nile disease is the real concern. It has been in BC for a number of years and is moving west. It is transmitted by birds via mosquitoes to humans and some animals. The BC Centre for Disease Control have some unintended humour on their web site: " .. the disease can be serious for one person out of about every 150 who are infected. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to lower your risk of infection, by avoiding mosquito bites." .... lol... we definitely agree with that!
Attachments:
The commitments the CRD Board made to the public to keep the ditches: See here
Resolutions by Central Saanich Council calling on the CRD to clean/maintain the mosquito drainage ditches at Island View Beach Regional Park
November 2008
July 2011
September 2011
October 2011
June 2012 #1 June 2012 #2
