[LookOutSugarLake] Kelowna Bridge Sinking pontoons into lake

[handr at telus.net]

Below is a sample letter opposing the sinking of pontoons into  
Okanagan lake - they could be recycled instead.
Let's not forget okanagan lake is used for drinking water.

huguette


>>
>>
>>
>> Kelowna Daily Courier, June 5, 2008:
>>
>>
>> Letters may be sent to:
>> Dale Bonke
>> Environmental Management Section Head (Penticton)
>> Telephone: 250 490-8251
>> Facsimile: 250 490-2231
>> Email: Dale.Bonke at gov.bc.ca
>> Physical Address: 102 Industrial Place, Penticton, BC, V2A7C8  CANADA
>>
>>
>> SAMPLE LETTER:
>>
>> Regional Manager
>> Environmental Protection
>> 102 Industrial Place
>> Penticton, BC
>> V2A 7C8
>> June 8, 2008
>> To Whom It May Concern:
>>
>> I am writing in response to the Environmental Protection Notice  
>> placed in the Daily Courier on June 5, 2008 regarding the sinking  
>> of the WRB Bridge in Okanagan Lake.  Using Okanagan Lake as a dump  
>> site sends the wrong message to the public and seems  
>> environmentally backwards.  It undermines the efforts to protect  
>> aquatic ecosystems from contaminants by making it seem as though  
>> the government sanctions dumping material in the lake.
>>
>> I am also concerned that the public and developers may confuse the  
>> disposal of solid concrete with concrete washwater.  While concrete  
>> washwater poses the greatest threat in small, contained water  
>> bodies where it can drastically affect pH and sediment levels,  
>> dumping it in lakes should not be encouraged because it can have  
>> local effects.  Furthermore, many concrete mixtures contain heavy  
>> metals and other pollutants.
>>
>> Alternatives to dumping do exist and should be investigated  
>> thoroughly.  One alterative is to crush the concrete and use it as  
>> clean fill in road beds, in new concrete and anywhere that gravel  
>> is required.  With so many new gravel pits scarring the fragile  
>> Okanagan landscape, it seems wrong to pass up an opportunity to  
>> recycle this valuable bridge material, even if some energy would be  
>> required to arrange for a crusher.  Online sources state that  
>> “compact, self-contained mini-crushers are also available that can  
>> handle up to 150 tons per hour” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_recycling 
>> ).  Another alternative is stockpile the bridge sections and use  
>> them as retaining walls as they become needed.
>>
>> Finally, I would appreciate a copy of the environmental assessment  
>> which shows a an evaluation of the bridge disposal options.
>>
>> Thank you very much for your work and attention to this matter.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>> P.S. Please see also the following reference for a worldwide  
>> comparison of concrete recycling methodology:
>>
>> International Union of Testing and Research Laboratories for  
>> Materials and Structures Technical Committee 37-DRC. 1992.   
>> Recycling of demolished concrete and masonry. Hansen, T.C. ed.  
>> RILEM Report 6. Taylor and Francis, 316 pages, ISBN:0419158200.
>> (online preview: http://books.google.ca/books?id=z4KM4Xrr6Y0C&dq=old+concrete&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

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