A proposed zoning amendment bylaw to regulate bottling of drinking water will go to City of Powell River Council.
At the November 3 committee of the whole meeting, councillors voted to send the amendment bylaw to council for first and second readings, and if council provides passage, that it proceed to public hearing.
At the meeting, senior planner Daniella Fergusson said the purpose of this report is that staff was asked to come back with a proposed bylaw amendment for water bottling regulations. She said a proposed change to the zoning bylaw would prohibit water bottling, except where the source of the water is the municipal water supply supplied directly to the property on which the bottling is taking place.
“What’s different between this bylaw and the bylaw that you saw previously is the previous one we had proposed to you talked about water and food bottling in the C1 and MX zones,” said Fergusson. “In this version we saw how that could create some more confusion so it creates more problems than it solves. We have just proposed to amend this zoning bylaw with the language prohibiting water bottling except where the source of the water is a municipal water supply.”
In a report to council, Fergusson stated that council’s direction to staff is to prohibit the bottling of groundwater and surface water for commercial sale and bulk export, while allowing bottling and sale of municipal water for local use.
The matter will be reviewed by city council on November 19.
