Growth at Texada Island’s airport has pushed Powell River Regional District (PRRD) to investigate the potential impact on Gillies Bay’s drinking water supply.
PRRD board voted in favour of contributing $15,000 to hire an environmental professional to assess the hydrological aspects of the Gillies Bay Airport area proposed for development at its March meeting.
“The airport is going through something of a growth spurt,” said Electoral Area D director Sandy McCormick.
Cranby Lake supplies homes in Gillies Bay with drinking water and the airport is located within the lake’s watershed.
“We’re concerned [the growth is] happening within the watershed,” said McCormick.
The airport has had a steady increase in aircraft traffic over the past few years, in part due to the success it has had bringing out-of-town pilots in for annual aviation events.
“Texada is a bargain for pilots,” said McCormick.
Of the Gulf Islands, Texada stands out as the only one with a 3,000-foot long (914-metre) paved landing strip, said Doby Dobrostanski, president of Texada Island Aviation Society and an organizer of the annual Texada Fly-in.
In 2005, the airport did not have any hangers for privately owned aircraft, but by 2007 four had been built. According to Dobrostanski, a current waitlist includes about a dozen people who wish to lease land in the development area to build hangers.
“It’s about the only thing being developed on the island,” he said.
Since 2007, the island’s annual July flying event has brought pilots and enthusiasts together to talk about flying for a day. The event has grown over the years and now includes an expanded children’s aerospace camp, complete with flight simulators and wind tunnel.
Dobrostanski said he understands the necessity of the regional district to look at potential impacts of the airport, but noted it has been at that location since 1979, there is not any fuel stored on site and any wastewater produced goes into the airport’s septic system, which is not located within 100 feet of any waterway that runs into Cranby Lake.
“There’s probably more fuel spilled while people fill up their lawnmowers at their homes,” said Dobrostanski, “than at the airport.”
