Although covered over, the Squatters Creek landfill periodically bubbles up to the surface, like the stream itself did before it was forced through pipes and buried in garbage. Most recently, two concerned residents have brought the landfill to our attention as part of their opposition to the City of Powell River hauling soil from the apron upgrade project at the airport to the east end of the runway.
Herb Gawley and Jack Dice were at the forefront back in 1995 when the city hauled truckloads of garbage from Squatters Creek up to the airport site after a storm sewer blew up underneath Duncan Street. Gawley and Dice were concerned because of the proximity of Myrtle Creek to the airport landfill site, and they still are. They believe garbage there can adversely affect the quality of water in the creek, which is a fish-bearing stream, as well as neighbouring wells on residential properties.
Before the term citizen journalism was coined, Gawley documented the 1995 incident in a video, which clearly shows the amount of garbage dumped at the airport and the large hole on Duncan where it came from.
It’s difficult for modern readers to understand some past practices of our local governments and Squatters Creek is one of those instances that makes us just shake our heads in disbelief.
The creek flows underneath Alberni Street, through the Town Centre Mall, across Barnet Street, then toward Duncan. It continues under the former Max Cameron Secondary School site and JP Dallos Middle School, now home to the Powell River Christian School and École Côte du Soleil. From there it crosses Westview Avenue and flows between Gerrard and Hammond streets to where it spills into Malaspina Strait near the beginning of the seawalk.
At one time, it was a bubbly stream, filled with fish, which also supplied water to early Westview residents.
At some point in time, municipal officials came up with an idea they thought was a win-win: a way to dispose of garbage while filling in the gully the creek flowed through, paving the way for development. Although records are sketchy, it appears the creek and ravine were used as a landfill from late 1957 to 1971, when it was closed.
Both the airport and Squatters Creek landfills are listed in Powell River Regional District’s new solid waste management plan. Closure plans for both are supposed to be developed, in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
It’s incumbent on local government officials to develop these closure plans as soon as possible in order to address the mistakes of the past and to assure residents measures are being taken to protect water quality.
