Re: "Unelected team to run big sewage project," Aug. 8.
Are we planning to drink the Pacific Ocean? The residents of the St. Lawrence Valley must and do drink the sewage of those upstream, as do many less fortunate inland dwellers.
Victoria, by contrast, has available a huge volume of clear, clean water, and for less than we are spending on an unnecessary bridge, we could triple our present resource.
A galaxy of hard-nosed scientists who have studied the matter at length have concluded that artificial treatment is unnecessary by reason of the oxygenation provided by the extreme natural twice-daily reversing tidal currents, which have been measured to reach nine knots at Clover Point.
This extreme turbulence is the intelligent use of megawatts of natural tidal power, which otherwise must be generated artificially at great cost in dollars and at cost to the environment.
It is for the reason of this extreme turbulence that the city went cheap and only built the outfall to one half its designed length.
Now that Oak Bay and Saanich sewage has been added, this outfall should be extended to its full designed length, which could be now be done in a few months for one per cent of the cost of this insane artificial project.
Now that the massive earthquake rupture zone has been moved 50 kilometres closer to Victoria, natural gravity systems (with seaward reliefs), which we largely have, is clearly the way to go.
Science and common sense should trump Ottawa's one-size-fits-all hysteria.
Ian M. Sherwin Victoria
