Gun Lake, BC (Photo Credit: EcoBC)

The Organization

The Gun Lake Ratepayers Association is a non-profit organization setup that serves the purpose of addressing issues within the Gun Lake community. The purposes of the society, as taken from their website, are:

(a) to promote, support and protect the status, rights and best interests of each person holding a registered interest in the watershed,

(b) to promote the orderly development of the watershed as a natural residential recreational area,

(c) to secure improvements in the best interests of each person holding a registered interest in land in the watershed,

(d) to prevent damage to or interference with the purity of the waters of the Watershed as the source of domestic drinking water for the members of the Society.

(e) to preserve, continue, maintain and improve the ecological and environmental condition of the watershed,

(f) to co-operate with municipal government and other public bodies in the furtherance of the objects of the Society and benefits to the watershed,

(g) to concern itself with the performance as related to the watershed of municipal, provincial and federal governments and agencies thereof,

(h) to promote, develop and foster community spirit and good fellowship within the watershed and adjacent communities,

(i) as time and economics require or permit, facilitate the introduction, development or improvement throughout the watershed of highways, policing, zoning, communication systems, fire protection, sewage, water rights and distribution and any other appropriate elements of a municipal government system, and

(j) to join other societies or associations with similar purposes or purposes beneficial either to the Society or to it’s members.

The Project Scope & Aims

This aim of this project is to determine whether sand from the lava soil at Gun Lake is capable of absorbing bacteria in a manner similar to the lava ash sand found in New Zealand. The leaking of nutrients and bacteria into Gun Lake from the surrounding septic fields has been a source of concern to the GLRA for a number of years already. It has been proposed that a field trench/berm made of the lava sands be built around and below the septic fields. Of course, prior to the implementation of such a project, considerable amounts of research and testing needs to be conducted, of which our project is just one of many.

Our project will involve three main components:
a) lava sand dye/bacteria absorption results
b) design of a column test unit
c) design of field trench design (CAD or physical model)

A number of personnel are involved in similar testing and research for Gun Lake, who we can hopefully consult over the course of our project.

As our group have yet to meet the client for specifics (this will occur next week), it is difficult to establish a plan or agenda at this particular time. Thus, the strategic details will be covered in the next blog post.